Good Morning

It rained yesterday.  A good rain.  The wash (dry river bed) that runs to the west of our property and though the vacant desert land, across the street, north of our home became a stream and then a river. Carrying sand, branches and bits of trash to a new location.

I love being the first human to walk on the newly carpeted sand, still damp from the flow of rain water. Has the feeling of coming home to a clean house, familiar yet infused with a new energy.  The feel of moist sand under my tennis shoes, the sound of near by birds mingling with distance traffic, the quality of light still shaded by a few clouds lingering from the storm, feeding my soul.  

Taking a seat at my turn around point, a slab of concrete illegally dumped decades ago and slowly being covered with grains of displaced sand.  Saying a prayer of gratitude, thank you for the rain, the sun, the sky, the birds and this day.  It is a good morning.

Health & Forgivness

Honoring a message received this morning.  

The corner alter in my living room contains two candles, one to disperse aromatherapy oil the other to send prayers.   A small prayer book with Ganesh on the cover (the elephant header Hindu God who removes obstacles) has a place next to the crystal prayer candle holder.  Mala (prayer) beads surround a small smiling Buddha with uplifted hands.

Most mornings I choose two cards and a stone to place on my alter.

The stone chosen today said "Health".

The Louise Hay Power Thought Card:

• Front: "My healing is already in process." 
• Back:  My willingness to forgive begins my healing process.  I allow the love from my own heart to wash through me, cleansing and healing every part of my body.  I know I am worth healing." 

The Virtues Card:

After several readings of the list of Practices of Forgiveness:  I am inviting in 

"I have the power to change for the better".  

I am worth healing!

Committing to Cleanliness

Why do I struggle with self commitment?  It is easier to be consistent when committing to others, than to practice following through with taking care of  myself.  Simple daily commitments can become a struggle; early to bed and early to rise, no food after 7PM, & moving everyday.

Interesting to watch my excuses for doing or not doing what I have told myself I want to do.  The best is "I deserve this" or  "I want to do this or not do this - right now".  Is being flexible about commitments a gift or a curse?  I think the answer is YES.  Flexibility is a practice.  Commitment is a practice. We fall out of balance to practice getting back into balance - when standing in tree pose on the yoga mat and in finding balance in life.

Interesting the Virtues Card I choose from my deck this morning & the pick I just made from the Virtues Project web site are identical.

Pick your own virtue card at:  Virtues Project

Can You See Me Now?

Fruits, vegetables, pure water, clean air, sleep, and hugs.... if we were playing Scattergories can you guess the topic?  ----  Things That Are Important For Health.

Yesterday while eating a delicious salad at Beyond Bread, I looked at the NY Times Review section.   Lunch out was the date part of a Sunday morning shared visiting plumbing and hardware stores, gathering parts to maintain our evaporative cooler one more season.  As Michael reviewed the news on his smart phone I read an interesting article about eye contact.  

I knew touch was important for infant bonding and development and that hugs can be a kind of vitamin for physical and emotional wellness.   The idea of eye contact being studied in connection to wellness is a new thought.  Makes total sense. Eyes are windows to the soul.  Being seen -- really seen -- feels so good.  I am becoming aware of when this powerful connection happens and when it doesn't.  How simple to look someone in the eye for just a moment and how powerful to have that connection returned.

The title for this blog - Can You See Me Now?  popped into my mind this morning.  As I am typing I realize that the intention I am inviting into my life is:   Can I See You Now?  Just a modern take on the ancient Sanskrit word Namaste --- The light in me sees the light in you.

Enlightenment takes many forms....

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/sunday-review/the-eyes-have-it.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Paying Attention & Celebrating Support

I begin my daily (or frequent ) intention prayer with:
I am grateful for Spirits abundant support and guidance.

The first step of gratitude is paying attention  For me this means noticing the abundance, support and guidance that shows up in my life.

This last week has been filled with flowers.  More flowers than I have ever received!

1.  On Wednesday I purchased an inexpensive bouquet of flowers for myself.  Yellow daisy's. pink alstromeneria and mums with one large sunflower.  Flowers that tend to last a few days, even as our days are transitioning from spring to summer temperatures.

2.  Friday morning I connected with a dear friend, Helen.   To my great surprise she brought beautiful tangerine tulips.

3.  Friday evening my beloved came home with not one, but 3, bunches of flowers.  Something Michael had never done in our 38 years together.  All my vases in use, I played with placing the abundant choices of flowers and greens together.

4.  Sunday night my sons girlfriend, Valerie,  gifted me a mothers day bouquet.  Smiling I arranged these in a large Mason Jar.

On Saturday my son, Sean, took me to a Market On the Move event.  For a $10 donation we left with 2 boxes of melons, tomatoes, tomatillos, yellow peppers and squash.  The tomatillos were the catalyst for making my first batch of Salsa Verde.

