Well, Here I Am.

I've started this blog to chronicle my journey to... well, I'm not even quite sure yet. Here is what I know:

In the past year, I have read 2 books that have had an impact on me. The first book, Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner. My first (and to date, ONLY) taste of Zen Buddhism. (Almost) everything I know about Buddhism is thanks to Brad Warner. Suffice it to say, I don't know a lot. But I know that I like it. I know that, for the first time, something actually makes sense to me. I could give you my whole background, how I was raised Catholic, got "saved" by Jesus a few times, always searching and wondering about God, life, purpose, energy, etc. I'm sure I will get into all of that in time. But this, this was something that finally felt right.

The second book was Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is where I got the Idea for the name of my blog:

"Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the "monkey mind" - the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl. From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute unharnessed and undisciplined...
...The problem with all of this swinging through the vines of thought is that you are never where you are." - From Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is me! This is my brain! Having battled occasional depression and anxiety in my life, i am ready to find something, do something, change my lifestyle. Tap into that inner peace, find MY "God" or energy or whatever you want to call it, focus my mind and learn to meditate.

My goal is to search, try things. Different types of Yoga, Zen, Meditation. This blog is going to be my outlet, my journal, my scrapbook, a lot of things. I am not a writer, by any stretch of the imagination. I am a monkey mind seeking Zen, who wants to chronicle that journey!