All's Well In The World

Happy 100th post!

To celebrate the 100th post on this blog, I have helped my man set up his own blog!  It's like a mini website for him.  You can find out where he is teaching, what trainings and workshops are coming up and I am hoping, get a chance to read some of his writing.  He is a poet of note.

It isn't totally set up yet, we will add on as we go, but I am announcing it here and now.  Check it out:

www.paulweitzthaiyoga.typepad.com

I dig how love Mira lands on its own line.  ; - )

Now that I have been blogging on and on for a hundred posts, I also intend to jazz this blog up too.  How, I have yet to determine but something is in the air.

Thanks so much for all of the great feedback you regulars have been giving me.  I do love to write and I love that it affects others positively or at least fires up the process of inquiry.   I have been a writer my whole life.  In fourth grade, I had to write an apology to Mike Koob for calling him, well I shant say it here but it was a derogatory reference to the female anatomy rhyming with his name.  I wrote it I think 1,000 times as a form of punishment from Mrs. Levine.  Since then I have just kept writing.  I loved my English teacher Mr. McMartin.  In sixth grade, he would let anyone who could recite simple grammatical rules - like am are is was were been - leave class for the rest of the period.  I would then get in trouble for leaving the building but never by him.   Another English teacher, and I can't recall many details including her name, oohed and aahed when I picked Elizabeth Barret Browning out of a hat to research and write about.  She said to me in a sort of secret girl club tone, "you'll like her."   I was intrigued. How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  That was EBB.   Creative writing class in high school was awesome.  It was a small group of misfits.  The teacher let us write whatever word we wanted on the board each day.  How empowering is that? (Teachers take note).  We learned words like ubiquitous, loquacious and cacophonous.  Writing about it now I realize how vocabulary really opens doors.  Our ability to communicate is somewhat limited by the words we have to express our ideas and feelings.  This sends me off on to a whole 'nother topic - Non-Violent Communication.  We'll leave that for another post.

Then my dad told me I would be going to college and what would I like to major in.   Hmmm.  Hadn't thought about college.  English, I guess.  I like my English classes.  So I began my studies as an English major.  What am I going to do with a degree in English?  So I switched to Psychology and then to Child Psychology, my given degree.  Now, it all fits back together again.  Nice. 

And my mom, I already mentioned this in her birthday post but she really has a vast vocabulary and a very good grasp of grammar.  I didn't realize until I got out into the big world what a rich language environment I had grown up in.   As  a foul mouthed teenager I would get from her,  "You are such an intelligent girl.  Can't you think of another word to express yourself?"  But Ma, I would protest, nothing packs a punch like the F word.  It's so universal, so ubiquitous.  I got over it.

So there is the history of writing in the life of Mira.  Here's to another 100 posts, another 1,000!

Forgiveness is a Journey

On Thursday, I wrote a blog about this overwhelmingly powerful act of forgiveness the Amish people extended to the family of the man who killed their children.  It touched me in a deep way.  It changed me. 

A few hours later I found myself caught in an emotional state unable to forgive.  It was a teeny tiny discretion by a loved one but it hooked me.  The Universe wanted to give me a first hand experience of the world of forgiveness and this little incident taught me much.  I was ready and oriented to this perspective.  It showed me clearly and immediately just what an enormous act of faith forgiveness is.  It has compelled me to deeply explore this state.  Here is what I have discovered thus far...

Forgiveness is not simply a state of mind, a choice one makes.  It is a condition of the heart, an openness.   It is a perspective that one cultivates.  This perspective requires faith.  It also requires the ability to be perfectly quiet and perfectly still.  Emotions like rage, blame and vengeance are all very active, hectic, volatile.   They are diametrically opposed to stillness.  Becoming still dissipates the emotions that block the condition of the heart known as forgiveness. 

So these are the results of my first study.  I think it is to become a big project in my life.  There is a lot there.  There are so many little grudges and grievances to root out.  They are easy to ignore because they are small but I can see now from all of this how they block my heart.There is no one in my life I hate, although I do admit to some pretty strong negative feelings around some public policies.  There are however a hundred little incidences like the tiny infraction on Thursday, where I could apply forgiveness.

I have a great resource for this project.  It is called The Forgiveness Project. I knew to go there because I was lucky enough to meet Marina, the creator The Forgiveness Project, at the Global Mind Change forum here a few weeks ago.  She is gentle and very thoughtful.  Her ability to listen fully makes her just the person to collect these important stories.  Please check out her website and read the stories.  They help to reveal the process and the place where forgiveness lives in all of us.

http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/

Here are a few comments that moved me:

“Forgiveness is a journey. Today you can forgive and tomorrow you can feel the pain all over again” -Anne Gallagher

Anne Gallagher is a former nurse from the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Belfast. She tended to victims of bombs and bullets on both sides of the sectarian divide, as well as many policemen and soldiers. Having a father and three brothers interned in the early days of The Troubles, she has experienced the pain of having close relatives imprisoned and killed. Her brother Dominic, a former IRA member, became leader of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) and was, at the time, the most wanted man in Ireland. After his release from prison he was shot dead by unknown gunmen.

“Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past.” - Marian Partington

Working towards forgiveness seems to be the most imaginative way of becoming free and offering freedom. It is only something you can line yourself up for; you can’t make it happen. But I know it’s the only creative way forward, because it allows me to find a positive relationship with my own suffering which can be beneficial to others. In this way I can use my life to transform the cycle of violence. Sometimes I have experienced the sacredness of my own life and the inter-connectedness of all our lives. In this place forgiveness is spontaneous.

In 1973 Marian Partington’s younger sister, Lucy, disappeared from a bus stop after visiting a friend. Twenty years later, in 1994, the gruesome discoveries at 25 Cromwell Road revealed that Lucy Partington had been one of Frederick West’s victims.

"Initially I was unable to entertain any thought of forgiveness, but slowly I came to realize that bitterness only creates bitterness. Negative experiences are a kind of cancer, and my choice as a human being is either to encourage the spread of that cancer or to arrest it and apply a solution. I opt to be part of the solution, part of the healing. Forgiveness is not a matter of doing anything heroic or exceptional, it’s just about being natural."  - Mwalimu Johnson

Mwalimu Johnson spent his early youth using and selling illegal drugs on the streets of New Orleans. In 1958 he received a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to bank robbery. He was released in 1967, only to be shot in 1975 by FBI agents who claimed he was involved in another bank robbery – a claim they later withdrew. As a result of that shooting Mwalimu is now confined to a wheelchair. He was arrested and sentenced to seven years for assault and 50 years for an unrelated charge of armed robbery. In 1990 British attorney Clive Stafford-Smith won Mwalimu a reduction in sentence. Mwalimu was released in 1997, and is now the Executive Secretary at the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana.

True Security with the Amish

My mom forwarded this beautiful post on the Amish community's response to the devastating tragedy they experienced at the beginning of this month.  And now I am busted once again for not keeping up on the "news."   The act of forgiveness- of making peace- integral to their belief system, played out in an extraordinary way.  Reading this blog struck me in all kinds of ways.  Tears poured down my cheeks visualizing these funerals with hearts open and being held in community.  Rather then shutting down in blame, accusations and vengeance, hearts were filled with forgiveness and peace.  What better way to heal?  What other way to heal?  It rips wide open our reality where we attack others out of fear for our own safety and how that will simply never ever work.  Here this peaceful, simple community of honest people showed the whole world how to make peace.  They didn't sit back and wait for it.  They went to the home of the murderer to visit his wife, they invited her to the funerals of the children and 30 members of the Amish community attended the funeral of the man who murdered their children.  They did it because they understand the power of forgiveness.  Here's the juicy bit:  "They actively created the conditions in which forgiveness could happen."   You can read the rest here:

http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/2006/10/diana-butler-bass-what-if-amish-were.html

The only little snag in this article for me is that she distinguishes a "Christian God" but we know it is impossible to fathom God all at once or all of God so bless her heart.   She goes on to wonder what it would be like to put the Amish, or similar people who deeply understand and practice forgiveness and reconciliation, in charge of Homeland Security.  Let's spend some time visualizing that. 

What is the Secret?

The secret is really just a misunderstanding.  We don't realize how strongly our perceptions effect our reality and those who like to hoard the power would like it to be a secret.

There is a movie about this secret.  It is called The Secret.   You can download it for $5 and watch it on your computer.  I highly recommend that you do.  Not only does it tell you the secret, one that I think you may already know, but it goes on to tell you very practical steps to implement this secret in your life.  It is all part of the consciousness evolution.  This evolution is a shift from a few white men in power while the rest of the world suffers in fear and poverty to health and wealth on all levels for all people in all places.  The beauty of it is, taking care of yourself translates directly to taking care of the whole world.  Everyone and anyone can make a difference right now.  Your involvement is a crucial part of the project.

http://thesecret.tv/home.html

My man, my mom and I watched it Sunday night.  It has already made a significant impact on our lives.  I applied the concepts they shared in the movie to my yoga classes, asking for more students.  I walked into class on Monday and the person at the desk said, "another kid just registered for your class."  My man has become very clear about where we are headed in life and how to get there.  Only a week earlier when I was telling him to think positively about what he wanted because of the UV beam, he said he wasn't sure what to think of.  What is revealed in this movie may be totally groundbreaking or it may just be a reassuring reminder, anyway treat yourself!  It's like buying yourself a drink, a drink of cool refreshing bliss.

