Just a quick note to let you know that I will be back to blogging more regularly starting soon--when soon is, I am not sure, but it will be soon I know. I've been in the middle of finishing my thesis and preparing for a wedding, so I have not been around much to post.
What I will leave you with is a quote that I have been pondering a lot lately, from Vaclav Havel (playwright, prisoner, former president of Czech republic) about the importance of soul work:
"Consciousness precedes being...for this reason, the salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human modesty, and in human responibility. Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better."
If that's not enough to get you thinking, this quote is a nice pairing for more reflection:
"What is soul? Consciousness. The more awareness, the deeper the soul. When such essence overflows, you feel sacredness around." -RUMI
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Do or do not. There is no try.
Hello online friends,
Truth be told, I have been incredibly swept up in life lately. For the past month I have been in the middle of my dissertation trying to answer the question, "Who is my community?" which then lead naturally to the question "Who am I?"
Why do I always ask such charged questions? I'm not sure, but I think it is because we all tend to ask questions that we really want to know the answer to--so this past month I have really been exploring just that...who...am...I?
What is to be said of that experience will be put together in words and in art form in the next few weeks, hopefully days if I can really push myself to DO it.
While I recognize that I am constantly changing and that it will only be a snapshot of myself right at this very moment, it has still been quite the task to attempt to answer such a question for me. It has been incredibly challenging and for the time being, my answer to the question, "who am I?" is "Procrastinator."
"Who do I want to be?" is another question that has come into play in this discourse...while I am trying to define my community and myself there is a lot of thought surrounding the future and who I am to become. Which leads me to who I presently want to be in this moment today: Yoda. If I was more like Yoda I would not be on here typing about my anxiety for writing and creating but would be persevering!
"Do or do not. There is no try." Good advice for me this week, and maybe for you readers out there?
Truth be told, I have been incredibly swept up in life lately. For the past month I have been in the middle of my dissertation trying to answer the question, "Who is my community?" which then lead naturally to the question "Who am I?"
Why do I always ask such charged questions? I'm not sure, but I think it is because we all tend to ask questions that we really want to know the answer to--so this past month I have really been exploring just that...who...am...I?
What is to be said of that experience will be put together in words and in art form in the next few weeks, hopefully days if I can really push myself to DO it.
While I recognize that I am constantly changing and that it will only be a snapshot of myself right at this very moment, it has still been quite the task to attempt to answer such a question for me. It has been incredibly challenging and for the time being, my answer to the question, "who am I?" is "Procrastinator."
"Who do I want to be?" is another question that has come into play in this discourse...while I am trying to define my community and myself there is a lot of thought surrounding the future and who I am to become. Which leads me to who I presently want to be in this moment today: Yoda. If I was more like Yoda I would not be on here typing about my anxiety for writing and creating but would be persevering!
"Do or do not. There is no try." Good advice for me this week, and maybe for you readers out there?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Words about Writing
Here are some quotes I pulled together to get myself motivated to write 55+ pages in the next couple days.
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard, "Diary," February 1895
It seems to me that the problem with diaries, and the reason that most of them are so boring, is that every day we vacillate between examining our hangnails and speculating on cosmic order. ~Ann Beattie, Picturing Will, 1989
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard, "Diary," February 1895
It seems to me that the problem with diaries, and the reason that most of them are so boring, is that every day we vacillate between examining our hangnails and speculating on cosmic order. ~Ann Beattie, Picturing Will, 1989
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
From scratch: Reflection about Grandma J's Blueberry Muffins
Getting in touch with Grandma J
So far the baking/cooking New Year's Resolutions are in full swing. I think the cold weather has really allowed me to spend some time in the kitchen and be creative; it has been great to make some food and treat myself to homemade goodness. I don't think Jay minds it at all either :)
It's also been great to be doing something connected to my grandmother, the grandmother I'd say I had the least opportunity to get close to, because she was the first to go of my four grandparents (so I was younger when it happened).
When I cook/bake, now I often catch myself talking to Grandma aloud and in my head. When I am adapting her recipes, it has been good for me to engage with her in this way. I think it has helped with my baking skills, to be honest. I also feel after the Date Cookie Disaster of 2010, my dedication to keeping at it no matter the outcome, has made my Grandma proud of me. I think that's why last night, despite my absentmindedness, the blueberry muffins that I made "came out" alright.
Making mistakes
This time everything was written down correctly and with detail (thank you Grandma!), however, I forgot to mix the baking soda, baking powder and salt with the flour, and I forgot to add the vanilla when I should have...what was I thinking? I wasn't really. I was thinking that it was going to be a miracle if they would rise evenly, but I added all the stuff at the very end in its liquidy state, and while they are kinda puny looking muffins, they still taste quite amazing for a first attempt with lots of mistakes!
Because of its somewhat success, I wanted to come on here and give thanks to my Grandma for watching over me and for her wonderful recipes :) I learned I will need to pay more attention when I am cooking, and I reflected on why I am here attempting to go through her recipes.
Finding the inspiration to go on
I'm not quite sure where the deep inspiration came from for me to be so into the process of cooking/baking, but I think a lot of it stems from my recent nutrition course in my program and my want to get away entirely from processed foods. However, I have really wanted to put myself into "the process" of making the food and feel more connected to my food choices.
I attended a Meditation class last Saturday and was reminded about the importance of putting time and effort into the things we care about--from meditation to relationships to other practices like cooking.
The teacher was saying, you can't just take a meditation class and learn the principles and think that you are an expert. Just like you can't take a cooking class and expect to be a chef the next day. You need to put time into the practice in order to become proficient in it. You must meditate daily, before you find yourself acquiring the amazing achievements science has found meditation brings. You need to cook everyday to become a great cook.
So it is this principle of giving time to what's important that I am trying to make space for in my life, and I'm excited to see what outcomes lie ahead if I continue to pursue my interests in this way.
Check-in Question
What is it that you would like to develop in your life? Are you putting time into it? Are you building on your experiences? Are you working at it everyday?
Try making a list of things that are important to you be it people, places, skills, etc. and reflect on what you are doing to make these things a priority. What's stopping you from it? How can you make small steps to overcome these blockages?
Thanks for your thoughts, but just give us the recipe...
Grandma J's blueberry muffins (my twist on it is in parenthesis)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margerine (1 stick unsalted butter)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup milk with 1/2 cup whole fat yogurt)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (sea salt)
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup blueberries
(cinnamon)
1. Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs over and beat well.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
3. Put vanilla in the buttermilk (yogurt/milk).
4. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk (milk/yogurt/vanilla mixture).
5. Fold in the berries.
6. Put in lined muffin tins (or lightly oil your muffin pan) 2/3 full. (For me it made 15 muffins).
7. Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top if it suites you (my addition).
8. Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes (I only needed to do 28 minutes).
9. Enjoy!
So far the baking/cooking New Year's Resolutions are in full swing. I think the cold weather has really allowed me to spend some time in the kitchen and be creative; it has been great to make some food and treat myself to homemade goodness. I don't think Jay minds it at all either :)
It's also been great to be doing something connected to my grandmother, the grandmother I'd say I had the least opportunity to get close to, because she was the first to go of my four grandparents (so I was younger when it happened).
When I cook/bake, now I often catch myself talking to Grandma aloud and in my head. When I am adapting her recipes, it has been good for me to engage with her in this way. I think it has helped with my baking skills, to be honest. I also feel after the Date Cookie Disaster of 2010, my dedication to keeping at it no matter the outcome, has made my Grandma proud of me. I think that's why last night, despite my absentmindedness, the blueberry muffins that I made "came out" alright.
Making mistakes
This time everything was written down correctly and with detail (thank you Grandma!), however, I forgot to mix the baking soda, baking powder and salt with the flour, and I forgot to add the vanilla when I should have...what was I thinking? I wasn't really. I was thinking that it was going to be a miracle if they would rise evenly, but I added all the stuff at the very end in its liquidy state, and while they are kinda puny looking muffins, they still taste quite amazing for a first attempt with lots of mistakes!
Because of its somewhat success, I wanted to come on here and give thanks to my Grandma for watching over me and for her wonderful recipes :) I learned I will need to pay more attention when I am cooking, and I reflected on why I am here attempting to go through her recipes.
Finding the inspiration to go on
I'm not quite sure where the deep inspiration came from for me to be so into the process of cooking/baking, but I think a lot of it stems from my recent nutrition course in my program and my want to get away entirely from processed foods. However, I have really wanted to put myself into "the process" of making the food and feel more connected to my food choices.
I attended a Meditation class last Saturday and was reminded about the importance of putting time and effort into the things we care about--from meditation to relationships to other practices like cooking.
The teacher was saying, you can't just take a meditation class and learn the principles and think that you are an expert. Just like you can't take a cooking class and expect to be a chef the next day. You need to put time into the practice in order to become proficient in it. You must meditate daily, before you find yourself acquiring the amazing achievements science has found meditation brings. You need to cook everyday to become a great cook.
