Inspiring People: Greta McLain

Today I woke up and saw this super fresh wedding announcement and it was so cool that I had to come here and post about it. It is two-sided, I have shared the front side.

My friend and sweet local artist, Greta is getting married on the same day as me.

FACT: If I was not me but a guest invited to both of our weddings, without a doubt, I would attend Greta's celebration in a HEARTBEAT.

Why? Well, for one because her invites are way cooler, and well, I know the diva, and it is going to be a grand party--truly a wedding of champions.

They are doing a processional style wedding that will take place over a weekend in Mpls. that can be reached by bike or the metro (truly green/sustainable) and they have invited everyone they know and are doing it potluck-style! Talk about a true and wonderful celebration of love and marriage while being surrounded by their whole community.

After reflecting on our wedding choices I have one regret--that we chose a venue that could not contain our entire community. How cool would it be to have all of the people in your life (who want to be there) show up at your ceremony for a big party? In our case we have many friends who we were not able to invite to our wedding because the space was limited--sad deal, but we can only hope they understand.

Obviously money was a factor for us too, but people like Greta remind me that if there is a will, there is a way. We often stop ourselves and let things like money or whatever our excuse is--hold us back from having what we want but a little creative thinking can go a long way.

If I had to do it all over again we would have done something similar to Greta's wedding of champions. We would have gone with our original plan to have a small wedding (10 people) and then follow it up with a big bash in the park--where everyone could be invited and roam in the woods, play volleyball and swim.

But I did not come on here to talk lost pipedreams and moan about our wedding (I already do plenty of that), I came on here to thank inspiring people like Greta for doing it big with the resources they have. Now that's what I call sustainability.

Which leads me to my last point before I get going here--art/creativity + sustainablity = casamiento perfecto. I think why I am drawn to the sustainability movement is definitely connected to environmental concerns but I am also attracted to it because it causes us to change the way we typically think about the world and become creative. The more humans tap into their own creativity the more diverse and rich the world becomes and the more sustainable it is for everyone.

In this case, I feel like Greta, a local, community artist who just naturally created a green wedding truly embodies the unspoken union between creativity and sustainability. Awesome and inspiring, that's all I have to say.

Daily Mantra for the next month

"Leap, and the net will appear."

Trust the Process

This post is about trusting the process. One of those sayings that I love and hate at the same time.

The particular process I am talking about refers to my research project (although "the process" also applies to life as a whole).

Research, in particular, has been quite a pain so far. This is an understatement. Ask my classmates. So far, not a lot of joy has come out of "the process" with this course. I'm sorry to report this news, but that's my truth at the moment.

This upcoming semester is supposed to be my last semester in research. (Note I say supposed to be...I'm crossing my fingers). By the end of May according to the syllabus, I should be presenting my work.

Sitting in my kitchen right now, buried under an array of books and papers and the clutter of my mind, I am feeling smaller and smaller, like my voice is getting weaker through this "process."

At the same time, I am feeling something stronger, just at the surface of something. What this feeling is must be hope or perhaps a twitch of some sort. If I'm lucky it means I'm on the verge of a breakthrough. If I'm not lucky, it could be closer to something like a breakdown. I'm not sure. I'm just waiting.

I don't have much time to elaborate on what I'm going through, but I'd like to put some quotes up from Shaun McNiff that are all I have to hold onto at this point. In my journey so far he is the only person who seems to make me feel a little better about the feeling of stuckness I have regarding research and what research is all about. These quotes come from his book, Trust the process: An artist's guide to letting go.

"A person's license to create is irrevocable, and it opens to every corner of daily life. But it is always hard to see that doubt, fear, and indirectness are eternal aspects of the creative path" (p. 1).

"There have been so many times when I have given up, only to go at it again the next day, or the next year, and over the full course of life all of the moments appear so purposeful or even necessary" (p. 9).

"If we are able to stay with a situation, it will carry us to a new place" (p. 22).