Watching this movie may also free you from these foward chain mail  email thingies in which you will or will not recieve any luck/fortune/health,etc. (I just went to check my email and found several) It really speaks to a lack of trust in the Universe to sucumb to these.  I am getting YOU MUST PASS THIS ON emails today originally sent to me years ago.  I wonder about this.  My life is kick A#% and I promise you I have never ever forwarded one of these on.  All the curses and guilt inducing threats that come along with them have simply fallen flat on the floor.  Trust me.  Better, Trust the Universe.  Just sit back and think for a moment about what we know to exist here in our little sphere and what we surmise to exist through out the cosmos. 

Mind boggling isn't it?  Now consider - that same vastness resides within each one of us as well as all around us.  The super sexy secret is there is no difference!  That leaves us with a whole heck of a lot of resources.

It makes a lot of sense.  Most of our lives we are taught to doubt our selves and led to believe in scarcity.  That works really well for those few who want to keep people operating in this limiting way.  Marshall Rosenberg refers to it as "domination structures."  Now, beautifully articulated in this movie, a new way is being revealed that is actually a very old way...and it works!

Be inspired, be transformed, believe in infinite bliss! 

HA HA Halloween

Those of you who know me, know that I am not much of a pet person.  Never have had one.  My friend Susan, however, is all about the animals.  She sent this email of pets in halloween costumes.  Now, I facilitate a laughter club every week and generally laugh easy and often.  But never have I laughed as I did when I saw these.

Some of these pictures had me on the floor.  Tears, shortness of breath, sore sides, the works.  I am sharing my favorites.  Go ahead and just let the laughter ripple through your entire being.  It is a state of mind so just let it in.   Click on the images if you want to read these owners perspectives on what their pets may be thinking for a somewhat disturbing if not intriguing insight into the mind of a pet "parent."

                                                   
                                                                           

                                                                                                                                    

Happy Birthday Mama!

Today is my mama's birthday.  She was just here to help with our training this weekend, Live Your Yoga.  We had vegan chocolate cup cakes and sang happy birthday at the end of the training then last evening I made dinner for her and my man.  We used every dish in the house, which is easy when I only have 4 of everything.  We used every fork and every spoon, every plate large and small, every bowl,every tea cup, and every wine glass.  We then watched The Secret. That deserves its own post...

I love my mama for putting up with me through my teen years.  I love my mama for teaching me the important things in life like integrity, honesty and how to tie my shoes.  I love my mama for rubbing my back every night before bed and instilling in me a sense of social justice,civic duty and a love of language.  I love my mama for being a rock solid world travel companion, not having a care when bunking down at a loud, roach infested hole-in-the-wall next to a bus station in Nepal near the Indian border, for trekking with me through the Himalayas in Nepal, marveling at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, lounging on hammocks in Ko Chung, for soaking in the transformative live sitar music with me near the Lake Palace in elegant repose, for putting up with me when I am freaking out in New Delhi and for coming to the hospital in Bangkok where I had been admitted instead of enjoying our plans for Bali.

I love that we as a family (Ma, sis and I) all have complimentary talents and have the very good fortune to be able to start a business together that is in total alignment with our values and interests.  And I love that she gave me such a cool sister!  I love that she is my personal adviser in matters of both finances and the heart.  And I love that I can honestly refer to my mom as a good friend.

Happy Birthday mama!

Inspired by the French

I was searching the web (a huge part of my existence) and came across this interesting blog post.  This yogini was inspired by French women to clean up her family's diet.  Don't they inspire us in all ways?  I know Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium but she to me epitomizes that classy French woman.  I remember feeling like a total putz in France (and in Italy).  The women were so totally gorgeous, confident and sophisticated.  I guess I better pick up the pace with my wine, chocolate and fresh baked bread...

http://sassafrassylassy.blogspot.com/2006/07/cleaning-up-familys-diet.html

The main point:  Never compromise on quality, be it your food or your shoes.

Bon Jour!

Funky Fast Food

I was out riding my bike in the rain, then home on a serious cleaning binge - my place needs it!  The clock read 8:30pm and I had yet to pull together any kind of plan for dinner.

This is what I made tonight.  The whole thing took less than 15 minutes from start to first bite in my mouth.

This is the kind of meal I make for myself very regularly. I wanted to share it 'cause it is so fast and easy and always includes what is around the house after not having been to the store for a week.  There are thousands of variations on it, everyone should have their own special way of making it (and share it).

This is a single serving.

1/3 white basmati rice, 2/3 cold water.

