One month down

Full moon rising over the bay at Jenner, CA. From a kayak.

Today's full moon marks the end of the first month of Vassa, and I find myself among the skeptics who thought I'd never last the month with my minor efforts. But I did.

Surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard. I still get an occasional thought to play a computer game, but only when I'm passing time, waiting for some appointment or some reason when it's not reasonable to start something new.

I've only missed one meditation session, an evening a couple of days ago when fatigue from lack of sleep interfered. I knew I could not even sit on the cushion for those 20 minutes.

What is surprising is how much good the month has done me. Inside, where it counts, I can really feel the difference. Simple observances, but knowing I've made the Vassa pledge seems to give my mind much more reason to stick to all of it and even add a bit more.

With this success behind me, I'll avoid one more thing that's bad for me beginning with this full moon and which, like the computer games, is an obsession. Sugar! This one really needs to happen and will be harder than the games. But, I started a couple of days ago, casually, and today it stops. For the next two months. You can trust me when I say this is going to be tough. I can avoid it easily at home, but if I'm somewhere that it's put in front of me in the form of some delicious food --- that's when it'll be hard. But hard is good, and I'll do it.