Need a hug?

Embrace the un-embraceable.
Embrace the un-embraceable you.

Dedicating this classic jazz standard from my little s self to my big S Self:
"Embrace me You Un-embraceable You!"

See no evil?

How we see ourselves is how we see the world. If we want to see what we really think of ourselves, we can look to how we see and interpret the world around us.

Laughter

Ho Ho Ho. Ha Ha Ha. that's all i've got to say to you (sing this like Sting)

Laughing.

It works.

From a technical point of view, it works the naval center, the home of the 3rd chakra - the element of fire. The fire that transforms. So yes, we long to laugh to pull us out of our darkness and literally into the light. And there's the physiological aspect that 80% or so of our serotonin, the "feel good" hormone,  is made in the guts, so laughing helps stimulate that area, hence, helping out that area in case our serotonin is out of balance. And by working the naval center, it helps us digest and assimilate our food, our life's experiences. So laughing during and after meals could help with digestion perhaps. Test it out and get back to me. I know I always feel better after a jolly meal.

So naval center, yes, but laughing also stimulates the heart and lungs - the seat of the "pran" vayu. Pran is the force that is in charge of rejuvenation, and is what we crave when we are depleted. We get it through food, we try and get more of it by shopping, and also laughing. Who doesn't feel re-newed, revived after a good laugh? 

And then there's the throat chakra. That vibration from the sound helps us open that aspect of us that is our truth. We start to open the area where we speak our truth from. Where we start to even learn what our truth is. Where we find our authentic voice.

So yes, laughter is fantastic medicine. This is one reason I am not afraid to use laughter as a methodology for "lightening up." 

Try it. See if you can get a really good laugh in at least once a day and see what happens. At the very least, your abs will get a good workout. It may take some doing in order to pull this off, but hey, why not find something to help you find that laughter muscle, even if it's you laughing at/with yourself. And yeah, sometimes laughter can lead to tears, but that can also feel good when needed.

I just watched SNL Christmas special. And it was special. I laughed so hard at some of that stuff that Winston kept looking at me funny. Funny. Yes.

Ho Ho Ho

disclaimer: The results of this study were tested only on the author. Try at your own risk, preferably without adult supervision.

Taking care

I heard this at the dentist's office: if you ignore your teeth, they'll go away. Or something like that. I thought it was hilarious.

Some things we ignore, they go away, like pesky, attention seeking things. Others we ignore, and they fester, until one day they blow up in a dramatic manner large enough to get your attention. And some things we ignore, resolve themselves.

The trick is discerning which is which.

Cleaning

Cleaning. How important is it? Think about it. This is a great time of year to clean. Get the house ready for guests. Our with the old, in with the new. And someone's got to clean up after a busy day of baking! Not to mention the non-physical aspect of cleaning. We "clean up our acts" trying to be a little nicer, a litte more honest, to listen a little better. We clean out the skeletons in our psychic closets so we can hang with family without having to go to the looney bin afterwards.

But where does it end? There's nothing like a good scrub down, that's for sure. Last Sunday I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed our floors. It may sound archaic, but that's how my momma taught me, and it still cleans the most thoroughly. And another thing she taught me, is that there will always be something else to clean. always. But when does a healthy dose of cleaning turn into a distraction or an excuse for taking care of other needs or following other paths of fulfillment? i was raised on the premise that I couldn't have fun, or do something for myself (aka listen to my inner voice) until all the work was done. It didn't take too long to figure our that the work would never be done. Now a big realization like that could have set me free. Since there would always be something on the cleaning list, why not take a few minutes or even a decadent hour to do something that wasn't cleaning? Something less calculated? Something more in the present moment? Something that might even be messy? hmmmm. Make a mess of my own to clean up. Since ill be cleaning anyway..

Cleaning. I do love a clean house, but is that preference an attachment that keeps me in a state if fear that if it gets messy, i'll have to clean again? Not to worry. Cuz there will always be something left to clean.