You can make any quantity you like.  I find 1/3 cup is just right for one serving.  Basmati rice is so easy and fast.  In one way, I figure everyone knows how to make rice but I was intimidated by it for much of my adult life.  Now I make it many times a week.  Just use exact equal amounts of rice and COLD water.  First I wash the rice in the pan I will cook in.  This is a beautiful ritual to begin preparing the meal.  Three rinses, drain then add the cold water.  Bring it to a boil then cover and simmer.  It really only takes about 10 minutes so you can then prepare everything else and be ready to eat in less time than it takes to unwrap and cook a frozen pizza. (which also happens to be in my fast food repertoire when spinach and garlic is added as a topping).

Cut up one carrot.  I like sticks.  You may be a coin person. Steam it.

Fluff the rice, put it in a bowl, add the cooked carrot and sprinkle on about a 1/4 -1/2 sheet of nori.  This stuff will last in the cupboard (sealed in a zip lock) for months.  If you want to be fancy, go ahead and float the sheet across an open flame (sorry for those of you who have electric stoves). It toasts nicely - but burns very quickly.  Either way, you just crumble it over your dish like an offering to the Ganges.  Sprinkle on your Shoyu/tamari/soy sauce - it's all the same- and garnish with a handful of broken walnuts.  This all goes down in quantities of your choosing. YUM!

This is a bowl full of powerhouse nutrition and you made it yourself from scratch and it only took 15 minutes!

If you are turning up your nose at the nori, I suggest you consider the fact that you are not just feeding your taste buds but every single cell in your body.  It is an acquired taste, sea vegetables (not weeds any longer people), but you won't find a better source of minerals and things that make your trillions and trillions of cells say, "THANK YOU."

I feel deeply grateful holding this offering to the Divine within and take a moment to acknowledge that up to 70% of the children on the planet tonight will not have access to a meal of this high nutrition, whether their meal is a McDonald's happy meal or a bowl of groats. 

It took me less time to prepare AND eat this dish of pure love than to write this post.  Now after I finish cleaning,  I am going to investigate a sweet for dessert.

Paradise is Still Rockin'

Got another email from my sister.  They were having power outages due to a ferocious electrical storm, which is very rare for the islands.  It is one of the rainiest places on earth but it doesn't usually include lightening and thunder.  We collectively wondered if there could possibly be any relation to an earthquake of that size, biggest since the mid-80s, and a storm so rare.  Hmmm.  Maybe there is just a lot of activity on the planet.  I got a couple emails about this UV beam and how it will magnify all our thoughts thousand fold.  It peaked yesterday so I spent the whole day thinking and doing positive.  It occurred to me this could be a good way to operate on all days.

Maybe the UV beam is affecting storms and earthquakes.  It prompted my sis to skip the round of disc golf and instead go to a yoga class she has been attending lately.  I think they may be feeling a little vulnerable out on that tiny speck of land in that massively vast ocean. I tell you that is the feeling I had when there on my first trip.  It gave me a very uneasy feeling to be perched at the tippy top of one of the biggest mountains in the world, 98% of it residing beneath the water, and have nothing around me but thousands upon thousands of miles of ocean in every direction -including down!   I am a prairie girl all the way, a flat lander.  Give me miles of amber waves of grain and rich black dirt. I am always happy to jump into a lake or river, but I think long and hard before getting into that deep blue sea.  Anyway, they are both very happy there and feel very blessed with their lives on the Big Island.  It's times like these when they feel just a little too far away.  We are all glad for the Internet and unlimited phone minutes.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the HI radio kept playing Carol King "I feel the earth move".  I guess this is a standard post-earthquake song as my man also heard it a lot after he experienced an earthquake in CA.

Sister Steph rockin' it on the Big Island

Sunday afternoon, I came home to a startling message from my sister.  It wasn't the content of what she was saying as much as the high level of excitement in her voice.  Her world had just been rocked, literally.  She was lying in bed early on a Sunday morning when the islands of Hawaii were struck by an earthquake.  It centered just off the coast of the Big Island, the other side of where she lives.

As the house shook and the rafters turned to rubber, my sisa's confusion was clarified when her husband calmly reported, "earthquake."   The 45 second shaking was enough to keep them jacked up with adrenaline for the rest of the day.  Fortunately no one was seriously injured, through out the islands.  My sis and her husband were very pleased with the way their home withstood the violent shake.  They have spent the last year building it from scratch and it's sturdy construction, now proven beyond a doubt, is a result of their craftsmanship and hard work.

They had plans for a day of disc golf and once it was determined that no damage was done, they were off for their day of fun.  Life is different on the islands.  They live in balance with the elements, they roll with the ...earthquakes.  All the reports on the radio were very calm and practical, no hype, no alarmists.  You can read about their own perspective of this on their blog:

http://home.earthlink.net/~pgschmit/

Although they called to assure us they were fine, I must admit to a few hours of feeling very uneasy knowing of many after shocks and being unable to reach them by phone.  But they're fine, everything is fine and now I wonder if any of this will awaken those volcanoes...