Happiness, on a plate

One of my yoga teachers once gave me some excellent advice about life.  He said, "Taste everything".  


And so, I do.

Fried crickets in Thailand- tastes like potato chips!

I skipped the baby frogs...

Oh no I didn't!

Delicious and Piquant.  Those are their names, really!

Fried rice and shrimp- I made this at Thai cooking school!

And in Ireland.....

Oh yes I did!

A sigh of happiness in Banff.  

Caught in the act- 
apple crisp with cream in Ireland.

And in Canada....

     Marinated wild mushrooms 
           over grilled sour dough, Banff.                                                      

Smoked salmon and the ubiquitous pint, Ireland.

The End.  Isn't life delicious?                                              

Obstacles

We all have them.  They pop up whenever you least expect them.  The thing we forget about obstacles, is that more often than not, the obstacle IS the path, the way towards knowing ourselves on a deeper level.  Recently, a friend expressed to me her frustration over her perceived financial limitations.  I responded to her with the consideration to not get too attached, to remember that it is a temporary situation.  I believe that the more we hold onto negative or self limiting thoughts, the more that energy manifests itself in our lives.  When we foster the idea that we are limited financially, we block the flow of abundance into our life.  We are actually creating our own obstacles, and they show up in all aspects of our lives.  The way gets blocked.


Our first inclination is to push and resist against the obstacle, to move it or even remove it from blocking our path.  To quote one of my favorite science fiction collective entities, the Borg from Star Trek; "Resistance is Futile".  The more you resist, the more you struggle, sweat, bleed and cry, the more suffering you create for yourself.  Now, to quote one of my favorite real life personages, Buddha; "Suffering is Optional".  Put in terms now of dealing with said obstacle, we then have to cultivate some creativity in our approach, to walk around what is blocking at us and look at it from every angle.  Touch it, feel it, taste it, know every aspect of the thing in the way, so that you can understand that it's very existence in our lives serves a purpose.  Obstacles show up in our lives to teach us something.

Sometimes we have to dig underneath, or flow around like water, crawl over the top or just dynamite the damn thing.  Sometimes we have to walk away and find another route.  Whatever way our creativity finds to deal with the obstacle, we have learned something more about ourselves.  I believe there is always a way, a path for us, even if there are obstacles.  Sometimes we just have to ask for help and open to the flow of abundance in the Universe.  It is everywhere.


Om Gan Ganapataye Namaha

Sign of the Times

The rules of relationship have changed:
 Authorized Personnel Only.

Boundaries are a good thing, like a big chain link fence around an electrical station.  Life keeps teaching me some great lessons, and proves to me again and again that I have amazing friends who are always there for me.  Life also has taught me that I am not so good at building fences, and I get a lot of gate crashers.  I have a "Circle of Trust" that I have tried to keep semi permeable- I invite people in, and assume that I can trust them.  Sometimes my trust in people gets broken, whether intentionally or accidentally, and it is a shock- my reaction at times is much worse-there is hazardous voltage inside.   The learning is that boundaries are a good thing.  Trust is something that has to be earned, that when broken, is difficult to repair.  The gate is now closed, and anyone wanting to get in will have to go through security.

I think I'll have this sign made into a T-shirt.

Re-entry

     How do you hold on to a peak experience after the moment has passed?  An experience where you have participated in something that is greater than yourself, something that changes you on a cellular level?  As tourists, we buy postcards and souvenirs to remind us of our experience, we take snapshots to show our family and friends, but unless the experience is shared, it is difficult for someone who was not there to have a sense, or the ability to taste your experience.  Re-entry back into everyday life is challenging after a vacation, and even more so after a spiritual retreat.  Our body's energy channels, the mind, senses and heart have been blasted open- we are more sensitive and receptive to all forms outside stimulus- TV, phones, loudspeakers, computers.  The world can be a very jarring place- the airport that was once an exciting portal into the anticipated adventure becomes a harsh and overwhelming environment.  For me, the flight home is the most difficult part, the loud voices, crying babies, announcements from the flight deck, the bagpipe music coming from the row in front of me (I’m not joking).  The irate traveler swearing at another person in front of his children (yeah, same guy I mentioned in the last post), the inconsiderate jostling for position before the airplane doors are even open, the hit of light and sound and bustling activity that disorients you upon entry into the terminal.  How do we maintain the peace that we found for ourselves while on retreat?

      Cultivate the intention to view everything as perfect exactly the way it is.  The cacophony of the airport provides contrast for the quiet peace of mind that was granted to us during our time away.  We must remember that the retreat, the vacation is simply a moment, a pause that we take to step out of the flow of our daily lives, and is not the reality of our everyday life.  Without contrast, we would miss the experience. If we lived in that alternate vacationland bliss all the time, without contrast it would lack meaning.  Try to step back into the peace you found while you were away- remember how it felt in your body.  There is a super intelligence there that you can tap into at anytime, to remember that place of ease and equipoise, that flash of awareness, the touch of beauty on your senses.  It is always available for us when we open to the remembrance of the feeling.  Choosing what you focus your awareness on while you are traveling makes it possible to carry the experience back into your daily life- the grandfather cuddling his granddaughter, the long kiss and poignant parting of young lovers, the kind and selfless act of a complete stranger. 

Beauty and spiritual inspiration come in many forms, and are present for us all the time- we don’t have to go on retreat to find them, we just have to see the world with new eyes.  

