OCD and VPN and NOW

Today was yet another conversation that demonstrated what has sometimes been called my OCD. The sharing was with an online group — all of us well beyond our youth! Candid talk about having documents in place, plans well articulated, and persons in place as we face what are called The Five Remembrances in Buddhism morphed into acknowledgment of our universal vulnerability.

The Five Remembrances

I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot escape aging.

I am of the nature to have ill health; I cannot escape sickness.

I am of the nature to die; I cannot escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change; I cannot escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings; I cannot escape the consequences of my actions; My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

As two of us lingered online I confessed that I cannot put something into a closet without awareness that I may be leaving something for someone else to take care of. The upgrade for OCD (obsessive compulsive behavior) that has come to my heart is OCD:Only compassionate doing.

Several of us had experiences with others who did or did not take good care of those who would end up taking care of what we did not.

This is a short post with a long list of ways we can be more loving to those who are responsible for loving us.

One piece of new information for me is the need for a VPN. I had to look it up to even know what that means.

What is a VPN?

A beginner’s guide: A VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that routes your internet traffic through a remote server. It encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP (Internet Protocol) address.

This process secures your connection to the internet and protects your privacy while browsing online. It also hides your online activities from third parties trying to collect your data or intercept your connection.

Well, now I know something I did not know and VPN will be an area my OCD will look into and put into place.

This morning I also received a text message from a neighbor here in Lazy Days who just had open heart surgery on Friday. I was able to send him this photo of John playing his guitar at day 11 post surgery in 2022.

And now he is riding bicycle with me 10 miles a day!

OCD, VPN, and NOW…