"Anything truly novel and significant comes through unwatched, unintended, daimonically" (p.33).

The book is full of these sorts of gems, but I do not have time nor is it legal to paste them all down for you. So borrow the book from me or buy it if you are needing some words of encouragement through your creative process--your life, is what I'd call it.

On a side note: I will say, while I have not been personally touched by my Ah ha! moment in the realm of research, some other synchronicities have been playing themselves out in life, and there may be opportunities there for creation and a potential "side business." If I am lucky, it could be bigger than a side business. However, until I finish my research work for my M.A. I will not be putting too much time into this dream of mine.

Which leaves me to my last quote that I just saw on my tea bag:

"Our patience will achieve more than our force."

Be a Rainbow in somebody's cloud :)

Maya Angelou is so wonderful...

I want to read this book. I CANNOT wait for summer reading!!!

Speechless about this video...well not totally ;)

Tonight I attended the first session in a series of wellness talks at a chiropractic center called Revolution Chiropractic Wellness Center. It's in Maple Grove. Funnily enough (to those who know I was entering sweepstakes pretty crazily for a week in January before classes started), I must admit that I won first prize at a Wellness event called, Restore Healing in March. I only entered in three contests while at this event, and I happened to win grand prize from this Chiropractic center which invited me to a 4-part lecture series on health, and I also won second place from Red Clover Clinic, an acupuncture clinic in Roseville for a one-hour foot reflexology session. I will reflect on that fabulous experience another post (as well as sweepstakes strategies), but for now just wanted to say two things.

Number One) Enter sweepstakes if they are around because as No Fear puts eloquently, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Number Two) Don't give up hope and ALWAYS believe.

Okay, I want to say three things...the above video almost made me cry in this seminar I went to tonight. The seminar itself was not new information to me, but this video was beautiful. I mean I practically cried! Ask Jay, he saw me holding back the tears. It is truly amazing what touches us, and I was lucky enough to have one of those moments tonight. I am so thankful for it.

Now, I must get some rest and prepare for a meditation retreat that is happening all day tomorrow followed by the researching and writing of a 25 page lit-review as well as other chores... Somehow this video makes me feel more ready for it and makes my life seem simple and easy just for a minute...

Some sayings for the journey...

When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they dont know,
people find their own way.
(Mitchell, 65)

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets their intuition
lead them to wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed themself of concepts
and keeps their mind open to what is...
(Mitchell, 27)

No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew. -Albert Einstein

Don't spend your precious time asking 'Why isn't the world a better place?' It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is 'How can I make it better?' To that there is an answer. -Leo F. Buscaglia

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.
-James Thurber

If you cannot be the poet, be the poem. -David Carradine

Hitch your wagon to a star. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keep away from people that try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. -Mark Twain

Looking for a New Life Adventure? Read on...but make sure you include yourSELF on this journey.

Good morning!

Today is one of those days that I am feeling the infinite possibilities that still lie ahead of me, and I am feeling inspired rather than stressed about it. Even though from time to time we may feel stuck in our current situation or in an unfavorable pattern, sometimes there are moments where if we let ourselves believe and imagine--we can find new possibilities either right in front of us or across the world. A quote that I found that brings this idea together a little is by Dale Carnegie: “We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do.” So let's not forget to dream!

A perfect website for discovering the opportunities that are out there is backdoorjobs.com. Here you will find links that bring you to endless possibilities with retreats and centers and little life adventures that will help you grow and shape yourself, the meaning of your life, and the community as well. These experiences might be limited and may not be a possibility for you now, but their existence alone reminds me to feel blessed to know that there are so many things we can do with our life and there is no such thing as being stuck. Unlike the generations that went before us, we have almost bottomless choices. While choosing may bring stress upon you (if you don't believe me, check out this amazing article about decision fatigue), it is important not to look at these possibilities as more opportunities to choose from or miss out on but more so as opportunities or resources that are available to us, if it is our calling or vocation--if it is meant to be.