So it is this principle of giving time to what's important that I am trying to make space for in my life, and I'm excited to see what outcomes lie ahead if I continue to pursue my interests in this way.
Check-in Question
What is it that you would like to develop in your life? Are you putting time into it? Are you building on your experiences? Are you working at it everyday?
Try making a list of things that are important to you be it people, places, skills, etc. and reflect on what you are doing to make these things a priority. What's stopping you from it? How can you make small steps to overcome these blockages?
Thanks for your thoughts, but just give us the recipe...
Grandma J's blueberry muffins (my twist on it is in parenthesis)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margerine (1 stick unsalted butter)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup milk with 1/2 cup whole fat yogurt)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (sea salt)
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup blueberries
(cinnamon)
1. Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs over and beat well.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
3. Put vanilla in the buttermilk (yogurt/milk).
4. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk (milk/yogurt/vanilla mixture).
5. Fold in the berries.
6. Put in lined muffin tins (or lightly oil your muffin pan) 2/3 full. (For me it made 15 muffins).
7. Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top if it suites you (my addition).
8. Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes (I only needed to do 28 minutes).
9. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
My how "time flies" and my latest baking endeavors
Happy belated New Year everybody!
Time flies, huh?
I really must say that this year I have felt life move so very quickly, it's almost amazing and depressing all at once. (Here I ask myself, did I take enough breaths in between the movement?) At the same time I do feel at home with where I am at post- 2010, even though I do not always know exactly where that might be at any given point in time :)
Brief 2010 recap: I got engaged to a fine man, I finished 3 semesters of 4 semesters of grad school, woot woot, I started my yogi schooling, I fell in love with plants all over again and the list goes on...I'll spare you the rest of the details.
What I came on here to say was that I have a list of 40 New Years Resolutions this year. I know, I am trying to cut back a bit here. Forty is a little excessive, no? I won't judge myself for it. I keep one of these lists going at all times anyway, not just for New Year's but it's always fun to "start fresh" and reconsider one's priorities. New Year's happens to be one of those holidays that gets people thinking about their lives, so I'm a fan.
Don't worry, I didn't come on here to tell you about all 40 things I wrote about, either, I just wanted to share one, mainly because I have pictures.
#19 Bake Grandma J's recipes, work on recipe book.
Picture of Grandma J's well-used recipe cards that I am working on...
To explain more about this project, my Grandma J was a woman dedicated to making the bestest baked goodies and she had quite a few recipes up her sleeve. Well, my family has had her recipe box sitting on a shelf, and I noticed it was getting dusty so I decided this year I wanted to pick a bunch of them and try on Grandma's shoes.
So far I have tried four of her recipes. I made her pecan pie successfully for my Dad's birthday three years ago and last year (Dec.) I decided to tackle my dad's favorite Christmas cookie recipe for Christmas.
This experience is now referred to as "The Date Christmas Cookie Disaster of 2010." Yes, I'm being dramatic, the cookies still tasted okay but let's just say that my dad's sister (who was often in charge of typing up Grandma J's recipes had forgotten to include an ingredient on her recipe card). Oops. I won't fully blame her because it was kinda funny looking back on it and I didn't have much guidance, I probably did a million things wrong, but I learned another lesson.
I learned that my grandma's vague descriptions leave me with a lot of questions. Sometimes I wish I could just call her up and ask her what she meant. Sometimes I regret not talking about these kinds of things with her when she was alive, but at the same time, I was 10 years younger and had no desire to be in the kitchen especially if it meant that I'd be doing the dishes.
Relative to this project I'm doing, this realization has required me to do my own research and brainstorming before commencing the baking/cooking. Now when attempting one of her recipes, I look online at similar recipes to make sure I'm on the right track with directions.
So far on the year I have made her banana bread- which was a hit, and tonight I just made her Mexican Wedding Cake--the cake, not the cookie.
While some of her ingredients are old school and not so healthy, I have tried to stick as closely to what she used because I want to keep with tradition, which brings me to another point.
Tradition is so important to me, and I think a lot of Americans have lost their family traditions and culture as time flies by and the days of early immigration fade from our nation's memories. Some of the last traditions to stay alive in our melting pot country happen to be recipes. This thinking brought me to the reason why I wanted to reconnect with Grandma J through her recipes.
Originally the plan was for me to record all of her recipes down into my recipe book. But after I thought about it, I decided it made more sense to try the recipe first. I wanted to try them out because I needed to decide for myself if it was a recipe I really want to pass onto my family. Instead of just mindlessly copying words, I felt by baking it and making my own tweaks, I could add my story to the line of tradition and ingredients, making me a part of it, too.
Here are the pictures of tonight's project. I have not frosted the cake yet, I think I'll wait until morning. If it tastes lovely I may post the recipe, otherwise I challenge you to dig up some family recipes of your own and add your flavor to it. Tweak it or leave it :) If your family doesn't bake or did not record the recipes, don't fret, if you want to change that part of your history, then maybe now would be a good time to start your own book.
The frosting--I didn't quite get all the powdered sugar mixed...let's just say some of the frosting ended up on the floor so the ratio was eyeballed.
The cake--after the mexican wedding, the frosting and cake will become one :) But for now, I'm off to bed.
Time flies, huh?
I really must say that this year I have felt life move so very quickly, it's almost amazing and depressing all at once. (Here I ask myself, did I take enough breaths in between the movement?) At the same time I do feel at home with where I am at post- 2010, even though I do not always know exactly where that might be at any given point in time :)
Brief 2010 recap: I got engaged to a fine man, I finished 3 semesters of 4 semesters of grad school, woot woot, I started my yogi schooling, I fell in love with plants all over again and the list goes on...I'll spare you the rest of the details.
What I came on here to say was that I have a list of 40 New Years Resolutions this year. I know, I am trying to cut back a bit here. Forty is a little excessive, no? I won't judge myself for it. I keep one of these lists going at all times anyway, not just for New Year's but it's always fun to "start fresh" and reconsider one's priorities. New Year's happens to be one of those holidays that gets people thinking about their lives, so I'm a fan.
Don't worry, I didn't come on here to tell you about all 40 things I wrote about, either, I just wanted to share one, mainly because I have pictures.
#19 Bake Grandma J's recipes, work on recipe book.
Picture of Grandma J's well-used recipe cards that I am working on...
To explain more about this project, my Grandma J was a woman dedicated to making the bestest baked goodies and she had quite a few recipes up her sleeve. Well, my family has had her recipe box sitting on a shelf, and I noticed it was getting dusty so I decided this year I wanted to pick a bunch of them and try on Grandma's shoes.
So far I have tried four of her recipes. I made her pecan pie successfully for my Dad's birthday three years ago and last year (Dec.) I decided to tackle my dad's favorite Christmas cookie recipe for Christmas.
This experience is now referred to as "The Date Christmas Cookie Disaster of 2010." Yes, I'm being dramatic, the cookies still tasted okay but let's just say that my dad's sister (who was often in charge of typing up Grandma J's recipes had forgotten to include an ingredient on her recipe card). Oops. I won't fully blame her because it was kinda funny looking back on it and I didn't have much guidance, I probably did a million things wrong, but I learned another lesson.
I learned that my grandma's vague descriptions leave me with a lot of questions. Sometimes I wish I could just call her up and ask her what she meant. Sometimes I regret not talking about these kinds of things with her when she was alive, but at the same time, I was 10 years younger and had no desire to be in the kitchen especially if it meant that I'd be doing the dishes.
Relative to this project I'm doing, this realization has required me to do my own research and brainstorming before commencing the baking/cooking. Now when attempting one of her recipes, I look online at similar recipes to make sure I'm on the right track with directions.
So far on the year I have made her banana bread- which was a hit, and tonight I just made her Mexican Wedding Cake--the cake, not the cookie.
While some of her ingredients are old school and not so healthy, I have tried to stick as closely to what she used because I want to keep with tradition, which brings me to another point.
Tradition is so important to me, and I think a lot of Americans have lost their family traditions and culture as time flies by and the days of early immigration fade from our nation's memories. Some of the last traditions to stay alive in our melting pot country happen to be recipes. This thinking brought me to the reason why I wanted to reconnect with Grandma J through her recipes.
Originally the plan was for me to record all of her recipes down into my recipe book. But after I thought about it, I decided it made more sense to try the recipe first. I wanted to try them out because I needed to decide for myself if it was a recipe I really want to pass onto my family. Instead of just mindlessly copying words, I felt by baking it and making my own tweaks, I could add my story to the line of tradition and ingredients, making me a part of it, too.
Here are the pictures of tonight's project. I have not frosted the cake yet, I think I'll wait until morning. If it tastes lovely I may post the recipe, otherwise I challenge you to dig up some family recipes of your own and add your flavor to it. Tweak it or leave it :) If your family doesn't bake or did not record the recipes, don't fret, if you want to change that part of your history, then maybe now would be a good time to start your own book.