Homeward Bound

Things I love abut traveling:
Luggage with wheels (How did we ever manage before this stroke of genius?)
Travel sized toiletries
Chatting up complete strangers
People watching at the airport
Trying to use up every bit of foreign currency

Things I don't love so much about traveling:
Customs
Security lines
Rude people

Well, at least the second list is shorter, but that being said, travel is a shared experience.  Fellow travelers are all in it together,
(Okay, bad metaphor, but it's all I got) like rats on a sinking ship, and attitude is everything.  A sense of humor helps too. I like to write imaginary stories about the people I observe, but no doubt their real stories are far more interesting.  Sometimes things don't go according to plan- we make the mistake of thinking we have any control once we are inside the airport security zone.  The more resistance you cultivate, the more you suffer.  Case in point- the man behind me giving the gate representative a difficult time- its not her fault the flight is late.  I try to cultivate the following motto, "Things are perfect exactly the way they are".  Let me stress the word try- I am also on that late flight.  So when I am not trying to change things, to push the flow of the river, things progress with more ease.  If I miss my connecting flight, the worst that can happen is I get home a day later, and get a free hotel for the night.  It's just not worth getting worked up over things you cannot control - also an excellent metaphor for life.  The way paved with a smile and a thank you goes more ease fully.  Sit back, enjoy the ride, make up a story about someone you don't know and will never see again, and stay amused by it all.

The best part of traveling- coming home.

The Gift

     Yesterday, I enjoyed a ride up the mountain on the Banff Gondola, which took us up above all the haze, and provided a clear view of the surrounding mountains.  As you can imagine, it was spectacular.  At the top, I met Raymond, from New Brunswick, and we had a very lovely chat.  At one point, he said "We are very privileged to live in our countries, aren't we?"  I concurred, and he went on to tell me about some missionary work that he had done at high altitude in South America.  At the end of our conversation, Raymond asked if he could testify his faith to me, and gave me a Gideon's Bible, which I accepted graciously.  The little yellow paperback bible was offered to me in such a sincere and heartfelt way, and it meant so much to Raymond that I did not even hesitate to accept it.  But Raymond didn't realize that he had already given me his greatest gift  - when he reminded me to be grateful for the privilege of living in America.

Atop Sanson Peak, Elev. 7,486 Feet

     The reminder that I will offer here is that with great privilege comes great responsibility.  With all the resources that we enjoy and take for granted, we have the ability to make life even better for ourselves and others, by offering our gifts and service back into our communities.  Every moment presents an opportunity for awakening.  To Raymond from New Brunswick, thank you for this gift and may God bless you.

Smoke gets in your eyes

Banff, Alberta, Canada

This is my vacation, my treat to myself after a long year of work with no play, and after convincing myself that I actually deserved it, here I am. I have always wanted to visit this part of the world,  Banff and Lake Louise in particular.  So today I drove west on the Trans Canadian Highway #1 (excellent road, by the way),  anticipating my first sight of the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately, there are severe wild fires in British Columbia, the heavy smoke drifting eastward into Alberta and as far away as Manitoba (geography hats on, people!). So, driving today was like being in an in-between place,  a surreal, colorless sky, a long stretch of road with limited visibility - the way life can sometimes feel. As I got closer to Banff, the road turned and suddenly, rising from out of nowhere, a mountain loomed up at me.  It was huge. (remember, I live in Oklahoma now- no mountains there).  What was really extraordinary was that after that mountain, there was another and another- they kept emerging out of the smoke and haze, as if a magicians' silk scarf was being lifted to reveal larger and larger mountains, one behind the other.  Presto Change-o and Abra Cadabra! I felt like a distracted, gawking flat-lander as I tried to keep the car on the road while driving 110 (kilometers that is - metrics are so civilized), struck by awe, breathless at the sight of an impossibly big, beautiful mountain right in from of me.

Okay, I'm going to go all yoga on you now.  Sometimes we move through the world with limited visibility.  We get distracted by the process of living day to day, our hearts becoming covered with layers and layers of magicians' veils.  Smoke gets in our eyes, preventing us from seeing the true magnificence of our life.

We practice yoga to clear the smoke, to lift the veil away from our hearts and break through illusion so that we can see more clearly.  Yoga is anything that allows you to feel Adbhuta, the wonderment of being alive, or anything that reveals and helps you recognize your true nature.  As I walked back to my room, I watched the moon, almost full, rise over a bank of clouds, shining luminously through the haze, revealing her light.  Magnificent.

Welcome to all things sublime and ridiculous

I recently had an astrological reading done. Now, before you roll your eyes, bear with me.  The actual process was very scientific in its own way, and revealed that I should explore writing. Really? What on earth would I write about? It also revealed that I am a genuine mystic.  What exactly is a mystic?  All I can call to mind are images of Gandalf and Dumbledor-nope, they were wizards... Anyway, I am not sure what to think of either of those things.  Writing sounded a little more practical than the mystic gig, so thought I'd give it a go.  I was going to call this blog something yoga-esque, like "exploring the self through experiencing the world" or "doing the Dharma dance" but then thought, you know, my life has actually been a series of ridiculous accidents and circumstances, contrasted by some profoundly sublime moments of insight and revelation.  In the midst of it all, I have cultivated and been supported by my quirky sense of humor that most people don't get.  A very wise person taught me that it is most important to amuse yourself first.  So thats what I am going to do, and if you find some amusement here, then we are obviously kindred spirits.  I hope you enjoy my musings, the profound as well as the silly.  To all who venture here, welcome.

Same same, but different

Writing form Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA

Reasons why I love Canada; Canadians- they're nice. Period.