Now I know that "meant to be" is confusing and troubling for some people--knowing what is right for us is the last skill we have nurtured and acquired over time, while we eat all the wrong things for our body, date the wrong people, make what we think is the wrong choice-- but all that aside (humans make errors, too) if you sit and actually listen to what your true self needs and wants and pay attention to what is right for you (and not anybody else), you will be surprised that you know more than you think, and that you have a natural intuition that you were born with that is pretty wise, despite the fact it gets ignored a lot of the time.

So take a moment to be with your true self today. For people that means many different things. For some of us it is purely sitting and meditating over a cup of coffee or tea, for others it might be paying attention to your breath while driving, or going to yoga class, or writing. Whatever works for you, just as long as you are being with yourself and nourishing your being. While you are in this state of being, think truly about what you want to do or who you want to be, and make sure that you are seeing this person or quest as a possibility in your life.

If you are still feeling stuck or don't know how to take a moment for yourself, I have started reading a book that has some great centering and stress reduction techniques in it, and will post the first technique I learned shortly.

I Super Heart Half Price Books and Maya Angelou

Lately I haven't really been buying books. I have been a big fan of the library because it is free and I am not creating additional waste (in producing another book to sit on my shelf). However, I must say I have been missing not having my books I have read lately. The last book I actually purchased was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, but I ended up donating it to the library afterwards to pay back for all of my borrowing. I do wish I could contribute to the authors in some other way than purchasing their work. I'll have to look into that...

Anyway, I still have no shame in buying used books! Yesterday I purchased 4 books (two of which are hardcover) for $7. I found: Maya Angelou's Even the Stars Look Lonesome, Jamaica Kincaid's Lucy, Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees, and Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Needless to say I am ecstatic, and Jay was pretty bummed to see that I was paying more attention to my new finds than him. He finally tore my eyes away from Maya Angelou's book to watch Four Christmases, which we both decided was not really good, but fine enough in the spirit of the holidays.

Anyway, I wanted to write a bit about Maya's book, since this is one of the first books I have ever read by her (yes I already finished it!) I have listened to her on tape before, but not actually read many of her works. This book is a continuation of a reflection from her set of essays called, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, and it is divided into short chapters/reflections on her life experiences. I would like to highlight some quotes that personally stuck out for me from her work.



An African proverb: "The ax forgets. The tree remembers" (17).

"Another proverb that provided inspiration for a Nigerian cloth design is 'If you do not appreciate the things you have, other people will treat them with contempt'" (69).

I love this final passage to her "Art in Africa" chapter, it really connects to the recent conversations I have been having in class about art and community as well as the recent development of a women's creative circle among some of my lady friends from college and myself:

Whether or not the arrangement of lines and colors has remembered roots
in ancient maxims, there is a great aesthetic sense that animates the crafts of
painting, weaving, dyeing cloth, and pot-making. Women, using ordinary clay
found in riverbeds and employing their hands as paintbrushes, produce a
powerful vehicle for visual pleasure. Their crafts are also public statements of
their personal creeds.

The simple materials are forged into plastic designs that will be as temporary
as the length of time between rainfalls, and with no lasting staying power
against the insistent sun. These artists, however do not seem to need promises
of longevity, nor do they exhibit a craving for notice out of the ordinary. In
fact, one of the most notable characteristics of house painting among West
African women is the camaraderie found among women sharing the creation of
design. Family members and those attached by friendship often join together in
the industry of decoration. When they do, it is agreed that the principal owner
will contribute the major design, but it is also expected that every woman will
bring something of her own to add to the overall effect.

Thus art made by all can be enjoyed by all. The African saying is proved true:
Sea never dry.(Even the Stars Look Lonesome, 70).


"If it is true that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, isn't it also true a society is only as healthy as its sickest citizen and only as wealthy as its most deprived?" (108)

"Great art belongs to all people, all the time--indeed it is made for the people by the people" (130).