Ownership

What's up with the whole Facebook copyright thing? Of course everything we post on Facebook can be used however, whenever, by whomever. That's part of the whole Facebook, social media, YouTube, GarageBand culture. Write something pithy. Get discovered. Make a movie that is so cute or gross or poignant that everybody shares it. Write your song and have people hear it and share it. If anyone actually thinks that anything they do or say on Facebook can be copyrighted by just declaring it, on facebook none the less, well frankly, it baffles me. It's a public site and lest we forget, it's on the Internet! The place where the whole copyright thing is still being worked out. So yeah, share or don't share, but don't go crying if someone shares what you post. And remember, what might get shared might not be your most flattering work.

And if anyone is really serious about copyrighting, there is a government agency with a fee, a form, and an address.

And then there's the unmentionable. What if nobody cares? Then what? Isnt one of the attractive things about facebook is that 5 minutes of fame thing? a place where everyone can be seen, heard, known, famous. this fear around ideas being stolen, credit being taken, this "thing" that will be unfairly taken from you, this thing that makes us paranoid. What is that any but our asmita, aka "I-ness" aka ego. And the ego wants others to care. It wants to be recognized. So in a way, this copyright scare is just another attachment to our egos that we need to protect, that we need to fear we will lose.

And Did we forget its just effin Facebook? Just shows how a little idea can grow into a thought construct dense enough to make a form, and how the more thoughts around/about it, the more it grows into its own body, it's own entity. Have we created a monster? Or is it just a game. No global right answer. It's as important as we make it, because whatever we give our truth to, is our truth.

Candy cane tree

We shook it up this year. Got a little bigger tree. Threw out the lights that haven't worked in years. Thinking we had no lights, went to lowes to buy some. So, a chance to do something different. It was an interesting exercise. I kept going back and forth- did I like the multicolored lights because that's what I've always had, or maybe get a single color? Was it a habit, or were they truly a preference? We looked at other shapes, colors, what did we want? Way too much time in there with this decision. But ultimately it wasn't about the lights. It was about being willing to stay the same and being wiling to change, and most of all, being willing to ask the question, "who am I now, and what is it that this me wants- not the me growing up, or the me that uses what I have, because its there and I don't want to get something new when what I have is perfectly good- landfills and all.

We have to be willing to take the time to do something different. Sometimes it takes more time because we may need to examine our preferences/habits to see what our current relationship to them is. And ultimately decide and go with it.

So this year, we got red and white lights and we made a candy cane tree. Do I love it? I don't know and it doesn't matter, but I do love the Whole and all that comes wir it. So here it is- candy cane tree 2012. Perfect for this moment.

Fest after. Feast

The cool thing about being one of the privileged, is that when our bellies are full to beyond capacity, we can finally start to look outside of our own realities and say, yeah- my life is pretty damn awesome, and I realize that I can sit in that reality or move past into considering others that don't live as I do. So, digest away. What new thing is there to say.

So thank you. All of you. And lets keep living and believing.

Thankful list

what i am thankful for:
All my teachers
All my students
The fact that there is no difference between teacher and student
My blood relatives
My family- blood and not blood
Blood
The cuteness factor
My desire and willingness to see and accept miracles
The ability to taste and enjoy food
My functioning body
My choices and the freedom to make them
Friends
Nature
Age
Experiences
Planned and random smiles
Reasonable-ness
Wild ideas
The center line
Dreams
Money
Patience
Gratitude
Physical home
Spiritual home
The light that resides in all

What I'm not thankful for:
Nothing

Gratitude Eve

Time for the attitude of gratitude. Funny that gratitude is now a word tossed lightly with a side of heavenly new age hipsters. But hey, throw me into the pool cuz I'm feelin the vibe of the big G. In spite of the fact that I shudder at the sound of the word, I revel in the feeling. Gratitude rocks.

