No, I Don't Have A Plan. Thanks For Asking!

The deed has officially been done. Reset button hit on life. Quarter-life crisis successfully averted. Or maybe aided and abetted--I'm not sure which. All I know is that as my plane flew by the peaks of Mt. Hood on the descent into Portland, countless adventures were looming on the horizon, threatening to make Chapter 3 of this Little Girl's life experience one hell of a good time.

Taking Over, One Asana At A Time

I'm obsessed with the idea, I'll fully admit this! Ever since Bliss of Being alerted me to this ridiculous form of partner yoga, I've been showing this video to every friend and foe that's come through our home. All nine minutes and 39 seconds of it.



It's so freakin' cool that I can hardly stand it. So cool that I am pretty much bound and determined that I will be an acro-yoga efficienado within a year's time. Well. Maybe two.

This positive attitude looks past the fact that my yoga skills are intermediate and my flexibility could stand some MAJOR improvement. It forgets that I can't currently afford to attend the number of classes it would take to get to this level, and the reality that it requires a time commitment I would struggle to make.

But then I watch another video and that all goes out the window.

Sometimes it just feels good to say, "screw it", doesn't it? I get some sort of sick joy out of defying expectations (admittedly sometimes of my own making) and rising to a level above most people A) do not believe me capable of reaching and/or B) are too afraid to aspire to themselves. I don't know whether this is just a rebellious attitude with selfish motivation or that of an independent soul with a propensity to break the rules in order to reach greater heights. I hope the latter. I don't break rules to disappoint people I love, only to increase my own joy and understanding in and of the world. I guess the lesson to learn is that you have to disappoint others sometimes in order to avoid disappointing yourself. But you also have to trust that your strength, balance and flexibility as a human being will be all you need to get through it--that and maybe the corresponding capabilities of a trusted partner who is standing by to support your every move.

Acro-Yoga here I come!

Give Them An Inch And They'll take a Centimeter

photo credit: David Sanders/New York Times
My friend Rawbin on Twitter--wonderful, crazy lady--sent out the link to this video the other day. I had heard of this Buddhist couple earlier, but hadn't really taken the time to think much about their lifestyle, which involves spending their days as close to each other's consciousness as possible. In a physical sense, this involves their being within 15 feet of one another at all times. In a spiritual sense, they try to experience everything together, not just with each other, but as each other.

So this video, is about a New York couple that decides to try it for a day and finds that our modern and very individualistic habits don't mesh so well with the concept. We like to be in the driver's seat. We don't like to wait for others to catch up. We don't like to stop what we're doing so that our companions can accomplish a separate task.



I've talked before about the Me l I l Mine focus of our culture before and this is a classic example of how it's manifested itself, even in our most intimate relationships. When forced to live by another's schedule, it doesn't take long for one to become very frustrated--especially if you are lacking patience as a virtue, as I usually am! What I really like about the theory behind this practice is that it forces the participants to deal with issues right then and there, because there is no "time-out" or cool-off period. Anger or jealousy don't get bottled up inside. There's no chance for either to poison the body, mind or spirit. It's just a much more efficient way to work within a relationship. Even if you would never even entertain dreaming of trying this arrangement temporarily, much less permanently, that lesson alone is worth learning from these stories.

Too easy to be true?

photo credit: www.inhabitat.com

I absolutely LOVE creative people…those expressive souls who are constantly making you say, “Gosh, I wish I’d thought of that!”

Point in case: San Francisco’s reverse graffiti artists.

They took an art form, considered by a large majority of the public to be offensive, ugly and negative, and flipped it upside into a positive expression of cleanliness and progress.

Too freakin’ cool.




In other news, I have my first tomato on my porch plants!!! I was beginning to wonder if they would ever start popping up, but when I went out to check on them after the monsoon on Saturday, lo and behold, a single green marble of veggie goodness had appeared! Of course I dashed into the house for my camera to document the event (lest any of you be skeptical of my gardening prowess). See photo for proof that I do NOT have the black thumb of death!!! I can’t tell you how exciting it will be to eat that first tomato that I grew, or rather didn’t kill—I don’t exactly have the best track record with keeping plants alive.I have a much better track record with rocking a party until it shuts down and I lived up to my reputation this weekend. Friday night, I drove out to Miss Sophia’s place for Charlotte’s raw food uncookbook club and five course meal.









Photo Credit: www.vikterduplaix.com
After a delicious sampling of raw delights—carrot ginger soup, pina coladas, tacos, almond cherry tart and a lovely salad with pears and spiced pumpkin seeds—Sophie and I were off to dance the night away to the musical genius of Vikter Duplaix. This dude is a serious mastermind of sound and rhythm. He sings, song writes, produces and spins. A renaissance man—my kind of guy!

So Sophie and I burned off A LOT of calories at Loft 1523, ripping it up with the rest of the crowd, but we couldn’t resist hitting the after party at Hom from 2-4am. That raw food goodness will keep you going long into the night baby! So we popped in to catch Mark Farina’s last set upstairs and then rushed downstairs when we heard Vikter was taking over the tables below. Two more glorious hours of his hot eclectic groove and our feet were killing, but our souls were uplifted. You know what they say, “No pain, No Gain!”