"We need art to live fully and to grow healthy. Without it we are dry husks drifting aimlessly on every ill wind, our futures are without promise and our present without grace" (133).

From her last chapter which shares the same title as the book, I felt a special message that needs to be written down more fully to absorb the context of her wisdom. Maya describes a person she knew who was leading a life similar to that of the Prodigal Son. Here are the last 5 paragraphs of her book:

In the biblical story, the prodigal son risked and for a time lost everything he
had because of an uncontrollable hunger for company. First, he asked for and
received his inheritance, not caring that his father, from whom he would
normally inherit, was still alive; not considering that by demanding his
portion, he might be endangering the family's financial position. The parable
relates that after he took his fortune, he went off into a far country and there
he found company. Wasteful living conquered his loneliness and riotous
companions conquered his restlessness. For a while he was fulfilled, but he lost
favor in the eyes of his friends. As his money began to disappear he began to
lip down the steep road to social oblivion.

His condition became so reduced that he began to have to feed the hogs. Then
it further worsened until he began to eat with the hogs. It is never lonesome in
Babylon. Of course, one needs to examine who--or in the prodigal son's case,
what--he has for company.

Many people remind me of the journey of the prodigal son. Many believe that
they need company at any cost, and certainly if a thing is desired at any
cost, it will be obtained at all costs.

We need to remember and to teach our children that solitude can be a much-to-be- desired condition. Not only is it acceptable to be alone, at times it is
positively to be wished for.

It is in the interludes between being in company that we talk to ourselves. In
the silence we listen to ourselves. Then we ask questions of ourselves. We
describe ourselves to ourselves, and in the quietude we may even hear the voice
of God. (144-145).


Whether or not you are a believer of God, I feel that the message in her "Even the Stars Look Lonesome" chapter really empowers us to take some time to be alone with ourselves. Only during this time can we truly make room for self-reflection and self-creation.

On all of those notes, have an artful day and make sure to take time this weekend to be alone with the stars.

Non-traditional Bachelorette Party...two thumbs up!

So, my friend is not marrying what an American would consider a traditional guy, although by other world perspectives and standards he may be much more traditional than most people walking around the states these days.

And my friend too, while respects tradition in her life, also is open to redefining tradition/culture and to facing the challenges that might present themselves in this remaking of her own space in the world.

While her bachelorette party lacked the flashing lights and phallic symbols, it truly reflected a tranquility and honesty that I strive to have at my own bachelorette party.

The night began with many healthy snacks and munchies, we had fresh papaya, pineapple, an apple and orange platter, some orange poppyseed muffins, crackers and cheese, and of course some chocolate :) Then for dinner we made a salad together and our friend Ananya cooked us her special chicken and potato curry...num. While this was going on the other girls just sat around and talked about life. After we kept talking and talking and talking, we noticed that we needed to go down to the pool and hot tub before it closed. So we went down there and relaxed in the water and we talked some more. Then we went back upstairs and we began to eat a lovely bundt cake Trisha prepared and then we crafted. I brought 5 picture frames for the 5 women who were at the party to create something that would remind us of the night/each other as well as honor an idea we felt we needed to pay more attention to in our lives. While only three of us finished, it was a success and it was a well-needed time for inspiration and creativity.

Mine, while kitchen-themed has more to do with guilt in reference to life in general. I often find myself feeling guilty really for no good reason, and I am making a better effort to note that "Guilt is not one of the ingredients" to a happy and healthy life.



Here are Irene and Ananya's collages, which are both beautiful. It reminds me of how we all might be the same in certain aspects, but really when it comes to art and creativity there are so many different ways you can make something, and we all are full of great ideas and potential.