It's something that can be, from the outside, faked, but from the inside, faking gratitude can lead to more frustration and irritation, jealously and entitlement. From the inside, when gratitude starts to sprout, it can lead to unearthly periods of non-attachment, calm, and seeing the beauty in the ugly. So celebrate the beauty, the ugly, the whole salami of what life has on the menu, and the cool thing is, it's all made to order. You will never be served the menu of me, and I will never be served the menu of you, and if in fact it looks like the waiter got our orders wrong, we can read the fine print and be grateful that we got what we were served, because that's exactly what we were born to eat.

So my compliments to the Chef. The ultimate top chef.

Another blip in blogland

So I had this 3 or 4 part blog written out and published part of it yesterday. I felt that it was inspired and I was really excited about it. I didn't publish the whole thing because there were a few parts I wanted to re-write, plus, it gave me some stuff to post over the next couple of days. But alas - the draft that contained the whole "human" blog is gone. Just the part I published, and some of the last paragraph.

So what does this mean? Does it mean I need to be more in the present moment, and less "prepared?" Perhaps I need to be more careful and make sure I put a copy in my notes or something? Perhaps it means i shouldn't update my phone because for some reason, the blog wasn't "saving" the way it usually did. Or perhaps it means I should just let it go and trust that if I'm supposed to talk about what was so goddamned important, I will, at a different time.

I choose the last option.

Maybe my computer (or to be more accurate, my iPhone) is using the excuse "Hey, I'm only human."
Hal...

Only human - part 1

We say we're " only human" and yes that's true. But is it an excuse for staying stuck in patterns that keep us entrenched in the misery of suffering? " he hurt my feelings" "they ripped me off" "I didn't get what I deserve" These are just a few of the justifications that usually come up when we need an excuse to dwell in our habit of hanging on to pain, holding a grudge, gossiping, judging another persons behavior. Ah yes, it's so much easier to point a finger, to make our pain contingent on the actions of others or the circumstances in our lives, to hold a grudge, to blame. Then we can take ourselves and wrap ourselves in negativity and stay there for as long as we goddamn like. And yes, we are only human.

But what about "human" do we love? The fact that we are the only species that has the capacity to consciously evolve ourselves. Free will. We can actually decide that we don't want to stay stuck in the merry-go-round of being run by our past. That we can choose to invest our energy in something other than blaming a situation or a person. Every time we say"I couldn't help it" or "what did you expect me to do, I'm only human" or "I always act/feel like this when..., we are choosing to stay where we are in the karmic continuum.

Stay tuned for part 2...

Home for the Holidays

There is something so innocent and delightful about watching my dog delight in "digging" around on the big white fleecy blanket that is on the sofa. He loves that thing. And yes, it's a pretty awesome blanket. I wonder if it's because when he's on it, it's like he's camouflaged, so he feels invisible and safe. Or maybe it's the texture. Or the smell. Whatever it is, he feels at home when he's there.

We all have things, places, people, smells, that make us feel "at home." But what home is it really? Is it the home of our essential nature? The home we were raised in? The idea of what we wanted home to be like?

Do we feel more "at home" with our habits? Or more "at home" with our voice of truth? When our habits are running the show, we make our decisions based on keeping those habits in play. We make decisions to support and justify our habits to keep us closer to the things we like and farther from the things we don't like. The more we do that, the more entrenched in those habits we become, and the harder it may be to step out of the box we have created for ourselves. How does this play out? Let's take a generic example. Let's just say that in college I used to eat a hot fudge sundae, watch TV and the get drunk every Friday night. On Saturday, I'd eat a greasy breakfast and then work out, then get ready to go out and party again. That was college. It's ten, twenty, years later. Am I doing the same thing, just a different geographical location? Or maybe it's not a hot fudge sundae, but I go out for a special dinner. Maybe I'm not getting drunk, but I'm "enjoying a large amount of wine" while watching a movie. And maybe the next day, well, it's still a greasy breakfast, but perhaps the "healthy" version of this. 

