MONDAY 5th OCTOBER 2015 08:15 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
5th October 1789
THE START OF THE MARCH ON VERSAILLES
Upset about the high price and scarcity of bread, thousands of Parisian women and their various allies marched on the royal palace at Versailles. It is one of the most important events of the French revolution. 

By the time the mob had reached Versailles, it had become an unstoppable force. The palace guard faced the dilemma of defending the palace and causing a massacre, or to surrender. Once it became clear that the guard were unwilling to fire on the people, the king's life was only temporarily saved by his agreeing to return to Paris. 

Had the king been more shrewd and co-operated with a process of reform, he may have subsequently kept his position, but a string of bad decisions and siding with the wrong people led in 1792 to the abolition of the monarchy, the execution of the king, and the beginning of "The Terror", in which many thousands of summary executions took place all over France. 

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Housework
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 2,023 (up 3)
Non-followed eliminated = 0
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Unfollowers eliminated = 0
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New Followers followed back =3
@kasthomas, @NatalieWinklein, @JoyAndRoy
Spammers not followed back = 0
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3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

Well I didn't make any inspirational decisions or make any changes on Sunday, but I did enjoy myself, just doing what I normally do. I am in the fortunate position that ordinary everyday life generally is enjoyable and fulfilling. I'm particularly appreciative because I have had a prolonged experience of that not being the case! 

Of all the breakthroughs and wisdom that I've learned, I rank the most important wisdom to be that HAPPINESS IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF CHALLENGES. In fact, such an absence is bad for wellbeing. Without challenges, the life experience has no purpose and becomes unenjoyable. It is the fact that it is limited and doesn't have everything that clearly defines the character that consciousness is playing. I have learned that happiness is not in the acquiring of stuff but the making of a difference.

A weird aspect of this particular character is that it enjoys being unconscious, or at least not being in waking consciousness. Obviously unconsciousness involves the absence of memory (unless you have a vivid dream) and sensation, but I enjoy losing consciousness and having regained it, the feeling of emerging from it, particularly after a long time. Because I want to work in harmony with my body and promote its wellbeing, I no longer do unhealthy things to make it happen. Meditation during the day and natural sleep by night are now my standard routes into this pleasure.

I particularly enjoyed the opportunity on Sunday afternoon of relaxing into a trance, and waking to find two hours had passed. Because it is such a treat, meditation comes easy to me, and if I'm going to do it, nothing less than an hour will do. And of course, unlike drugs or asphyxiation, natural sleep and meditation are GOOD for you - in my case helping me to manage this mind's default instability with disciplines that keep it functional.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you at peace with who you are?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
A foggy day with a band of heavy rain crossing mid-morning
Fog will life in the evening, but there will be prolonged heavy rain overnight
A moderate south-easterly will blow throughout
Max Temp = 15 degC at 5pm
Min Temp = 9 degC at 8am
Sunrise at 07:15
Sunset at 18:35
Moon: 

Weathertrack: A series of weather fronts will move north across Britain today
Air Pressure: 1005 millibars and falling

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
I'd like to give a friend my voodoo doll and have them scratch its arse whenever I'm itchy in a public place :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Bill Burr Teaches Elijah Wood How To Kill

8. TRIVIA
Proteins can have bizarre names. For example, the protein Pikachurin is a retinal protein that was named after a Pokémon character Pikachu. The protein Sonic Hedgehog was named after Sonic the Hedgehog. A blue protein is named Ranasmurfin, after the Smurfs.

9. ZEN WISDOM
Persistence is, in and of itself, a great challenge and it often holds the key to breaking through a barrier.