To close, I have to say that this was the first bachelorette party out of many that kept me up well past my bed-time happily (I didn't get to bed til 3), and it was all without any of the drunken bar confusion and splitting up that you see at most bachelorette parties. Mainly though, it was well-worth being sleepy the next day for, because it was a powerful sharing of women's wisdom and support, and for me, that is the kind of rally I want to have when I am getting married. Two thumbs up!!!

School is Cool

Hey all, I am home early from a fabulous house warming party, however I am feeling a bit tummyache-ish due to overconsumption/indulging. So I decided to come home early, curl up in bed, blog a little and then hit the hay before a beautiful day tomorrow...I hope the forecast is on target, I have so much I want to accomplish.

Today was orientation for first-year grad students, and I have to say that I am incredibly stoked for Holistic Health Studies! I just haven't felt this excited about school for a really long time!!! It's great and that's all there is to it. I have some years of transforming ahead of me, but I am so ready and crazy about what I am about to begin studying! How lucky do I feel to have the opportunity to do this, and how grateful am I, to have taken a leap and to have done something I was unsure about in such an unsure time. Now I am more certain than ever that this path I am taking, is the one for me, and I'm about to set foot on it in a couple short weeks.

Anyway, I am feeling highly ambitious right now so I wanted to write a little bit about what was said today at orientation that inspired me (so I can come back and look at it when I am struggling and need to be reminded why I have chosen an unconventional, challenging, uncertain and transformative path). The women on the panel who came in today and talked about what they are doing with their HHS Masters were inspiring, genuine, and very admirable. The main points of advice they shared that stuck with me were as follows.

1) From a nurse who was fed up with healthcare and its rigid boundaries, who now works with pregnant women who want natural childbirthing experiences: "In nursing, you always learn about how to take care of others, but you never take a class that tells you that you need to take care of yourself. This program keeps you in check and reminds you of this necessity." Pretty dead on, and pretty "ah-ha, yeah duh!" but very good point that needs to be remembered and honored time and time again for all of us. As we all recognize, you cannot be good at what you are doing, in this case, taking care of others, if you do not know how to take care of yourself.

(Which reminds me, I just googled Holistic Health Studies and the link came up with a picture and a blurb on the above nurse, I was speaking about, check it out).

2) From a girl with an undergrad in public health regarding the program, "You think you know you, but then you take a class, and your world changes again." She also mentioned how admirable it is to be involved in a degree that digs so deeply within, and how it is much harder to take time to dig inside and see what we are made of than it is to go into something like dentistry or law, etc. Now don't get me wrong, she did not diminish the power of other occupations or their time consumption/difficulty, I mean, they have there place in society and are necessary, but rather she elevated the power of the self and knowing the self and examining the self, and she spoke to the value of knowing oneself... defining this self-study as a knowledge uncomparable to that of other degrees and a knowledge invaluable to both ourselves and the world because this self-knowing creates enabled and powerful individuals.

3) "Don't plan ahead, and don't worry. As you learn your intuitions, learn to follow them, everything else will also follow and fall into place." I like this one a lot because recently I have a tendency to be a planner. For example, just the other day I called my boy at work and told him of this plan I had that basically mapped out our life until 2012. Despite my weird and sometimes perceived lazy tendencies, I am often two steps ahead of myself which is great, but has its side effects. These words shared by almost all of the panelists reminded me that I need this program to learn how to slow down again and let go of plans and let plans make themselves. It is better for the soul and takes away unnecessary stress. I need to truly listen to what is happening in my mind, body and spirit. I am ready for this challenge, and ready to again fly by the seat of my pants. Despite me being an excellent planner, I can be really good at going with the flow and following my heart and my dreams wherever they may take me.

Now truthfully I could go on and on about the great things these women are doing with their lives, but truthfully this entry is getting rather long and incoherent. I am very sleepy and wouldn't be surprised if there are many typos on this posting. Oh wells. Bare with me :)

I will try to return tomorrow to post what I originally came on here for. Things I want to do in the next five years.

Let's just say the sneak preview of the list looks something like this...

1) Belly-dancing...