Ron Swanson talks about government and Chuck E. Cheese

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Erin's 30-Day Yoga - Day 3

Truth be told, I wasn’t feeling very “yoga-y” this morning as I headed out the door to class. My husband and I had a “disagreement” early this morning and I needed to resolve my 5-year-old’s fashion crisis. Then, on my way to the studio, I found myself stuck behind a driver who was waiting for a formal written invitation to make his way onto Route 28 south. Not a good start to the day.

But then, as I entered the studio, I decided to clear my head, work on my breathing, and get what was coming to me: peace of mind and re-energized muscles.

I really paid attention to what the teacher had to say in class today – usually I’m just worried about losing my balance or fixing my pants. It’s amazing what life lessons can be gleaned in a 90-minute yoga class when you slow down and just listen:

Lesson No. 1: I Need To Quiet My Mind's “Observer”

My teacher explained today that everyone’s brain has an “Observer” – he’s a bastard, that observer. He clogs your brain with worry (Do my kids put too much pressure on themselves?) and garbage (I can’t forget to put the whites in the wash or no one will have clean underwear tomorrow!). Life will be easier if I simply learn to put the Observer in his place – the corner!

Lesson No. 2: When Things Are Crazy, Just Breathe

I tried Vinyasa yoga today for the first time – I liken it to speed dating. All the same moves and motives as regular yoga, just much faster! I questioned the teacher before class about whether she thought I could handle it. She simply replied, “If it gets crazy in there for you, just breathe.” Easier said than done, but certainly applicable to life outside the yoga studio -- I must keep this in mind!

Lesson No. 3: I'm Way More Flexible Than I Thought!

I can still do a backbend at age 41 ¾ -- yes, I’m still counting my age like my children. Much better than rounding up!

Namaste,

Erin

Day 2 - Erin's Yoga Challenge

Day 2

I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning and realized something: I could not get out of bed. Every muscle – big and small, known and unknown – ached tremendously.

My next thought brought a moment of panic: How am I going to yoga TODAY when I can’t get out of bed from my class YESTERDAY?

My last early morning revelation, thankfully, brought a moment of relief: Yes!!!!! I have a dentist appointment at 9 a.m. – the perfect excuse for not attending my morning yoga class. Despite the tooth scraping and gum pain that awaited me, Day 2 was looking better already – I could play hooky and I had written permission to do so!

I finally did resurrect myself out of bed -- granted, it was one body part at a time. And once I got moving, had some coffee and got the kids to school, I had recommitted to my 30-day quest. I grabbed two Advil, a Nalgene bottle full of ice-cold water, and signed up online for tomorrow’s 9 a.m. class.  Day 3; here I come!

Namaste,
Erin

ERIN ,HERE...IT"S ON, BABY!

As Deirdre has asked me to do here at Blend of the Day, for the next month I am going to share my self-imposed 30 days of yoga.  I have told everyone I encounter, from dear friends to strangers at Whole Foods, that I am doing this.  It's ON!  So strap on your yoga pants, and get your mind clear, because here we go!

Day 1:

I awoke this morning with the joy and anticipation of a child on Christmas morning: Today was Day 1 in my personal 30-day yoga challenge. (Actually, it's Day 2 but let's just pretend it's Day 1, as I had my epiphany about wanting to do a 30-day yoga challenge while having a yummy Cosmo (or two) with friends on Sunday night. I was in no shape for yoga on Monday morning).

Why commit to such a thing, you ask? Well, for me, it really comes down to three things: my knees, my butt and my disposition. My knees are really starting to bother me from running. My butt has expressed some serious dissatisfaction with being on a spin bike all winter. And my usually sunny outlook on life and my love for fellow man needs some re-tuning. Time to regroup -- for me, a personal 30-day yoga challenge is the way to go.