I end my daily intention prayer with:
My heart is open to giving and receiving love and abundance.  

Taking time to pay attention to the abundance of flowers, food and beautiful people in my life.

Thank you Universe for the gift of time to reflect, celebrate and share your support.

May we all notice and celebrate the abundant gifts in our lives - with ease and grace.

Keys To Letting Go

I have stepped into spring cleaning in a unique way.  Tomorrow will be the 3rd session in of a 4 part "Clearing Clutter" workshop at Oro Valley Library.

Session 1 Clutter Awareness:  34 amazing individuals showed up to explore letting go of clutter with me.  We looked at the definition of clutter, identified personal areas of clutter and examined the benefits and costs of clutter.  A key awareness about clutter is knowing what is clutter and how we can best let it go is unique for each of us and changes with time.

Session 2 Clutter Acceptance:  39 wonderful people attended.  The room was filled, the technology working fine.  One minute before we stated the computer failed.  Two librarians could not get it restarted.  No space for fear or anxiety.  No time for blame or worry thoughts.  I asked "As a child where did you feel safe?"  Real or imagined, alone or with others, inside or outside.  I then asked "As an adult were do you feel safe?"  The answers were as diverse as the individuals in the room.  We explored what supports feeling safe, centered and present.

Clutter is delayed decisions.  So the process of letting go of clutter is making these decisions.  Being aware of out beliefs, thoughts, feelings and behaviors -- without judging them -- is a key.  Awareness, Acceptance and then Adjustment.  When we can see funky feelings and stinking thinking with compassion we can shift them from harmful to helpful.

Fun & Gluten Free

Ever have an National Public Radio moment -- where you stop what you are doing to really listen to what is being shared?   I became engrossed in a Fresh Air interview this week.  Terry Gross interviewed 2 editors of the new America's Test Kitchen - How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.  The science of cooking is amazing.

Hear the interview and see some fun gluten free recipes at:

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/20/291873792/test-kitchen-have-your-gluten-free-cake-and-love-eating-it-too

Over Stuffed

Stuff creeps into our lives and multiples.

Where did that pile of clothes, books or rocks come from?

How did the desk, kitchen table or counter become so cluttered? 

Our homes overflow with:

• Pantries filled with enough food to feed a family for 6 months
• Tools we don't use or that don’t work
• Toys – drawers, shelves, boxes overflowing with toys
• Supplies for projects gathering dust
• Clothes we have not fit into for a long time
• Multiples of reading glasses, scissors, nail clippers.... yet where is one when needed? 

An over abundance of stuff zaps our energy, clutters our space and confuses our thinking.  Yet we struggle to let stuff go.  Even the stuff we no longer use or like -- can cling to us.

Instead of letting things go we tend to stuff our stuff into drawers, closets, and storage sheds.  We purchase plastic containers and pretty boxes for keeping stuff, not because we use it, but because we are not ready to let it go. 

We know what to do.  Some of us have:

• Worked with a professional, friend or family member to help us organize
• Read books to re-organize home or office spaces.
• Read articles in magazines and on the web to support de-cluttering
• Watched Clean Sweep, Clean House and Hoarders on TV

We may know what to do and yet struggle to do it, even when we see our stuff robbing us of:

 time, productivity, creativity, connection with others and peace of mind. 

Can we learn to let go of what no longer severs us with ease? 

This is the goal of a 4 – part Clearing Clutter Workshop,  I am piloting at Oro Valley Public Library. 

Part 1:  Clutter: Awareness Tuesday March 25th 9:30 – 11:00am Part 2:  Clutter: Acceptance

    Tuesday April 1^st 9:30 – 11:00am

Part 3:  Clutter: Adjustments and Actions Tuesday April 8th 9:30 – 11:00am Part 4:  Clutter: Invisible Clutter

    Tuesday April 15^th  9:30 – 11:00am

Yoga With A Dentist

Glancing at the clock, very aware this root cannel procedure is taking longer than the 90 minutes appointment.  Thinking:   Can an open mouth be an asana?   How long can I hold this edge?  Translating the words “we are almost done” to the voice of my yoga teacher saying, “take three more deep breaths” while holding plank.

Fast forward to this morning and reading a short section from Attitudes of Gratitude:  How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life by M. J. Ryan:  

“Is the world a wonderful place or a hellhole?  All of us know the answer to that depends on our attitude on any give day.  Has the world changed?  Most likely our thinking about it has.   When we consciously cultivate positive attitudes such as love, joy and gratitude, we “remake” the world. “

Yesterday in the dental chair, breathing through my nose, I practiced gratitude. 

