Ozy and Millie
Wisdom for short attention spans.
Over at my home station:
- So I screwed up my PO box December 12, 2018If you’ve gotten fan mail back, it’s my fault. I failed to keep my PO box paid up, and I know some people got mail back. I’m really sorry! Feel free to send stuff along to the new address: Dana Simpson PO Box 6347 Santa Barbara, CA 93160-6347 Again, I’m really sorry for the inconvenience! […]Dana Simpson
- The unicorn of Today July 9, 2018So the Today Show had Amazon.com list some summer reading books for young reluctant readers. I’m #8! I’m almost more excited that Breaking Cat News, by my friend Georgia Dunn, is #2. Go Georgia! Go kitties! Read more →Dana Simpson
- I won something! July 8, 2018It had been a little while since I actually won an award, though I’ve been nominated a few times. This time, kids did the voting! Phoebe was voted “Bravest Hero” (For The Magic Storm) at the Kids’ Comics Awards, at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival. (Which, by the way, I should attend some time. […]Dana Simpson
- I’ll be in Spokane July 8, 2018At Auntie’s Bookstore, this Friday (the 13th) at 6. Washington, I wish I knew how to quit you. Read more →Dana Simpson
- Wednesday in West Seattle June 19, 2018I’ll be returning to C&P Coffee Co. in West Seattle, for Words West Literary’s kids’ night. I’ll be reading some selections from various “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” books. It’ll be me and Suzanne Selfors. Last time it was fun! Starts at 6. Read more →Dana Simpson
- I am interviewed by children December 1, 2017One child, anyway. A little girl named Katy, in Massachussetts. She wrote a letter to her local paper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, asking them to please pick up ‘Phoebe and Her Unicorn.’ Not only did they, but they let her ask me some interview questions. And she really nailed it. Read about it here! […]Dana Simpson
- The Big Sparkly Box of Unicorn Magic October 19, 2017This week has been Magic Storm week, but next week, the first four books are coming out as a boxed set! Read more →Dana Simpson
- Happy Magic Storm release day! October 17, 2017The new book, which is the first one written as a standalone graphic novel, is here! Read more →Dana Simpson
- The gay unicorn agenda July 26, 2017Did you catch the reveal of Max’s parents in this week’s strips? I’ve actually known all along that Max has lesbian parents. I’ve been waiting for years for it to come up organically. And it actually did in the forthcoming Phoebe and Her Unicorn In: The Magic Storm, which is due out in October. So […]Dana Simpson
- School Library Journal June 28, 2017SLJ’s Brigid Alverson interviewed me for a great article about LGBTQ representation in comics. I’m quoted in the article, but I said a lot more, and apparently it was interesting enough that she also published the whole interview. Read more →Dana Simpson
Don’t suppress your thoughts; that is effort, and it disturbs the stillness you seek. Let thoughts come and go as they will, and pay them no heed. Focus on nothing; do not become distracted. Do not follow any train of thought. Allow your attention to become as still as the emptied mind you seek. Stillness will come, in due time and with diligent practice.
It is not easy, when first starting out. But, ironically, once you’ve achieved stillness, it becomes easier than thought. It takes time, dedication, serenity, and patience.
One cannot pursue enlightenment; one must allow enlightenment to come of its own accord.
+1
Why would I or how could I not follow any train of thought? I’m not really capable of not thinking, because thought keeps me from going completely insane. And how can it be possible to achieve “enlightenment” without conscious thought? And how do we know in the first place that profound understanding of the universe doesn’t escape the grasp of the human mind?
I’m sorry, it just gets really annoying and frustrating to me when people like you talk in that particular manner, like you know exactly what to do to achieve something, when following those instructions do not work with me, even with practice. I hate when people act like they know more than they actually do.
And, to conclude, let me express the way I feel in response to that tone of voice: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahh, now I feel better.
This is the best description I know of for why I am incapable of not thinking.
I like how they play chess. When I was their age I was just starting checkers. I did not learn chess until I was an adult.