The frosting--I didn't quite get all the powdered sugar mixed...let's just say some of the frosting ended up on the floor so the ratio was eyeballed.
The cake--after the mexican wedding, the frosting and cake will become one :) But for now, I'm off to bed.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Forgiveness and 100 demons
I recently met up with my friend Colleen, and we got to talking about ourselves and our "demons" so to speak, which brings me on here to share two things.
One: I need to learn what forgiveness really means. It is one of my demons I have not really encountered fully. I need to know what forgiveness looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like and most important, feels like in real life. I know what not forgiving does to me, it makes me feel like crap and it seeps into my life affecting me negatively, when I least expect it. So, I am ready to be more open to actually acknowledging that I need to forgive people in my life (both from the past and the present, and I need to forgive myself for the mistakes I have made and the ones I will continue to make).
On that note, it wasn't until last weekend that I had a revelation that a lot of my guilt issues I have had all my life do not actually stem from true guilt but actually are just being masked as "guilt." What happens to be hiding behind this mask are actually situations that I have felt wronged by and experiences that I feel somebody owes me an apology.
Truth is, I do not really need the apology anymore, I have moved on on a surface level and am quite fine in that regard, however, now I just need to move on from the buried hurt that resurfaces every now and again. How do I do that? Forgiveness. Easy to note and a simple solution, but how to employ it, I ask myself (and you). It should be interesting to see how this pans out and if I can actually do it. I think paying attention to it is the first step and talking it out, like I am doing now.
Here is a quote that I am trying to look at once a day to remind myself of my intent to bring forgiveness into my life.
"Forgiveness has nothing to do with forgetting...A wounded person cannot--indeed, should not--think that a faded memory can provide an expiration of the past. To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into perspective, and move beyond it. Without remembrance, no wound can be transcended."
Two: Demons. Yes, I want to talk about my experience with them. I once read the book One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry which is a painted, quasi-autobiographical experience that is broken up into little graphic stories that are her "demons" so to speak. It is really a cool book and a neat exercise to do.
I read this book in one of my English courses at St. Olaf, and we had to make a graphic book about some of our demons. This Christmas I hope to dig it up in storage at home and see what I had written about 3 years ago--to see if any of the demons have changed.
I also should note, that I am currently reading another one of Lynda Barry's books called, What It Is which was an impulse buy (Amazon.com recommended it to me when I was looking for books on writing). I remembered my previous experience with the author and was thrilled to purchase a book that has more illustrations than words; it has been soothing to the mind and the soul. Anyway, I opened the first page last night and have not been disappointed since. It's like she is speaking my very own story, and it is very in line with everything I have been learning from my Masters program in Holistic Health Studies. Very cool, and something to check out if you want to try reading something different with lots of fun pictures and thought-provoking sentences.
That's all.
One: I need to learn what forgiveness really means. It is one of my demons I have not really encountered fully. I need to know what forgiveness looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like and most important, feels like in real life. I know what not forgiving does to me, it makes me feel like crap and it seeps into my life affecting me negatively, when I least expect it. So, I am ready to be more open to actually acknowledging that I need to forgive people in my life (both from the past and the present, and I need to forgive myself for the mistakes I have made and the ones I will continue to make).
On that note, it wasn't until last weekend that I had a revelation that a lot of my guilt issues I have had all my life do not actually stem from true guilt but actually are just being masked as "guilt." What happens to be hiding behind this mask are actually situations that I have felt wronged by and experiences that I feel somebody owes me an apology.
Truth is, I do not really need the apology anymore, I have moved on on a surface level and am quite fine in that regard, however, now I just need to move on from the buried hurt that resurfaces every now and again. How do I do that? Forgiveness. Easy to note and a simple solution, but how to employ it, I ask myself (and you). It should be interesting to see how this pans out and if I can actually do it. I think paying attention to it is the first step and talking it out, like I am doing now.
Here is a quote that I am trying to look at once a day to remind myself of my intent to bring forgiveness into my life.
"Forgiveness has nothing to do with forgetting...A wounded person cannot--indeed, should not--think that a faded memory can provide an expiration of the past. To forgive, one must remember the past, put it into perspective, and move beyond it. Without remembrance, no wound can be transcended."
Two: Demons. Yes, I want to talk about my experience with them. I once read the book One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry which is a painted, quasi-autobiographical experience that is broken up into little graphic stories that are her "demons" so to speak. It is really a cool book and a neat exercise to do.
I read this book in one of my English courses at St. Olaf, and we had to make a graphic book about some of our demons. This Christmas I hope to dig it up in storage at home and see what I had written about 3 years ago--to see if any of the demons have changed.
I also should note, that I am currently reading another one of Lynda Barry's books called, What It Is which was an impulse buy (Amazon.com recommended it to me when I was looking for books on writing). I remembered my previous experience with the author and was thrilled to purchase a book that has more illustrations than words; it has been soothing to the mind and the soul. Anyway, I opened the first page last night and have not been disappointed since. It's like she is speaking my very own story, and it is very in line with everything I have been learning from my Masters program in Holistic Health Studies. Very cool, and something to check out if you want to try reading something different with lots of fun pictures and thought-provoking sentences.
That's all.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Quick note about Fire
The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness. ~Henry David Thoreau
As I previously blogged about spirituality and how I would like to pay more attention to it, it is funny that tonight when I opened my book on herbs, spirituality was mentioned in the chapter I happened to be reading.
I came upon an intersting anecdote I wanted to share from the book, (Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan). The chapter I read was about the element fire and of course about spirituality.
Cowan discusses the role of fire in our lives. He says that fire is what gives us pleasure. This connection makes sense in relation to Thoreau's quote about fire being good for cheerfulness and it makes sense in relation to fire being commonly connected to the pleasure of sex among other passions in life.
Cowan goes on to mention that people look for hot stuff in life because our spirits are cold. His take on this void of spirituality and heat comes from a void of love. He says that the only thing that can truly warm us is love. This reflection is interesting to think about if one considers the person who is "looking for love in all the wrong places."
Cowan says that on top of our need for pleasure and heat, we live in a society that is cold-hearted. He explains, "We are spiritually frigid and so we have an infantile craving for pleasure. This craving is whipped into frenzy by purveyors of merchandise of every kind" (p.72). People fill their lives with all forms of pleasure but cannot seem to find happiness. Cowan suggests it is because these people have not found love in their lives.
He also mentions that the element of fire has the power to bring things to maturity. He says, "A mature human being is one whose spirit has been warmed by the fire of love" (p.72). This quote suggests that part of connecting to our spiritual selves and reaching maturity is in finding the ability to love from our hearts and in making space for receiving love in our lives.
Now to the juicy part which perhaps I have built up (I'm sorry). I'll leave it alone after I get this out. I promise.
Cowan includes an anecdote about an anthropologist that went to learn about the songs of the Hopi tribe. On the anthropologist's visit, he met an elder and had the elder sing the songs of the tribe. The anthropologist noticed that the elder kept singing songs about water. Slightly annoyed, the anthropologist asked if all of the songs were about water. The Hopi elder responded that yes, the songs were mostly about water because their need for water was so great in their community and that most of their songs reflected the greatest needs of their people.
The Hopi Elder then said, "I listen to a lot of American music. Seems like most American music is about love." He then asked the question, "Is that why? Is that because you don't have very much?" (73)
As I previously blogged about spirituality and how I would like to pay more attention to it, it is funny that tonight when I opened my book on herbs, spirituality was mentioned in the chapter I happened to be reading.
I came upon an intersting anecdote I wanted to share from the book, (Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan). The chapter I read was about the element fire and of course about spirituality.
Cowan discusses the role of fire in our lives. He says that fire is what gives us pleasure. This connection makes sense in relation to Thoreau's quote about fire being good for cheerfulness and it makes sense in relation to fire being commonly connected to the pleasure of sex among other passions in life.
Cowan goes on to mention that people look for hot stuff in life because our spirits are cold. His take on this void of spirituality and heat comes from a void of love. He says that the only thing that can truly warm us is love. This reflection is interesting to think about if one considers the person who is "looking for love in all the wrong places."
Cowan says that on top of our need for pleasure and heat, we live in a society that is cold-hearted. He explains, "We are spiritually frigid and so we have an infantile craving for pleasure. This craving is whipped into frenzy by purveyors of merchandise of every kind" (p.72). People fill their lives with all forms of pleasure but cannot seem to find happiness. Cowan suggests it is because these people have not found love in their lives.
He also mentions that the element of fire has the power to bring things to maturity. He says, "A mature human being is one whose spirit has been warmed by the fire of love" (p.72). This quote suggests that part of connecting to our spiritual selves and reaching maturity is in finding the ability to love from our hearts and in making space for receiving love in our lives.