Those habits, aka tendencies, and in yoga, we call them "vasanas," keep trying to re-create the feeling of the first time. The time when that hot fudge sundae and first college party felt liberating and the breakfast the next day was a time of bonding with new found friends. Those impressions, aka "samskaras," leave us with wanting what made us happy in the moment. But the moment is gone. Immediately. But the memory lingers on. 

In a relationship, you know the one that you were still in way past it's expiration date? That was the vasana/samskara cycle in action. We kept hoping that the relationship would make us feel the way it did  when we knew we were in the arms of our "true love." But time marches on, and sometimes the beat changes, and we lose step of our growth, and out of fear, or habit, or both, we consciously or unconsciously cling to the past.

Why this preaching? Just a little context. It's the holidays. We will be with family, and what better place to watch these habits play out. What happens if this year, we change the game. We deliberately react differently to the same old patterns that repeat themselves every year. What if this is the year we actually decide to either keep quiet, or stop agreeing with the judgmental and petty comments that Great Aunt Whoever makes. We don't need to change Great Aunt Whoever, but we can change what we do with the situation. I'm not saying get on a high horse, I'm just saying, where do you want to invest your energy? Are we making those expected comments that we don't believe in, because we are afraid of being rejected? If so, what evidence do we have that we will actually be rejected? And if we are rejected, is it so bad? What about the little deaths we die every time we lie about who we are. Starting with our Selves. 

That's why getting to know our Selves is so valuable. And it's a process. An ever-changing, ever-evolving process. So we start where we are. And we watch and observe ourselves for awhile. Get to know the game. And when we are ready, we change our role in the game. We change our relationship to the game. And eventually, we change the game itself.

There are no rules except the ones we ourselves impose. So there's no messing up involved. It's just us, using the holidays to figure out a little more where our "home" is. 

And my dog? He's peacefully sleeping, safely camouflaged in the fluffy white blanket. 

Be your own blanket. Tuck yourself in, and rest in the safety of who you really are, and go "home for the holidays."

Another opening

Of another show.
And it was awesome! And it all started at the eye of the hurricane.

A big thanks to those who showed up.

And tomorrow, there will be more balance. More to balance in this ever shifting game of chance, dance and ba-lance. So let's play.

Again.
And again.
and yet again.
Since this is what
we do until we don't.

calm before

In this moment, I sit, a calm before the storm. My mom and my dog are reading in a chair, John has gone to the studio, waiting to pick up more people from the airport. In this few minutes of respite, how do I use it? Clean more? Cook more? Meditate more? Work more?

Well, blogging is one thing... LOL

So i'll enjoy the rain, maybe watch some TV for a few minutes, or just sit on the couch. And drink water. Lots of water. Cuz hydration is key.

So the calm before the storm. The big question is, will I be able to find the calm IN the storm? That is the practice. How to stay in that center line, the place of peace, the place that can rest in the midst of total chaos, confusion, challenge, and chatter.

It starts with self love. Boundaries. Keeping the tank full. So when that hill of chaos looks unsurmountable, I know I won't run out of gas. Or patience.

No matter how selfish it seems, cultivating self love and self care is best for everyone. Just ask my family.
:-)

One foot

One foot. In front. Of the other.
Keep going.
Sometimes that's about all we can do.
Or we can sit down.
If the destination is inevitable then at times perhaps sitting to catch one's breath is the answer. At other times,
One foot.
In front.
Of the other.

Hot Hot Hot

Embrace your fire. Embrace your Self. It's time to shine.

There is no safety in playing it safe. So, yeah, play with fire. Yours.

Life is a stage

Said Willy the Shake. What show are we in? Who is the director? What role am I playing? How does it end? Did the butler really do it?

We ask what we think are the important questions, but what do we really want to know? How am I doing? Will I survive? And eventually we may ask "what's the point?"

