Games 4-year olds invent. We just started playing, unspoken of rules or goals. He would rattle off a 4 word rhyme of Dr. Suessian onomatopoeia,"Brittle Brattle Brickill Brackell;" to which I reply "Snuggle Wuggle Puggel Luggul." I just ignored any words that came out as vulgar or crass because he (hopefully) honestly has never heard them before and it was a funny sound. I enjoyed the game more when I accentuated my mouth movements and used silly voices. He usually dislikes when I use other than my normal voice, but in this game-it was tops!
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Joy in Harmony. The sun is shinning just boldly enough. The breeze is chill just slightly enough. My sister, my boyfriend, my nephew and I are all interested enough to find harmony. We forgive mistakes, try new things, and consider each other's happiness to be just as important as our own. Everyone has a place, and everyone is in their place. There is harmony. At least for a fleeting 4-year-old moment of a sunday-funday afternoon. Living in the South, snow, sleet, and ice all in one day is kind of 'a big deal.' If you live in Atlanta, like my father, rush hour traffic is also 'your worst nightmare'-one that you relive every day. And when these two worlds collide... watch out! My father was one of hundreds of everyday Joe's who got caught up in Atlanta's ice-induced gridlock nightmare that lasted 72 hours. It happens about once every three years and gets progressively worse each time. But this blog is not about climate change or urban planning and the unique opportunities available at their intersection. I digress. Today is about the joy in expressing the most basic feelings of genuine concern for a loved one's comfort, safety, and well being. A casual phone call to my mother revealed that my Dad had spent the night in Home Depot after eight hours of sitting on a clogged highway. It was such a foreign idea reserved for such terrifying events where passer-by's need to seek refuge from tornadoes, zombies, or terrorists attacks. I had to call my Dad and check in. Now it's my style to talk to people like they live the same lifestyle as I, and get them to react as if I assumed they would behave like me. So I asked my Dad if was meditating to pass the time and remain calm. He said he was praying-did that count? Yes, 100%! Connecting your conscious thoughts with the faith and belief that an energy source stronger than you is available to help co-create your desired outcome of reality is opening yourself up to the grace and power of the unknown. I've never heard my father talk about his prayer life before today. I've even heard him talk about my mother's spiritual life on multiple occasions, but never his own. Sometimes it feels weird when something great has to come out of something yucky. Nonetheless, when I expressed my empathy for his situation, he showed me that we are more alike than I knew. Make Believe. As in, 'let's play make-believe.' A noun. A thing adults stop doing when they start doing things like income taxes.
Do you ever think about it as a verb? Make... be-lieve, make me believe... in something new, something improbable, something impossible. In something I'm not even sure I want. How else do you make those decisions? Today, I spent a good portion of the afternoon caring for my four year old nephew. He loves to play good guys / bad guys, samurai style. So we are in the front yard, dancing around each other, lunging, grunting, smiling, jeering. A delivery truck goes the wrong way down my dead end street and now I'm being watched. My nephew is oblivious and our game continues unchanged. I catch a glance at the guys in the cab of the truck and I can tell that my make believe just gave them a big laugh for their day. I take pleasure in this knowledge. Reflecting back on it, it's also a great exercise on staying present. First, I have to construct the mental parameters of my experience: I am a samurai, I have a sword, I can shoot energy balls out of my palms, I can resist attacks. Then, I move within those boundaries and focus all my attention on the other player. I could argue this as a moving meditation. The point I'm trying to make is that 'make believe' is not a relic of childhood that should be hung up to dry. Rather, it is a powerful tool of spiritual focus and exploration. Setting new goals-make believe them into reality. Dropping unhealthy habits-make believe the motivation to inspire action. I never tire of hearing bedtime stories. Often I encounter resistance to my requests, but nonetheless, bedtime stores are the best time for make believe. It sets up our dreamscape for delight and magic. Finally, I'd like to share a synchronicity that made me smile today. Most people who know me, know that I often and easily let my imagination take over. I'm a bit of a make-believe-queen. So it was perfect timing when witnessing my actions bringing smiles to faces of strangers, I also received a text message from an old friend in another city thanking me for learning and growing with them. Specifically remarking that, "the decisions you make shine bright enough to influence the people around you." Positive confirmation that my make believe inspires more than my own experience, and our delicate balance should never be abused or laid to waste. Happy day dreaming! Tradition, ritual, girl's night-whatever you call it, enjoy it. My sister and I have a Friday night ritual of going out for dinner. We've got a few favorites near the house and this week we even made it in time to take advantage of happy hour specials. Maybe you eat out a lot, but for me it is a treat. Especially on Friday night when my sister and I are able to relax together and look forward to the weekend ahead of us. The evening tends to be one of my greatest financial expenses of the week, and also one of my most enjoyable.
The lesson today is to give yourself these treats-regularly. Denying your desires for frugality, perceived undeserving, or even to win favor with god, is only denying your authentic heart. There are no benefits of that thinking. The smart path is to recognize how much joy this ritual brings you and plan the rest of your time to facilitate that path while balancing other responsibilities and needs. So eating leftovers and ramen noodles for lunch can be part of the path to enlightenment ;) The real secret is to enjoy those moments as well-to savor the feeling of kicking back on Friday night-while eating lunch on Tuesday afternoon. Second class of outdoor restorative yoga at the Sunday Brunch Farmer's Market-Medway park in the Riverland Terrance Neighborhood of James Island. I led almost an entire class in seated postures and thought to recline only after a 2 minute qi gong sun meditation. On days like today, the time passes before I have a chance to exhaust my inspiration. We also started the class with qi gong style hand and foot clearing. It was a good recipe for foundation weekly maintenance of spiritual and energetic health. Before class even began, I was working one-on-one with a student on an inversion clinic. Demonstrating then supporting: supported headstand, handstand, and shoulder stand.
ASANAS: Sun breath, forward fold, neck stretch, dolphin breath, camel, cow-face, twists, and hands-on child's pose adjustments. August, Georgia. Engagement Party for Rob & Katy K inetic laughter A lways erupts T angling our hearts Y oung love eternally & R osey cheeks tell stories O utstretched arms welcome home B rother, you are loved! Ceremony & Celebration September 21st 2013 International Day of Peace <3 May you know yourself, before attempting to know your partner. May you accept your partner unconditionally, as a mirror of yourself. May you respect the power of the sacred feminine and the sacred masculine, that resides within each partner. May your intentions be clear to support healthy growth of body, mind, and soul. May all the grace and peace of the earth be blessed upon this divine union! Sarasota, Florida. The synchronicity of the universe placed me within an hours drive of my grandparents home so I could help my mom's parents get to their doctor's appointments and recover their strength and vitality. Sarasota is always a pleasant visit because there is so much art, flowers, and general beauty at your fingertips. No stop would be complete without a visit to the Selby Botanical Garden and Ringling Art Museum, both grounds crowned with enormous banyan tress. I learned that as much as I love to care for Mother Earth, caring for blood family is just as rewarding. New stories emerged from their childhoods and we had a lively conversation about the joys and pains of communal living. My dream is to one day live in an inter-generational community founded on principles of peace, abundance, and healing. Good news is... all my families (blood, star, crystal, spiritual) like it too! Current and Future sisters: Aly, Katy, Julie, Kristina
You don't need to go to New Orleans to catch beads and drink in the street, Tampa has it's own mardi gras, pirate themed! Gasparilla is a local tradition since 1904. |
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