Now to the juicy part which perhaps I have built up (I'm sorry). I'll leave it alone after I get this out. I promise.
Cowan includes an anecdote about an anthropologist that went to learn about the songs of the Hopi tribe. On the anthropologist's visit, he met an elder and had the elder sing the songs of the tribe. The anthropologist noticed that the elder kept singing songs about water. Slightly annoyed, the anthropologist asked if all of the songs were about water. The Hopi elder responded that yes, the songs were mostly about water because their need for water was so great in their community and that most of their songs reflected the greatest needs of their people.
The Hopi Elder then said, "I listen to a lot of American music. Seems like most American music is about love." He then asked the question, "Is that why? Is that because you don't have very much?" (73)
Sacred River: It's not easy to get my spiritual river flowing in the cold of winter, but I still try.
Sacred River by Theresa King
Flowing over rocks of pain
Cleansing through the sands of time
Collecting streams of insight
Graced with buds of wisdom
Heaped with leaves of knowledge
Blessed with light of self love
And flowing, gently flowing
To the vast divine sea
Saying
"I am That."
This poem recently came into my hands this past weekend at a workshop. I must say it is a pretty moving run-on sentence if I ever saw one. I cannot get it to show on the webpage like it does in my book, but I think you get the idea.
I really like the picture the words paint, and although right now the rivers in Minnesota are pretty cold and icy, I find this poem to ignite something inside of me that brings me here to reflect a bit.
I think most people can agree at some point in their life they have had a moment where they felt a sort of longing inside of them. We do not know what to name it, but often it is a longing to be part of something greater than oneself. It is not the longing to be confused with the will to find a partner or companion, but it is the longing that is bigger than that desire. It is bigger than ourselves. This longing to me seems to be on a spiritual level, on a level that for the most part appears outside of our reach in worldly terms.
The problem is that we believe that it is out of our reach. This belief is simply not true.
Today people do not take the time to see or reflect on anything in spiritual terms. I know I am guilty of it. For the most part we have truly turned to science for information and we use science as the backdrop to our reality. We ignore and abandon our intuition and our mind and body's wisdom, and instead we rely on scientific reasoning and expensive medical tools or conventional wisdom to tell us how to make our choices and decisions in life.
We may experience wondrous miracles or the friendly warmth of a neighbor, but we do not think about these everyday moments, feelings or connections to be tied to a deeper, spiritual phenomenon.
I like this poem because it reminds me again that our everyday experiences and our very being is of a spiritual nature whether we choose to notice or not. Whether a believer in a higher power or a person who has no faith whatsoever, we are all people made of energy and when we pay close attention to our energy we can truly see the divine that lies within us, waiting for us to recognize it and pay attention to it.
This idea of paying attention is important to me. It's not an easy thing to cultivate and will take lots of years of practice to get it down. However, the long-term benefits are worth it because the more you pay attention to something, the more it seems to come up in your life. For example when you pay close attention to the negative parts of a person, it seems you only find more negative. Same with focusing so deeply on what is wrong at a workplace; our brains are trained so well to search for what we are looking for, we then only find more wrongs in the situation.
What would happen if we searched for the spiritual? What would happen if we challenged ourselves in that way? Instead of choosing not to believe and looking for the reasons not to have faith, what if we looked at it from a different perspective?
I believe we would find that sacred place we long for.
To close this random thought of the day, I will end by stating some questions/thoughts I want to focus on as a result of this post.
* How can I get my spiritual river flowing? In other words, how can I pay better attention to the spiritual aspect of my being and how can I nourish my spiritual self?
* What do I learn from myself when I look deeply at the spiritual aspects of my life?
* How does paying attention to my spiritual needs affect my health?
* How does paying attention to my spirituality affect the world?
Flowing over rocks of pain
Cleansing through the sands of time
Collecting streams of insight
Graced with buds of wisdom
Heaped with leaves of knowledge
Blessed with light of self love
And flowing, gently flowing
To the vast divine sea
Saying
"I am That."
This poem recently came into my hands this past weekend at a workshop. I must say it is a pretty moving run-on sentence if I ever saw one. I cannot get it to show on the webpage like it does in my book, but I think you get the idea.
I really like the picture the words paint, and although right now the rivers in Minnesota are pretty cold and icy, I find this poem to ignite something inside of me that brings me here to reflect a bit.
I think most people can agree at some point in their life they have had a moment where they felt a sort of longing inside of them. We do not know what to name it, but often it is a longing to be part of something greater than oneself. It is not the longing to be confused with the will to find a partner or companion, but it is the longing that is bigger than that desire. It is bigger than ourselves. This longing to me seems to be on a spiritual level, on a level that for the most part appears outside of our reach in worldly terms.
The problem is that we believe that it is out of our reach. This belief is simply not true.
Today people do not take the time to see or reflect on anything in spiritual terms. I know I am guilty of it. For the most part we have truly turned to science for information and we use science as the backdrop to our reality. We ignore and abandon our intuition and our mind and body's wisdom, and instead we rely on scientific reasoning and expensive medical tools or conventional wisdom to tell us how to make our choices and decisions in life.
We may experience wondrous miracles or the friendly warmth of a neighbor, but we do not think about these everyday moments, feelings or connections to be tied to a deeper, spiritual phenomenon.
I like this poem because it reminds me again that our everyday experiences and our very being is of a spiritual nature whether we choose to notice or not. Whether a believer in a higher power or a person who has no faith whatsoever, we are all people made of energy and when we pay close attention to our energy we can truly see the divine that lies within us, waiting for us to recognize it and pay attention to it.
This idea of paying attention is important to me. It's not an easy thing to cultivate and will take lots of years of practice to get it down. However, the long-term benefits are worth it because the more you pay attention to something, the more it seems to come up in your life. For example when you pay close attention to the negative parts of a person, it seems you only find more negative. Same with focusing so deeply on what is wrong at a workplace; our brains are trained so well to search for what we are looking for, we then only find more wrongs in the situation.
What would happen if we searched for the spiritual? What would happen if we challenged ourselves in that way? Instead of choosing not to believe and looking for the reasons not to have faith, what if we looked at it from a different perspective?
I believe we would find that sacred place we long for.
To close this random thought of the day, I will end by stating some questions/thoughts I want to focus on as a result of this post.
* How can I get my spiritual river flowing? In other words, how can I pay better attention to the spiritual aspect of my being and how can I nourish my spiritual self?
* What do I learn from myself when I look deeply at the spiritual aspects of my life?
* How does paying attention to my spiritual needs affect my health?
* How does paying attention to my spirituality affect the world?
Friday, December 17, 2010
A quote from Rumi
Conventional wisdom is death to our souls
and is not really ours.
We must become ignorant of what we have been taught
to become instead, bewildered.
Run from what's profitable and comfortable.
If you drink those liqueurs,
you'll spill the spring water that is your real life.
Forget safety.
Live where you fear to live.
Be notorious.
Destroy your reputation.
We've tried prudent planning long enough.
From now on, let's be mad.
-Rumi
and is not really ours.
We must become ignorant of what we have been taught
to become instead, bewildered.
Run from what's profitable and comfortable.
If you drink those liqueurs,
you'll spill the spring water that is your real life.
Forget safety.
Live where you fear to live.
Be notorious.
Destroy your reputation.
We've tried prudent planning long enough.
From now on, let's be mad.
-Rumi
Friday, November 26, 2010
I give thanks for this Yamtastic recipe, among other things
I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope that you find many reasons in your life to be grateful for this holiday and for life.
This year I find myself grateful for the support I received the past year and a half from my partner, friends and family. As I continue my learning process in graduate school, I am grateful for the patience, love, understanding and compassion that I have received over the semester from everyone. I have truly been blessed and feel honored to have the opportunity to attend more school and learn more about myself and the world. I am very excited to take what I have learned and give back to the community once I finish my degree.
I am also very thankful for good health and for life. I have recently heard about the death of one of my favorite English professors from St. Olaf, which has left me full of tears and speechless until now. I have thought about him and his family quite a bit over this holiday and his life has reminded me again of why we should be so thankful for each day we have here on Earth as well as the importance of being a good person. Thank you Rich Durocher for your passion and spirit and for sharing your gifts with the St. Olaf community, your family, friends and me. While you will be greatly missed, I have no doubt that you have touched the life of every person you have met, and I am thankful to have known you.
On a less spiritual and emotional note, I am thankful for a recipe that my friend shared with me this holiday. I cannot write about Thanksgiving and not mention food, right? :)
This year for Turkey Day, I was given the task of making sweet potatoes. Now, most people don't get too excited about this side. I admit, I was a little bummed that the only thing my mom could think of that I could make was the sweet potatoes--the dish that often gets left behind, the dish that people don't really care about. However, instead of just giving up hope on my responsibility, I decided to find a recipe with some flare to make people think twice about yams and maybe even go for second helpings.