We're all doing fine.
We are the stars in our own show, co-stars in others, and extras in most.
Big S is the director.
Our physical bodies most likely wont survive.
And if we are asking what the point is, we may be ready to move on to another point of view- indicator of change brewing.
And I'm not telling if the butler did it, cuz that would ruin the story.

Inertia Part 1

We want something. We get it. Or not. Some things come easy, others not so much. We can keep this in mind in regards to our yoga practice, or our New Years Resolutions. Much of the practice that we do, deals with overcoming the resistance, the inertia that stands between us and the goal or desired outcome.

If we are trying to move a piano down the stairs, it’s going to take a lot more preparation and will and determination than it will be to take an iPod down the stairs. In our yoga practice, we keep doing and practicing, and doing and waiting and doing and practicing, and at some point, we think, “When is this going to work?” At some point, if we persist, the piano moves. If we give up, we don’t know if the next push would have moved it. It might be one push away.

Re-entry

It's been awhile since I've felt a strong re-entry state. You know, the one where you feel really altered and when you get back to your old life, the same old same old feels different.

And maybe, the reason why re- entry can be challenging, is because we have actually changed, and our pain in in relationship to our desire to stay the same. The more we want to hang on to what was" the greater the pain. Good news though, know we can clearly see what it is about our life and the choices that " pain" us, and from there, find a way to remove the nervous neti and start embracing self. The self that resides in the heart.

Oh deer!

I was walking up the road this early evening before dinner, and there was a little deer eating. When I walked by, she looked up and stared at me, almost curious. Instead of walking away she resumed eating. After taking a bunch of pictures hoping to catch a bit of the magic, I started back up the road, and within a few feet, was drawn back to the deer, who was now even closer to the road. I squatted down off the road and hung out for awhile, co-existing with the little deer. I thought if I stayed long enough, she might come closer, but another person walked by and the spell was broken.

Oh dear little deer. Thanks for showing me what non-attachment and gentle fearlessness looks like.

Looking for something?

As a student, are you seeking loyalty/acknowledgement to/from your teacher, or are you seeking teachings/techniques to help you on your path?

As a teacher, are you looking for acknowledgement/loyalty from your students, or success in their practice?

Designer Bags

The thought “I’m not worthy” is a crock. When we were born, we were innocent. Worthy. Deserving. What happened? What changed?

Our essential nature comes from a place where worthiness is not even a question. One of the Upanishads says, “From perfection comes perfection” and we came in, for all intents and purposes, perfect. I hear some of you saying, “ but what about birth defects, etc…  How is that perfect?” I’m not going there in this blog. I will gladly do it in another one, and if it’s of particular interest, feel free to let me know.

We are worthy.

At some point, we starting believing others who kept telling us, either by words or the unspoken language of action, that we didn’t deserve what was/is inherently ours. So we collected evidence of “I’m not worthy in a big pouch.” A swollen, bloated, inaccurate pouch. And this pouch came with a bunch of side products: lack of confidence, self doubt, and the thought that “I’m not lovable/loved.”

We were born to live life, but who can really commit to life with these weights of pain and suffering, as well as your basic killjoys and wet blankets taking all the fun out of life. (yes, I’m putting it outside of yourself for the moment, because this is often the state we are in). Yet something deep inside keeps telling us, “no, you must LIVE!” So what do we do? We balance those pouches of less than by creating pouches full of greater than, and “I’m beyond worthy so the world owes me” and other side products like the need to dominate and control, the need to sell ourselves as the “best” by making others wrong or inferior.

Then we carry these pouches around with us. Baggage. Designer baggage. Couture of baggage. One of a kind. Yours. Mine. No ours. No matter how good the baggage looks, its taking up a lot of room inside that mind of ours. Room for fun. And without the baggage there would be room for everyone. 

Shadow

What is a shadow but the place where light doesn't shine through. Light plus my body make the shadow. Is the shadow still me? Part of me? Are we the shadow of the divine? Or are we that which makes our shadow?