You’ve got to check out Monsieur Duplaix if you get the chance. I’m a bit obsessed with his sound at the moment. Went home and downloaded everything I could find and have been playing it non-stop (well, I had to take a six-hour break for my favorite flick, A&E’s Pride & Prejudice, but you get the picture) around the house all weekend. I guess when something gets into your system, you’ve just got to let it take its course and give into the groove.

The weekend closed out with another Monsoon that closed down Charlotte Symphony’s Pops in the Park event. We got about two hours of music in at the South Park Outdoor Amphitheater before the impending clouds settled over us and began to dump their contents onto the crowd. We made it to the car just in time to avoid getting completely drenched and shuttled home for some well earned shut eye and the start of a new week.

There are times when you look around and experience moments of profound happiness and this weekend was rife with them. I simply enjoyed everything life gave to me over the past three days and I’ve got to say that the feeling of joy is such an energizer! I woke this morning feeling refreshed and renewed despite the fact that my sleep count was severely lacking, my allergies were acting up and the clouds had taken over my clear blue Southern skies. So get out there people! Do what you love! Do what gets into your system and let it take hold of you—mind, body and soul! That’s the secret to finding happiness right there. It’s almost too easy to be true.

Another Giant Leap For Mankind...

One of the big things that separates human beings from other forms of life (other than obvious physical features such as opposing thumbs and gigantor brains) is our capacity to hope, dream and aspire to greatness. This ability is SUCH a gift. It is really awesome when you think about it. Whatever we can imagine, we can aspire to. And we do. We get it done, for better or for worse.

Today, I'd rather not dwell on getting it done to the detriment of society. We see enough of that in the news. You can check out any of the front pages if you need a heady dose of reality on this lovely Monday. Personally, I need some Life, Liberty and Pursuit in my world. So today my focus is on a community that is getting it done for the better. When their city was completely leveled in the physical/tangible sense by an EF5 (i.e. RIDICULOUS) tornado on May 4, 2007, the citizens of Greensburg, Kansas were crushed. But not for long. Soon, they realized a monumental opportunity lay before them--they could rebuild their city and they could do it using the greenest technology available; they would show the world that the heartland of rural America is ready for sustainable living in every sense of that concept.

Even Leonardo DiCaprio, a Hollywood Champion of sustainable culture, realized how incredibly meaningful this project and this community can be to pushing mainstream America Green. He's producing a documentary series on the transformation on the Discovery Channel/Planet Green, because the word HAS to get out about this. I totally feel his excitement! I mean, think about it!!! The ENTIRE city is going to be LEED PLATNIUM CERTIFIED. Yes that's right, I said PLAT-TI-NIUM. God I love me some Greeny Bling Bling.

I feel at a loss for the right words to explain just how huge I think this is. I have butterflies fluttering around my stomach writing this!!! Such a courageous and pioneering effort; one that will hopefully go down in history as a step akin to the giant leap for mankind we took when landing on the moon. That might seem a bit overblown to some, but just wrap your mind around the fact that this is mainstream, normal, conservative, rural America seeing and acting on the big picture in a way most of us can't even fathom.

And if they get it, so can everybody else. That's why the step is so huge. Walking on the moon was a magnificent feat and proved what humanity CAN do when we sink our effort into something. This step shows what humanity WILL do with all of our power and knowledge.



America was built around the premise of choice. And boy do are we facing a doozey of a decision! Will we save the planet we marvel at from space? Or will we squander it?

Greensburg's vote is in. How will you cast yours?

Pot Calling Kettle Black--But In a Most Humorous way!!!

Disclaimer: Watch with an open mind. This is a piece of modern satire and invokes a needed discussion on the hypocrisy (not to mention impracticality) that is the current American political climate. My personal statement is that I think it unfairly sticks it to one party in particular. I believe that the entire political environment on BOTH sides of the isle could use some shaping up, seeing as many of the issues brought up in this little video span back into the last presidency (and beyond) as well. However--It's still hilarious and ridiculousy witty! Enjoy!

Follow Your Own Path--Even If You Cannot Do It Perfectly

photo credit: Lyn Sims
OK, I know I'm posting out the whazoo this weekend, but I came across this while researching bikram yoga (Yoga done in a very hot environment--our room today was 95 degrees Fahrenheit). It really struck me.

"The roots of Vedanta philosophy ask us to believe in ourselves and believe in God. Karma yoga, the yoga of action, is knowing your gift and using it. No one can force you to do what's not for you. In the Bhagvad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna,
'It is better to follow your own calling imperfectly than follow another's perfectly. If death should come while following your own path, this is surely better than living with the fear and anguish of following a false path.' (3:35) When we're forced to do something that is against our own nature, our soul is unhappy, there is no peace. When the soul is unhappy, pain begins to trouble the body as well. Rather than change your ways to conform with the world, you must eventually find a way to express your truth from your heart regardless of the world.

What makes your soul happy? What is your goal? Since the rest of the world doesn't care what your soul wants, it is up to you to find out."

(from http://www.bikramyoga.com/)

This is the most relevant thing I've heard with regards to what I am going through at this very moment.

I feel so very blessed to have found this passage--and a new way of looking at the situation.