The recipe I found was not your typical marshmallow-canned sweet potato concoction. Check it out on my my friend's blog, she calls it Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole. It was amazing and to die for if you have a sweet tooth, providing a sweet break between the bites of turkey and dressing.
To be fair, I must give a proper introduction to my friend. Her name is Liz and she has a fabulous cooking blog that all foodies should acquaint themselves with. She is a St. Paul local, runs a childcare center and teaches cooking classes to all ages. She is my go-to gal when I need to make something to entertain guests or family members. I have not been let down yet by one of her recipes, I assure you, you won't be let down either.
Also, to those readers out there, a big thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your readership and thoughtfulness :)
This year I find myself grateful for the support I received the past year and a half from my partner, friends and family. As I continue my learning process in graduate school, I am grateful for the patience, love, understanding and compassion that I have received over the semester from everyone. I have truly been blessed and feel honored to have the opportunity to attend more school and learn more about myself and the world. I am very excited to take what I have learned and give back to the community once I finish my degree.
I am also very thankful for good health and for life. I have recently heard about the death of one of my favorite English professors from St. Olaf, which has left me full of tears and speechless until now. I have thought about him and his family quite a bit over this holiday and his life has reminded me again of why we should be so thankful for each day we have here on Earth as well as the importance of being a good person. Thank you Rich Durocher for your passion and spirit and for sharing your gifts with the St. Olaf community, your family, friends and me. While you will be greatly missed, I have no doubt that you have touched the life of every person you have met, and I am thankful to have known you.
On a less spiritual and emotional note, I am thankful for a recipe that my friend shared with me this holiday. I cannot write about Thanksgiving and not mention food, right? :)
This year for Turkey Day, I was given the task of making sweet potatoes. Now, most people don't get too excited about this side. I admit, I was a little bummed that the only thing my mom could think of that I could make was the sweet potatoes--the dish that often gets left behind, the dish that people don't really care about. However, instead of just giving up hope on my responsibility, I decided to find a recipe with some flare to make people think twice about yams and maybe even go for second helpings.
The recipe I found was not your typical marshmallow-canned sweet potato concoction. Check it out on my my friend's blog, she calls it Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole. It was amazing and to die for if you have a sweet tooth, providing a sweet break between the bites of turkey and dressing.
To be fair, I must give a proper introduction to my friend. Her name is Liz and she has a fabulous cooking blog that all foodies should acquaint themselves with. She is a St. Paul local, runs a childcare center and teaches cooking classes to all ages. She is my go-to gal when I need to make something to entertain guests or family members. I have not been let down yet by one of her recipes, I assure you, you won't be let down either.
Also, to those readers out there, a big thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your readership and thoughtfulness :)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Produce: Sometimes organic is mandatory.
So maybe you're a health pro and you consume 5 fruits/veggies a day, well let's up your game. Do you always consider where these veggies came from? Knowing how they were produced is so important in understanding the nutritional value of your food. Unfortunately to save time and money the use of pesticides with our food has become prevalent. Annually, more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides is sprayed/added to U.S. crops (Murray, p. 47).
Pesticides kill pests. What do you think they do to humans? There is a huge consensus out there that pesticides can really damage your health, especially during fetal development (in womb) and in early childhood. So if you are a pregnant mother or a new parent, consider your child if anything (EWG Handout). Also, consider the health of the workers who use the pesticides, and the environmental damage that occurs because of pesticides. All the more reason for you to use your consumer dollar to deny support to this harmful practice, and to protect yourself, humanity and the earth as well.
Aside from the politics, the point of this post is to expose the fruits and veggies that have lots of pesticides. You gotta start somewhere. The Environmental Working Group explains that people who consume 5 fruits and veggies from the Dirty Dozen list on average ingest 10 pesticides a day. Yummy...hmm, not so much. Especially if your body is on overload mode and can't get rid of these toxins properly. People who eat from the 15 least contaminated list consume less than 2 pesticides on a daily basis. What's upsetting is that people think they are doing something good for their health but they are also putting themselves at risk.
Don't risk it and buy organic when you can (even if it's not on the list). Turns out broccoli (which is not on the list) has more than 50 pesticides used on it. I guess it wouldn't make the list when you compare it to the 110 pesticides that are used on apples(Murray, 49). Point is, just be mindful of what you are ingesting. To help get you started, here is the Environmental Working Group's list to consider.
DIRTY DOZEN Buy these ones organic.
From the worst:
1) Celery
2) Peaches
3) Strawberries
4) Apples
5) Blueberries
6) Nectarines
7) Bell Peppers
8) Spinach
9) Cherries
10) Kale/Collard Greens
11) Potatoes
12) Grapes (Imported)
CLEAN 15 Lowest in pesticides.
From the best:
1) Onions
2) Avocado
3) Sweet corn
4) Pineapple
5) Mangos
6) Sweet peas
7) Asparagus
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Cantaloupe
12) Watermelon
13) Grapefruit
14) Sweet Potato
15) Honeydew melon
As a woman reminded me tonight, if you are going to buy a pair of good shoes do you go to Payless or do you go somewhere else known for more quality? If you will fork out the money for a good pair of shoes for your feet what about your body?
Same goes for food, it may be more expensive but there is a difference between price and value. The price might be lower, but what about the value?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I can('t) ride my bike with no handlebars
I always thought kids who could ride their bikes without handlebars were all pretty daring and wreckless and there was something sexy and carefree about that that I admired in them. (Okay so the picture I found doesn't really depict sexy and carefree but you get what I mean).
Anyway, so I didn't have the balance or the balls to really try it. I was too scared and valued caution at the time (which I guess I still value). Thinking back on it I can also see kids riding without handlebars maybe less because they were actually carefree and had good faith that the world would catch them if they fell, but maybe it was an act done more to show off or to prove that they were cool or better than those who couldn't do it. Maybe not, maybe it had nothing to do with others and was more of a "Look at me! Yay I can do it all by myself!" Whatever the reason, what are we here to prove? And who are we proving it to? Ourselves? I don't know, I'm asking you...
The Flobots have a song that brings a way deeper meaning to the idea of riding a bike (living life) without handlebars. Check out the video. Something about this song touches me (beyond it has a catchy line/tune). There's a lot of words on the meaning of this song out on the WWW, but I'll leave it up to you to make your own meaning of it. I'm still figuring it out myself.
Wake up it's your past life
Very interesting video about a young boy named James. If you have any curiosity about past lives or none at all, it's a video worth watching to make you think about life and what it all really means.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Friday, September 3, 2010
What's new? A long, somewhat boring post about myself.
So, I came here without much purpose other than to get back on blogging board which I find will be especially a challenge with the upcoming school year right around the corner and all of the things on my to-do-list just waiting to be checked-off. But who knows, perhaps my learnings from school will continue to inspire blog posts. Time will tell soon enough! That is, if I have enough time.
As far as an update for the few of you who stop to visit my site every now and again, I am winding down from a very busy summer that was filled with working with 18-24 month old babes full-time and then part-time with St. Paul Community Ed. (split time between teaching Spanish to Pre-K students and office registration work). I learned a few things about myself in the process. Number one: What I learned from working at the daycare center is that I love children and cannot wait to have my own! Well, I can wait, seriously, (I need to get my life together before I pop one out)... but rest assured, I will be having babies and loving every minute of it even if it means giving up some of my freedom. Number two: I do not believe I can be a teacher, at least not for a very long time. Maybe when I am fifty I will be ready for it. While I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment as a teacher, from both the difficult and rewarding times-- I can say after about a year of teaching part-time, I do not have the ambition necessary to dedicate myself to the great task of being a teacher. Teachers, I want to let you know how much respect I have for you. I am too selfish right now to give up the energy I need to give so that the students get what they deserve from a teacher. Not the most exciting or honorable of discoveries, but nonetheless this is a discovery I have made that was a question I had once had which was, "Am I a teacher?" While I think the answer to such a question can be subject to change over time, for the time being I can move forward with my career recognizing that teaching at least in the traditional sense will not be in the cards for me, at least for now. Which brings me to my newest endeavor which will be a part-time gig I landed through my University. This school year I will be employed to conduct research on the energy use at my school. Along with facility operations managers and maintenance I will be looking into ways to help save money and energy as well as alternative approaches to energy. I am very much looking forward to this experience and will also be TA-ing for an environmental biology class so I am very happy to share this news and to more officially be part of the green movement--something I have been very passionate about.
Aside from job talk, I spent a lot of time preparing for weddings this summer. My younger sister Lyndi got married to Brian on July 17, 2010. I had a ton of fun planning her bridal shower and bachelorette party as well as being there to support her on her big day. In August I was also able to attend two weddings of some friends, Ab and Crystal Krohne and Katie and Tom Nickerson. Both weddings were beautiful and unique to the couples they represented. Jay and I had a wonderful time and felt honored to be there.