Full and Empty

After dinner, I can be simultaneously full and empty. I can be totally full of vegetables, protein, soup, whatever, and my dessert pipe can be totally empty. I still have room for chocolate. Or whatever. How can this be?

As you may know, I’ve been at the Himalayan Institute since Friday, and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, from now on referred to as Panditji or PRT, began our program on Sunday night. Yesterday was Monday, and by the time the day was over, around 9 pm, I was so full I had no idea what to write. So I talked about teaching. In this seminar, Panditji has been revealing more about his own personal practice in a very intimate and relevant manner. That’s what inspired yesterday’s blog. The little bits that he has shared with me/us over my short time with him have been inspiring and invaluable. Aside from the fact that he’s a Tantric master, the deepest teachings come through the space, the non-verbal, the “just being in the same room with him” type thing.” And even though sometimes he seems to be teaching the same thing over and over, there are always new potent kernels of wisdom, experience, truth, perspective, and techniques that are invaluable.

Like any great teacher, he is comfortable repeating information until his students “get it” enough and are ready to move to the next step. There is no hurry. Just support for the path of each of us.

So why call this blog “full and empty?” Because that’s how I feel. Last night I was so full, I could barely write, and even though I looked through my notes for all the places I jotted down stuff to expound upon (is that even correct word usage?) I found nothing. It’s as if I was so full, my notes were empty. I was so full and I was empty. My cognitive pipe was full, but my head was oddly empty.

This place of empty fullness or full emptiness is one of those amazing states where you are both of the opposites. And when both of the opposites are present, it’s not being about full or empty, it’s about being Whole.

And even though all this talk may sound really cool to some, in this moment I feel like I’m not coming close to expressing any kind of truth, as words are extremely limiting since they carry the weight of interpretation, which can lead to misinterpretation.

So remember, just when you think you know what someone is talking about, take a moment to feel what they are talking about. And listen to your gut. And here I am spinning off in every direction seeing all the ways that chunk can be misinterpreted. Moral of the story – I don’t have one. So I think it’s time to re-visit an earlier blog and follow my own advice – “When in doubt – shut up!” Cuz my writing pipe is full. And my breakfast pipe still has room in it. 

:-) hari om tat sat

To Teach or Not to Teach

Is that the question? Or is the question do I teach what I want to teach or teach what the students expect me to teach?

Often students are curious as to what our asana practice looks like. Some of us teachers have showpiece practices, stuff that is YouTube worthy and gets shared and shared amongst the yoga community. As well it should. It's awesome and inspiring to watch. And then there is the another end of the spectrum. Breathe prana through the body and go. Or use asana as a means to smooth out the pranic flow. Or there's the asana that's the "stand in line at the grocery store pose" or the "foldinglaundransana" - towel variation. So if the teacher has a really glamorous physical practice, of course the student wants to do what that teacher does. What a thrill to be able to do the teacher's practice!

When students ask me about my practice, I don't really talk about it. In my public classes, you get glimpses of concepts that I find interesting, universal and useful. You get glimpses of my journey and how my practice has evolved. You get just enough to hopefully inspire you to want to explore some concepts, poses, attitudes, points of view on your own both on and off the mat, and in the class I teach, as well as in the context of other classes. It's important to try on an idea and see if it works across the board. From yoga mat to boardroom, from another person's class, to cleaning the kitchen.

For the most part, I dilute nothing. On that rare occasion where I'm feeling a bit out of sorts while teaching (less that once a year), it might be because I feel conflict about class content/curriculum. (digging that alliteration? I know I am)(that i am)...  Sometimes I just want to give the methodology that will take a person from pain to less or even no pain, from struggle to ease, from doubt to joy. And sometimes that is not what the class would order off of a menu.