Grateful for:

• Clear sinuses
• Amazing technology to find and fix a root infection
• Gentle hands of a very young desist
• The new assistances desire to learn
• Time for a nap after the appointment
• Dental insurance

Life coaching teaches: 

What We Focus On Expands

Kripalu yoga teaches:

Practice Curiosity and Compassion 

Life is good when I remember to ride the waves of life just noticing and letting go of judgments.  

There is power and peace in focusing on gratitude. 

Chopping Onions

After decades of cooking are there still lesson to learn in the kitchen?

Can there be gifts in chopping onions? 

I am basking in the after glow of completing a BIG project.  Two weeks of planning and 6 days of cooking, vegan and gluten free, meals for 20 yoga teachers.  

It was challenging: 

·      Preparing and serving 3 meals and a snack each day.   Chai Tea aromas of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom filling the kitchen by 6:30 a.m. 

·      Constantly busy measuring, chopping and mixing…. thinking, what is next, while multi-tasking to have all the food on the buffet table for their meal or snack break.  

·      Remembering to take out frozen homemade quick bread and soup for the next day at 7p.m.

It was rewarding:  

·      Connecting with amazing yoga teachers from Idaho, Boston, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico….   Beautiful intelligent women in their 20’s, older women in the mist of raising children or choosing not to have children, wise mature women who are creating what is next after retirement or divorce.  And 2 very interesting men.

·      All sharing the common language of yoga, connected at a heart level. 

I continue to learn: 

·      To trust that everything will come together, for each meal and for my life as a whole. 

·      That something as simple as chopping onions can be done with a sense of integrity and service.

·      To open my heart and really receive the appreciation others have for the effort and love I put into each meal and my life.

I am grateful

·      That I have the knowledge, skills and energy as well as the opportunity to do this. 

Roller Coaster Ride

At a gathering of women someone asked:  How has the beginning of 2014 been for you? I realized the last month as been a ride of ups and downs with laughter and tears.  One day I sang out loud to Karen Drucker's song "Thank You For This Day" as tears of joy flowed down my cheek.  Later the same day,  tears of frustration and sadness filled my eyes as I stomped out of the house for a get myself together walk around the block.  I remember words a very special friend shared about a year after her daughter's death:  "I am grateful for the laughter and the tears".

Each of my 5 senses has the ability to bring me present, the smell of sage before a desert rain,  the vibrant pink reflected in the winter sky at sunset, a 3 a.m. coyote's chorus, the touch of clean sheets against my bare skin, a sip of hot passion tea with a hint of agave syrup.

Learning emotions can bring me present, with a whisper and sometimes a shout.
Learning to listen to myself with compassion - non judgement.
Learning to accept the ups and the downs...grateful for the laughter and the tears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWBdcQd59WM&list=PL66C0A6D0609A8DE7

Novel Gift

Such a joy to give myself time to get lost in a good book.  Finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett last night.  Fiction based in Jackson Mississippi in the 1960's.

Continue to reflect on the seeds one of the 3 main female characters, chose to plant in a child she was charged with taking care of.  How can a young child with a raciest, self-absorbed Mother survive the neglect and verbal abuse of her home?  The three things the black maid, Aibileen, left young white Mae Mobley saying aloud are:
"I is kind."
"I is smart."
"I is important."

Do these translate to compassion, wisdom and purpose?
Can I be non-judgmental with myself and others?
Can I tap into my wisdom?
Can I live my purpose boldly?

Simplicity and strength in:
I am kind.
I am smart.
I am important.



Official book web site for The Help

Listening Deeply

Stayed in bed late today…. Missing the weekly gathering of women that has supported my life for a number of years.  Practiced listening to my mind, heart and belly about a couple of personal issues.

Used techniques shared by Alan Seal, a great coach from Boston, in a 90-minute web session on Thursday. I leaned that when our mind, heart & belly are out of alignment on issues we experience confusion, chaos and clutter.  And, problems can be opportunities to listen. 

So I listened … My mind was OK with listening to what my heart & belly might say.  My expanding heart suggested giving myself space and my belly struggled to find a voice.  Listening deeply I heard it ask for space to learn to trust myself.

Trusting that staying in bed was a good choice. 

Giving space for meeting sadness and uncertainty in my life. 

Grateful for this space of time.

Grateful for my warm bed. 

Grateful for the opportunities that are unfolding.

A New Year

1/1/2014 - A New Year

I have been busy the last few days cleaning and de-cluttering...  dusting walls and vacuuming behind furniture... letting go of stuff I no longer love or use.  Each time I enter a space that has been deeply cleaned I smile.  The energy shift can be seen and felt.  

Letting go creates space…. space to be, space to open, space to receive. 

If you look to others for fulfillment,

you will never truly be fulfilled.

If your happiness depends on money,

you will never be happy with yourself.

Be content with what you have;

rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothing lacking,

the whole world belongs to you.

- Lao Tzu