Then we had the opportunity to go on a 6 day 5 night trip to the Quetico (near the BWCA) with Jay's sister Anne and close family friend, Jacci. It was an amazing experience and I felt so blessed and lucky to be part of the trip. Nothing does me like Mother Nature, that's for sure.
Looking ahead, we still have 4 more weddings to celebrate this fall, Amy and Barrett Stoks, Shauna and Tom Hockert, Nick and Ally Rydberg, and Beth and Justin Bradshaw. It should be a blast! Beyond those plans my goal for the next few months is to just get through school with enjoyment and little stress as well as begin to plan my own wedding. Should be a balancing act, but such is life and so we balance as best we can :)
Now its time for an afternoon nap. I hope I didn't bore you too much with the latest details of my life, and I hope you enjoyed your summer and are ready for fall's arrival and the new adventures that come along with the new season!
Thanks for stopping by!
As far as an update for the few of you who stop to visit my site every now and again, I am winding down from a very busy summer that was filled with working with 18-24 month old babes full-time and then part-time with St. Paul Community Ed. (split time between teaching Spanish to Pre-K students and office registration work). I learned a few things about myself in the process. Number one: What I learned from working at the daycare center is that I love children and cannot wait to have my own! Well, I can wait, seriously, (I need to get my life together before I pop one out)... but rest assured, I will be having babies and loving every minute of it even if it means giving up some of my freedom. Number two: I do not believe I can be a teacher, at least not for a very long time. Maybe when I am fifty I will be ready for it. While I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment as a teacher, from both the difficult and rewarding times-- I can say after about a year of teaching part-time, I do not have the ambition necessary to dedicate myself to the great task of being a teacher. Teachers, I want to let you know how much respect I have for you. I am too selfish right now to give up the energy I need to give so that the students get what they deserve from a teacher. Not the most exciting or honorable of discoveries, but nonetheless this is a discovery I have made that was a question I had once had which was, "Am I a teacher?" While I think the answer to such a question can be subject to change over time, for the time being I can move forward with my career recognizing that teaching at least in the traditional sense will not be in the cards for me, at least for now. Which brings me to my newest endeavor which will be a part-time gig I landed through my University. This school year I will be employed to conduct research on the energy use at my school. Along with facility operations managers and maintenance I will be looking into ways to help save money and energy as well as alternative approaches to energy. I am very much looking forward to this experience and will also be TA-ing for an environmental biology class so I am very happy to share this news and to more officially be part of the green movement--something I have been very passionate about.
Aside from job talk, I spent a lot of time preparing for weddings this summer. My younger sister Lyndi got married to Brian on July 17, 2010. I had a ton of fun planning her bridal shower and bachelorette party as well as being there to support her on her big day. In August I was also able to attend two weddings of some friends, Ab and Crystal Krohne and Katie and Tom Nickerson. Both weddings were beautiful and unique to the couples they represented. Jay and I had a wonderful time and felt honored to be there.
Then we had the opportunity to go on a 6 day 5 night trip to the Quetico (near the BWCA) with Jay's sister Anne and close family friend, Jacci. It was an amazing experience and I felt so blessed and lucky to be part of the trip. Nothing does me like Mother Nature, that's for sure.
Looking ahead, we still have 4 more weddings to celebrate this fall, Amy and Barrett Stoks, Shauna and Tom Hockert, Nick and Ally Rydberg, and Beth and Justin Bradshaw. It should be a blast! Beyond those plans my goal for the next few months is to just get through school with enjoyment and little stress as well as begin to plan my own wedding. Should be a balancing act, but such is life and so we balance as best we can :)
Now its time for an afternoon nap. I hope I didn't bore you too much with the latest details of my life, and I hope you enjoyed your summer and are ready for fall's arrival and the new adventures that come along with the new season!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Eye of Horus date night with Angelita
Last night I had a runner-up to one of the best date nights EVER! And, it was with my GF, Angela. Whut up Ang, if you're reading this...
First, I arrived early to the scene (I'm usually the early bird, unless I'm having one of those days)...I was feeling a little anxious not because I was going on a date, but because without a book or any back-up plan for something to occupy my time, sometimes I can get a little uneasy. Plus I just haven't been on a date with a gal pal in forever, been all cooped up...I think I was just antsy trying to remember again what it feels like to be social. Most of my days lately have been over-stimulating and busy with work, school and volunteer-stuff, it was nice to just relax and let go of the whole having a "plan" thing and just check out the neighborhood and wander for fun. You know, enjoy what life is and just be and live out what this blog is all about.
So while wandering, I happened upon a Tea Shop called: La Société du Thé. Which was perfect since I have been getting into tea these days. The words are French, and it is run by a European couple and has been open on Lyndale for about 15 years now. Here is their website. It was refreshing to talk to the woman about the teas and reaffirm some of the learning I have been doing through some reading. Her shop specializes in their own blends and is more tea for pleasure, rather than medicinal teas (which I have been focusing on lately). I figured if we truly want to wake up in life we need pleasure teas just as much, if not more than medicinal teas so I was excited to be there with an expert. I was also delighted to see that my teapot I recently bought at the farmer's market was there! And the woman highly recommended it and was surprised when I told her I had it since she didn't know of many places that sold it. I also must add that I was elated to hear her say that her tea business was only growing, despite the economy and that the need for people to move off 15 cups of coffee a day and move towards the healthier, cultural practices of tea time was very exciting to me!
After 30 minutes of tea chit chat I figured it was time to take some home with me. I purchased two teas and one herbal: Mao Feng (a green tea from China), The'Du Maroc (a mint tea blend with some leaves from Morocco), and the herbal blend, Orange Rooibos, which is a South African herb and smells delicious.
This morning I already had two cups of the green tea and it was very good. I learned two tricks about green tea from my healing teas book and from the woman at the shop. Number one, it must never oversteep!!! NEVER. Make sure you check with your teamaster on how long the steep times are. For my particular blend I was to steep for 2 minutes the first time, and 3 minutes the second time. You must be very aware of these times or you will pay for it later when you get that very bitter taste that most people associate with green tea. Which made me think that maybe the reason why people don't like green tea is because they have always steeped the tea for too long getting that bitter, nasty flavor...that is not how green tea is supposed to taste. Number two, the tea leaves are very delicate--so NEVER pour boiling water over the tea leaves, it will scorch the leaves, affecting the flavor and leaving you unsatisfied and bitter, literally. It is best to use water when it is just about to boil but not actually boiling. The difference you will taste in your tea after practicing these two rules is HUGE. Give it a try.
So now, getting to the juicy part: my date with Angela. She arrived, and well, we went to Subway, maybe not the most ideal or romantic place for dinner, but it worked because it was within walking distance, it was quick, and it nourished us for the main course of our night: the psychic reading!
Yes. We went to a psychic at a shop called Eye of Horus . This is the picture of an Eye of Horus. It is an Egyptian symbol that means some deep stuff that maybe wikipedia can better help you with. I won't get into the details on here about the readings because it is a little personal of course, but we each saw Christine, and really liked her. We both sat in on each other's reading which I am glad we did, and it was a powerful, bonding experience. I think we both learned a lot from the meeting. And I plan to go back there for sure as you can go any time for any amount of minutes. If you want to hear more about this experience just ask, but I won't go into further detail on here as I don't believe blogging can do justice in explaining and delivering the magical experience of a psychic reading.
Afterwards we walked over to French Meadow Bakery and indulged in some gluten-free but heavenly desserts and a bottle of Organic wine, which was the best orgo wine I have tasted yet (although I admit it was only number two for org. wines I've tried). I cannot remember the name for the life of me, but it had a picture of a chicken on it (I think...it was dark and the wine was flowing...). I will ask Angela and post later, because it was really good :)
Enjoying the cool and mosquito-free air, after talking and eating, we concluded the night. I didn't have a care in the world and I felt so happy. So naturally I had to come on and share the experience. Thank you Angela for reminding me again about why life and friendship is so wonderful and should not be taken for granted :)
And to the few out there reading this post, if you are looking for a fun date night I recommend psychic readings. Whether you believe in it or not, it is a fun and new experience and I guarantee you will learn something about yourself in the process.
First, I arrived early to the scene (I'm usually the early bird, unless I'm having one of those days)...I was feeling a little anxious not because I was going on a date, but because without a book or any back-up plan for something to occupy my time, sometimes I can get a little uneasy. Plus I just haven't been on a date with a gal pal in forever, been all cooped up...I think I was just antsy trying to remember again what it feels like to be social. Most of my days lately have been over-stimulating and busy with work, school and volunteer-stuff, it was nice to just relax and let go of the whole having a "plan" thing and just check out the neighborhood and wander for fun. You know, enjoy what life is and just be and live out what this blog is all about.