So as teachers, how do we walk that line? We stay true to the concepts we believe. We stay out of judgment. We trust the Wholeness. We have fun and remember our mission statement. We remember why we teach. And we don't dilute our truth, and incorporate it into poses that are useful and beneficial to the students. You can practically use the same poses, and with different themes, concepts, teaching points, make them seem fresh and new, not only for them, but for us, the teacher.

To teach. Yes. Not to teach. Impossible. For if we ever decide to leave the studio or the classroom, our mission, our dharma lives on. And if you dont think this applies to you because you aren't a teacher, guess again. We are all teachers. And again, I thank you for teaching me.

Snow

Snow
it's white
magical
interference
all of the above
yet i love it
not shoveled
but raw
Snow

It snowed today. Hope you enjoy the little snow-em around the number 5.

The "Now What" Factor

So you've been doing your practices, living your life. Life is no longer a burden. You are experiencing the effects of the awakening of kundalini shakti: vitality, agility, flexibility, strength, stamina, inspiration, enthusiasm, motivation, self-trust, self-confidence. But now what? What do we do with our lives when life is no longer a burden? When we have inner peace, contentment? When we want for nothing? When we "have it all?" What happens when we are no longer enticed or driven or motivated by desires?

Sometimes we try to desire more. More things, more projects, more of what got us to the place of peace in the first place. But we are putting off the inevitable. At some point we need to change our paradigm. The paradigm of what our life means. The paradigm of our priorities, projects.

Invest that prana shakti to remember that life is a gift. That what I've been given in this life is a gift.

Communication

Sitting in the Newark airport, the tv is blaring political campaigning. The newscaster was interviewing a dude who was speaking on behalf of one of the parties, and no matter what question she asked, he replied with the same answer. I think this is called "staying on message," which seems to mean, "don't listen, just keep repeating yourself." Or "pretend that she asked you the question you want to answer."

These are supposed to be experts, so what message are we sending? That the only point of view is our own and that it's a sign of weakness to let anyone else have a say? That we are weak if we change our minds (waffler! Flip-flopper!). That actual communication and listening leave us open and vulnerable to attack? Fear rules. So we act from fear.

I say it's a sign of courage to open up to other ways of thinking. To say, yes, I've found a way that works better for me. I think it's a sign of inner strength, and confidence to actually hear a question, and answer the question. To me, It seems weak to be afraid to answer a direct question directly. It stinks the stank of fear. And that stank, like a skunk, is hard to wash off.

Ever since advertisers discovered how powerful and motivating and manipulative fear is, and when entire administrations and platforms became based on how to scare people into voting for you, lest we be subject to and classified as "weak," political campaigning has become nothing more than who can who can beat the other in a stare down. Who will be the one to blink, to let in another point of view, to consider that the best answers may come from true teamwork, not a bunch of quid pro quo hidden agendas that are really not so hidden.

So if its about a playground game, like a stare down, or even more poetically put, "king of the hill," then maybe the candidates should just take it outside into the back alley and duke it out. On their own time and their own dime, and when they've learned to play nice, then they can run for president. Because it seems that no matter how much integrity a candidate has starting out, what wins elections is the back alley, fear and bully method, where the only thing that wins is who listens less and talks louder. And I know we've all been in enough arguments to know how well that works out. Does anything get solved or resolved?

That saddens the idealistic part of me. But I'm not afraid, because I know there is more to the story than politics.

Like Mother Nature. Or even bigger. Mother's Mother. So live with integrity. Dare to be fearless. Dare to find real confidence as opposed to posturing. Dare to listen. And maybe one day, we will become the "experts" and get to model that kind of attitude on tv. But will it sell? We know we've made it when it doesn't matter anymore.

And fear not. Ma has your back.

In the air

If you think about it, everything's up in the air. Will there be enough overhead space for my bag? It's up in the air. The only thing that is not up on the air, is our Self. Our Home. Our internal space. Our relationship to ourselves is not up in the air. It is what it is, whether you like it or not.

Upside, change happens.