“Do I Tweet because I’m happy, or am I happy because I Tweet?”
To my own surprise, I have come to embrace Tweeting as something of an art form. Like haiku or bonsai, a limitation in form (in this case, 140 characters) can sometimes increase the potency of one’s creation.
In fact, a few years ago I took this artistic challenge to a new level: I made a game of constructing each and every Tweet I Tweeted using exactly 140 characters -- not one more or one less [yes, there is a diagnosis for this :)].
As you have probably gleaned through visiting other pages on this website, my practice of psychology is very consciously tinged with an awareness of the sacred (a.k.a. “spiritual”) dimension of life.
Please know that “my” Tweets will often address matters outside the realm of what is traditionally considered the purview of western psychology.*
*though I promise I will never stoop to the level of telling you with whom I’m having lunch, or where you can go to buy Tony Rooney merch... :)
​
To peruse the entire set:
Here are some (precisely 140 character) samples:
05-12
140
Wherever u go, there u are [which wouldn’t b so bad, if it weren’t for the conditioned mind insisting on tagging along most of the time :)].
05-11
140
Peace does not arise from the fulfillment of desires, but from the forgetting of them [which is sometimes brought @ by their fulfillment :)]
05-10
140
Just figured out the solution 2 all political conflict: We all look in a mirror & c we’re more like “them” than we thot it was safe 2 admit…
05-09
140
Of all creatures on Earth, only we humans are capable of believing that some other reality could b possible (or preferable 2 the 1 that is!)
05-08
140
Recognizing that fear need not be converted into anger is a giant step in the process of evolution that might allow us 2 continue to evolve.
05-07
140
No matter how far you’ve traveled in the wrong direction, now is the best time to turn around. [My variation on an ancient Turkish proverb]
05-02
140
Today is an opportunity 2 find some ways 2 be just a bit more free from fear than I was yesterday [as stories go, this ain’t a bad one :)].
05-01
140
I am beginning 2 suspect that being happy has more 2 do w/ releasing things that thwart happiness, than w/ acquiring things that provide it.
04-30
140
Who is my “spiritual teacher”? Any human being in my vicinity whose heart happens 2 be a bit more relaxed&open than mine is at the moment…
04-29
140
How @ this: sticking w/ the truth, whether it's pleasant or unpleasant – and standing by your word, whether it's convenient or inconvenient?
04-28
140
"Thinking positive" sure does feel better than "thinking negative" – but how @ just aiming to see & relate with things as they actually ARE?
04-26-2012
140
Unfortunately, some of me still believes I need to keep a battalion of fear deployed in my body at all times in order to ensure my survival.
04-25
140
When fear arises, I aim to ask myself: “Is this fear actually relevant to this present situation?” (Hint: the answer is almost always “no.”)
04-24
140
All my best epiphanies lately have something 2 do w/ recognizing that fear is more optional-& less necessary-than I had previously imagined.
04-21
140
There is nothing in me that needs 2 b “overcome.” (There are plenty of things in me, however, that could use a little kindness & inclusion…)
04-20
140
My current favorite snappy answer 2 the question “What’s up?”: “Half of everything” & 2 the query “What’s happening?”: “Everything at once”
04-19
140
Believing that the world is (or should be) designed 2 provide us with what we think we want brings about more suffering than not getting it.
04-18
140
As my heart relaxes & opens, a voice in me says “Don’t let it show – if you do, other people will realize how scrunched up you were before!”
04-13-2012
140
Punishment doesn't teach us anything (except 2 live in fear -- and to develop more & more complex strategies 2 attempt 2 avoid punishment).
04-11
140
Whenever suffering arises, ask yourself: “What am I engaged in resisting right now?” – and see what happens if you simply let it be instead.
04-09
140
Just read an awesome quote on a teabag tag: “The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.” (Man, that is poetic & true - & useful, 2!)
04-07-2012
140
A recipe 4 waking up: Be aware of the sensations of Life Energy arising in your body NOW (not so much what your mind has to say about them).
04-06-2012
140
A golf meta4: Finding reasons 4 breaking 1’s word is like knocking yr ball around in the rough, instead of hitting it back on2 the fairway…
04-04
140
Basic human goodness is simply making its way to the surface here; I am no more in charge of this than is the earth of a flower blossoming.
04-03
140
The deeper wounds we’ve incurred in the context of real, human relationships can only be healed in the context of real, human relationships.
04-02
140
A useful axiom: If you dedicate some time 2 actively noticing whatever is happening within you that you consider beautiful, it will blossom…