So while wandering, I happened upon a Tea Shop called: La Société du Thé. Which was perfect since I have been getting into tea these days. The words are French, and it is run by a European couple and has been open on Lyndale for about 15 years now. Here is their website. It was refreshing to talk to the woman about the teas and reaffirm some of the learning I have been doing through some reading. Her shop specializes in their own blends and is more tea for pleasure, rather than medicinal teas (which I have been focusing on lately). I figured if we truly want to wake up in life we need pleasure teas just as much, if not more than medicinal teas so I was excited to be there with an expert. I was also delighted to see that my teapot I recently bought at the farmer's market was there! And the woman highly recommended it and was surprised when I told her I had it since she didn't know of many places that sold it. I also must add that I was elated to hear her say that her tea business was only growing, despite the economy and that the need for people to move off 15 cups of coffee a day and move towards the healthier, cultural practices of tea time was very exciting to me!
After 30 minutes of tea chit chat I figured it was time to take some home with me. I purchased two teas and one herbal: Mao Feng (a green tea from China), The'Du Maroc (a mint tea blend with some leaves from Morocco), and the herbal blend, Orange Rooibos, which is a South African herb and smells delicious.
This morning I already had two cups of the green tea and it was very good. I learned two tricks about green tea from my healing teas book and from the woman at the shop. Number one, it must never oversteep!!! NEVER. Make sure you check with your teamaster on how long the steep times are. For my particular blend I was to steep for 2 minutes the first time, and 3 minutes the second time. You must be very aware of these times or you will pay for it later when you get that very bitter taste that most people associate with green tea. Which made me think that maybe the reason why people don't like green tea is because they have always steeped the tea for too long getting that bitter, nasty flavor...that is not how green tea is supposed to taste. Number two, the tea leaves are very delicate--so NEVER pour boiling water over the tea leaves, it will scorch the leaves, affecting the flavor and leaving you unsatisfied and bitter, literally. It is best to use water when it is just about to boil but not actually boiling. The difference you will taste in your tea after practicing these two rules is HUGE. Give it a try.
So now, getting to the juicy part: my date with Angela. She arrived, and well, we went to Subway, maybe not the most ideal or romantic place for dinner, but it worked because it was within walking distance, it was quick, and it nourished us for the main course of our night: the psychic reading!
Yes. We went to a psychic at a shop called Eye of Horus . This is the picture of an Eye of Horus. It is an Egyptian symbol that means some deep stuff that maybe wikipedia can better help you with. I won't get into the details on here about the readings because it is a little personal of course, but we each saw Christine, and really liked her. We both sat in on each other's reading which I am glad we did, and it was a powerful, bonding experience. I think we both learned a lot from the meeting. And I plan to go back there for sure as you can go any time for any amount of minutes. If you want to hear more about this experience just ask, but I won't go into further detail on here as I don't believe blogging can do justice in explaining and delivering the magical experience of a psychic reading.
Afterwards we walked over to French Meadow Bakery and indulged in some gluten-free but heavenly desserts and a bottle of Organic wine, which was the best orgo wine I have tasted yet (although I admit it was only number two for org. wines I've tried). I cannot remember the name for the life of me, but it had a picture of a chicken on it (I think...it was dark and the wine was flowing...). I will ask Angela and post later, because it was really good :)
Enjoying the cool and mosquito-free air, after talking and eating, we concluded the night. I didn't have a care in the world and I felt so happy. So naturally I had to come on and share the experience. Thank you Angela for reminding me again about why life and friendship is so wonderful and should not be taken for granted :)
And to the few out there reading this post, if you are looking for a fun date night I recommend psychic readings. Whether you believe in it or not, it is a fun and new experience and I guarantee you will learn something about yourself in the process.
Friday, January 15, 2010
"Taking Time for Beauty"
Forward from email:
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station
was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
-------------
Here is the real article: Pearls Before Breakfast
This article takes me back to my college days and it sort of brings tears to my eyes. For one, I listened to him playing and it was so beautiful. For two, it makes me so sad to see the way that we have trained ourselves to react in that setting. The passages from the article that especially hit close to home were the following:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies
Let's say Kant is right. Let's accept that we can't look at what happened on January 12 and make any judgment whatever about people's sophistication or their ability to appreciate beauty. But what about their ability to appreciate life?
We're busy. Americans have been busy, as a people, since at least 1831, when a young French sociologist named Alexis de Tocqueville visited the States and found himself impressed, bemused and slightly dismayed at the degree to which people were driven, to the exclusion of everything else, by hard work and the accumulation of wealth.
Not much has changed. Pop in a DVD of "Koyaanisqatsi," the wordless, darkly brilliant, avant-garde 1982 film about the frenetic speed of modern life. Backed by the minimalist music of Philip Glass, director Godfrey Reggio takes film clips of Americans going about their daily business, but speeds them up until they resemble assembly-line machines, robots marching lockstep to nowhere. Now look at the video from L'Enfant Plaza, in fast-forward. The Philip Glass soundtrack fits it perfectly.
"Koyaanisqatsi" is a Hopi word. It means "life out of balance."
In his 2003 book, Timeless Beauty: In the Arts and Everyday Life, British author John Lane writes about the loss of the appreciation for beauty in the modern world. The experiment at L'Enfant Plaza may be symptomatic of that, he said -- not because people didn't have the capacity to understand beauty, but because it was irrelevant to them.
"This is about having the wrong priorities," Lane said.
If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?
That's what the Welsh poet W.H. Davies meant in 1911 when he published those two lines that begin this section. They made him famous. The thought was simple, even primitive, but somehow no one had put it quite that way before.
Of course, Davies had an advantage -- an advantage of perception. He wasn't a tradesman or a laborer or a bureaucrat or a consultant or a policy analyst or a labor lawyer or a program manager. He was a hobo.
----------
Food for thought...
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station
was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
-------------
Here is the real article: Pearls Before Breakfast
This article takes me back to my college days and it sort of brings tears to my eyes. For one, I listened to him playing and it was so beautiful. For two, it makes me so sad to see the way that we have trained ourselves to react in that setting. The passages from the article that especially hit close to home were the following:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies
Let's say Kant is right. Let's accept that we can't look at what happened on January 12 and make any judgment whatever about people's sophistication or their ability to appreciate beauty. But what about their ability to appreciate life?
We're busy. Americans have been busy, as a people, since at least 1831, when a young French sociologist named Alexis de Tocqueville visited the States and found himself impressed, bemused and slightly dismayed at the degree to which people were driven, to the exclusion of everything else, by hard work and the accumulation of wealth.
Not much has changed. Pop in a DVD of "Koyaanisqatsi," the wordless, darkly brilliant, avant-garde 1982 film about the frenetic speed of modern life. Backed by the minimalist music of Philip Glass, director Godfrey Reggio takes film clips of Americans going about their daily business, but speeds them up until they resemble assembly-line machines, robots marching lockstep to nowhere. Now look at the video from L'Enfant Plaza, in fast-forward. The Philip Glass soundtrack fits it perfectly.
"Koyaanisqatsi" is a Hopi word. It means "life out of balance."
In his 2003 book, Timeless Beauty: In the Arts and Everyday Life, British author John Lane writes about the loss of the appreciation for beauty in the modern world. The experiment at L'Enfant Plaza may be symptomatic of that, he said -- not because people didn't have the capacity to understand beauty, but because it was irrelevant to them.
"This is about having the wrong priorities," Lane said.
If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?
That's what the Welsh poet W.H. Davies meant in 1911 when he published those two lines that begin this section. They made him famous. The thought was simple, even primitive, but somehow no one had put it quite that way before.
Of course, Davies had an advantage -- an advantage of perception. He wasn't a tradesman or a laborer or a bureaucrat or a consultant or a policy analyst or a labor lawyer or a program manager. He was a hobo.
----------
Food for thought...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
November...where did you go?
November marked a month of many emotions in my life. I don't even know where to begin... I suppose I can start with some of the lower points as I believe these moments will hopefully lend themselves as serious places for growth and for great learning. First, there was a mini-car accident I was part of, which began on Friday the 13th after a delightful time with my friend, Ashley and her beloved, Brent, who was visiting from out of town. Nothing serious really happened, but now after considering the events that followed shortly after this wake-up call, I believe that this accident was a significant moment that has inspired much reflection for me. Thereafter, I found out about the death of my little's father, which to this day still remains clouded. I understand some points of it but really still struggle to understand the whole situation. I was supposed to attend the funeral but did not know where it was happening. I have called my little several times now, and have not heard anything from her or her mother. I worry she may have to move away, and I worry about her in general. To top it all off, there was a hit-and-run, which left my friend alive, thank God, but with much suffering and pain. I hope in this time of healing he can make the best of the situation and find the support he needs from himself and his loved ones.
While not all my own struggles, I tend to be deeply affected by the sorrow of others especially those close to me, so I have been a little off these days thinking about how the lives of my friends or any person can so quickly change. And life is quickly changing every second. I try not to frame my world perspective this way because it will stress me out! :)
On the other end of the spectrum, this month marked so many exciting events which I must give great thanks for to everyone in my life. For instance, my registration for new classes in school, one of which will be a meditation course that I am stoked about. This month also included a friend's bachelorette party and some other girly social events and good talks. I have truly appreciated friendship this month as during those reflective times I was fortunate to see some genuine relationships shine through in my life. This month also included more walking and biking for me as well as more cooking with whole foods and organic products. After doing my Ecology and Health research project on corn and its health effects and impact on the environment, as well as listening to my classmate's interesting presentations I learned even more ways I can be mindful in my life. I also made my own eco-friendly, all purpose household cleaner, and have been slowly incorporating new items like these into my daily life. And most recently I have just celebrated my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving, with friends and family, as well as attended guest speakers from my culture as a resource in health and healing course, which retaught me about the real history of thanksgiving--the one including the tragic history of a people displaced from their home land, livelihoods, and culture. I pay tribute to them in my thoughts and prayers. Along the lines of speakers, this month I was also fortunate to have off work and was able to attend Dan Buettner's lecture on his new book The Blue Zones. I gave my free copy to my father to read in the mean-time...really interesting stuff that I will have to post in a later blog. I also should mention I have new travel plans in thought--just signed up for a study at my school that may bring me to India in January of 2011. We will see if that pans out. Also, Jay and I have a trip in mind for the summer that will bring us to Montana, and there is talk of going to Alaska with some of the role model women in my life (as well as Jay if we let him in, it is all still up in the air). If any of these trips can materialize I would be the luckiest person in the world. Beyond that exciting news, in a recent chat with my older sister, Yu-kyeong, I learned that my oldest sister, Yu-jin, and her new love in Korea, a photographer, plan to wed this May of 2010. Whether or not I will go there has not been decided, as any trip to Korea is a loaded experience for me. So all of these mentioned developments leave my head spinning with joy and more mixed emotions.
After this month of great ups and downs, for the first time in my life, I have truly began practicing the art of letting go, and as December draws near, I look forward to making more time and space for healthy habits such as this one.
Which leaves me with a mantra I have been thinking about a lot lately that helps me through the challenges of my program:
You cannot get to freedom on Pharaoh's chariot.
While not all my own struggles, I tend to be deeply affected by the sorrow of others especially those close to me, so I have been a little off these days thinking about how the lives of my friends or any person can so quickly change. And life is quickly changing every second. I try not to frame my world perspective this way because it will stress me out! :)
On the other end of the spectrum, this month marked so many exciting events which I must give great thanks for to everyone in my life. For instance, my registration for new classes in school, one of which will be a meditation course that I am stoked about. This month also included a friend's bachelorette party and some other girly social events and good talks. I have truly appreciated friendship this month as during those reflective times I was fortunate to see some genuine relationships shine through in my life. This month also included more walking and biking for me as well as more cooking with whole foods and organic products. After doing my Ecology and Health research project on corn and its health effects and impact on the environment, as well as listening to my classmate's interesting presentations I learned even more ways I can be mindful in my life. I also made my own eco-friendly, all purpose household cleaner, and have been slowly incorporating new items like these into my daily life. And most recently I have just celebrated my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving, with friends and family, as well as attended guest speakers from my culture as a resource in health and healing course, which retaught me about the real history of thanksgiving--the one including the tragic history of a people displaced from their home land, livelihoods, and culture. I pay tribute to them in my thoughts and prayers. Along the lines of speakers, this month I was also fortunate to have off work and was able to attend Dan Buettner's lecture on his new book The Blue Zones. I gave my free copy to my father to read in the mean-time...really interesting stuff that I will have to post in a later blog. I also should mention I have new travel plans in thought--just signed up for a study at my school that may bring me to India in January of 2011. We will see if that pans out. Also, Jay and I have a trip in mind for the summer that will bring us to Montana, and there is talk of going to Alaska with some of the role model women in my life (as well as Jay if we let him in, it is all still up in the air). If any of these trips can materialize I would be the luckiest person in the world. Beyond that exciting news, in a recent chat with my older sister, Yu-kyeong, I learned that my oldest sister, Yu-jin, and her new love in Korea, a photographer, plan to wed this May of 2010. Whether or not I will go there has not been decided, as any trip to Korea is a loaded experience for me. So all of these mentioned developments leave my head spinning with joy and more mixed emotions.
After this month of great ups and downs, for the first time in my life, I have truly began practicing the art of letting go, and as December draws near, I look forward to making more time and space for healthy habits such as this one.
Which leaves me with a mantra I have been thinking about a lot lately that helps me through the challenges of my program:
You cannot get to freedom on Pharaoh's chariot.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Living in the mystery
Tonight my class watched a clip from the movie What the Bleep Do We Know? I already had an inkling of what I was getting into because I had a recent conversation with a new friend from Montana about quantum physics and the premise of the documentary. I admit, I was a little biased going into the film because I was so stoked for it. We were only able to watch a fifteen minute clip and after that short of time I was already getting a bit psyched out/getting the chills. My bf has seen the movie, and despite its life-altering perspective, he somehow has been living his life without being nutso about it, so it gives me some hope for myself! I already called a friend who is into psychology and married to a big physics guy, so I will hope to set up a full screening of it at some point soon here. I am going to ask you experience this film for yourself, and I am not going to reveal much about the film (since I really only watched a clip), but I can tell you that a quote that stuck with me was: "The true trick to life is not to be in the know but to be in the mystery." And how true is that!? The movie asks, why do we continue to re-create the same realities? Why is it that people pursue the same relationships, the same jobs, the same friends, etc., etc., when there are so many possibilities out there? What I think the film's answer to that question is because we (our brains) are trained to know reality in a certain way and we see/know/believe only what we think is possible. The brain processes 400 billion bits of information, we are only aware of 2,000. What does that mean to you?
I have felt so privileged and lucky to be a part of such a program that encourages me to "live in the mystery" and be on the edge of knowing. Holistic Health Studies offers many modalities that have not been put into "scientific" terms, but more and more studies and research is developing that is scientific and holding true. Beyond the studies, there is another truth and knowing that people can feel in their hands, their healing, their culture and their history, that I believe is linked to quantum physics. With physics as being a science that tends to lead other sciences, I feel privileged to be connected to such a field, and will continue to be amazed by all that we humans can control with our own minds. The possibilities are endless and I am willing to embrace this knowing and live in the mystery. It is too exciting not to!
I have felt so privileged and lucky to be a part of such a program that encourages me to "live in the mystery" and be on the edge of knowing. Holistic Health Studies offers many modalities that have not been put into "scientific" terms, but more and more studies and research is developing that is scientific and holding true. Beyond the studies, there is another truth and knowing that people can feel in their hands, their healing, their culture and their history, that I believe is linked to quantum physics. With physics as being a science that tends to lead other sciences, I feel privileged to be connected to such a field, and will continue to be amazed by all that we humans can control with our own minds. The possibilities are endless and I am willing to embrace this knowing and live in the mystery. It is too exciting not to!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Information System Overload
This photo, "Brain Explosion" was drawn by artist, Amanda Abella.
I like this picture because it really captures how I feel right now about life. When I think of information systems or about the brain I think about it very mechanically and almost robotic. When I hear the words "system overload," I think about technology and computers. One wouldn't generally think about flowers really. However, in this moment I do. I feel that a huge expansion is occurring in my brain/mind and it feels like an explosion, but I feel more like Amanda's picture. It is an expansion/transformation that is bigger than me, and greater in depth than I can understand right now, but I can feel it and it is not an explosion that is destructive but more so it is creative.
Now if you haven't been following my blog you might not have noticed I am going to school for Holistic Health Studies right now. This moving into graduate school is contributing greatly to this shift in mindset. For two years my brain has been dormant and suddenly it is being electrocuted with new ways of thinking, new reading materials, and creative research projects. While I am incredibly stoked and the happiest I have ever felt in my life right now, it does bring about some great personal challenges that I am going to have to face. One of those challenges is handling this shift in perspective and also handling the wonderful information I do receive and making sure it creates and gives off something more than just an explosion.
Also, I might add that if time allows, I have been considering creating another blog to specifically follow my journey in my Master's Program because I can already feel that it is going to be full of surprises and growth and I constantly want to talk about it. I'll keep you posted on its potential birthdate. I already started another blog called Go Green Machine. I created this one specifically because I am trying to be a little more organized in my thoughts and in my sharing with you all and I have great interest in conservation and the environment and sustainability as well.
I'd love to stay and write more about this "explosion/expansion" as my mind is teeming with information just waiting to be unpacked, but I have to get in the shower and begin addressing the piles of research projects and homework that have approaching deadlines.
Cheers to Friday and homework and BALANCE! May we all lead a balanced day and life!
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