Day 1 -- I am happy to report that I didn’t fall over or pull a muscle. My friend Sandy and I were fully engaged for 89 of the 90-minute session. That is, however, until we were told, "Cross your right leg over our left knee and then grab your right foot with your left hand -- and then do the same with the right leg." Giggling, we looked at each and mouthed, "What?" "Like bicycle handlebars," said the teacher. "OHHHH!” Easy as criss-cross applesauce. Mission accomplished!

I had a skip in my step when I left the studio today -- I felt happy, lighter, cleansed. I was determined to feel this way for the rest of the day. Not even the ever-present, mile-high pallets clogging the aisles at Market Basket or the lovely sticky note from my husband stating the cat's litter box was nasty and needed attention would bring me down. Looing forward to Day 2!  (Unless something better comes along.)

Namaste,

Erin

De-Fund NPR?

There has been a lot of talk lately about de-funding National Public Radio, or, as all of the free world knows it, NPR.  This seems as foreign to some as de-funding McDonald's, or de-funding Grandma; many have listened to NPR forever, and can't imagine life in the car without it.

First thing: saying that you heard something on NPR makes you sound smart, and gives whatever you are saying both panache and credibility.  Let's try it:  first, say this sentence: "I heard that Jennifer Aniston has had some work done.  I read it in People."  Now, try this sentence: "I heard that our culture is slowly erasing our personal identities by molding our faces into younger, almost pre-Mayan images of our younger ids, egos, and super-egos.  Even popular icons like, say, Jennifer Aniston are going Mayan. (ironic chuckle.)"  See?  The second one is definitely smarter-sounding.

Here is my take:  as someone who has been involved in marketing for years, I first look at what something is titled, be it a book, a product, or a radio station.  This network is called "National Public Radio."  It is supposed to be for everyone, but we all have been in on the secret that it is a very liberal network.  (Just because you add Garrison Keillor to something doesn't make it folksy.)  The viewpoints are liberal, the guests are liberal, and certainly the staffing is liberal - right, Juan?

Like everything else we encounter these days - healthcare, fast food, Charlie Sheen - it just needs some modifying, not complete dismissal.  We are so eager - I'm talking to you, conservatives - to get rid of what irks us, or scares us, instead of working with it; crafting it into something infinitely better.  Make half the program available to more conservative viewpoints, and keep the other half the way it is - more liberal, very diverse, and truthfully, sometimes quite boring.  (But hey, that's just me.  There are probably many people who want to hear a half-hour on salmon runs.) 

One thing we can all agree on - Garrison Keillor.

Party Like It's 1999!

The President is in Rio de Janeiro while 1) Japan continues to suffer and reel, and 2) we attack Libya as part of a multi-national force to stop Ghadifi from inflicting pain on his own people, among other objectives.  (Note: while this seems noble when it is Obama's presidency that is ending human suffering, the Bush administration suffered slings and arrows when they dared to bring this up as a good by-product of going after Saddam Hussein in a WMD hunt.)  Anyhoo... the President's press secretary, in answering a correctly-put question about whether the President should be away during the Japanese crisis, bluntly said something to the effect that "let's be clear...this is a crisis in Japan - this is not a crisis in the U.S." (Paraphrasing.)

As a private citizen, and not the leader of the free world, if one of my best friends was suffering what would be the crisis of her life - gravely ill child, sudden spousal abandonment, death of extremely close family member - and I continued my trip to a workshop where, yeah, I might learn a few things, or improve my own workload, but on the whole could have re-scheduled and gone at another date,  I would be considered not only a bad friend, but possibly incapable of true loyalty at all.  And if I further related that to be completely honest, this tragedy had not happened to me, but to my friend, well...I might be viewed as extremely heartless, or possibly even dangerously obtuse to the world around me.

Japan...18,000 possibly dead in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.  Tragedy for a gentle nation and true friend.  They deserve better.

Vroom! Vroom!

You know, people sure are quick to get cranky.  Ths week I was driving down to Cape Cod when my muffler blew on my car.  I'm not sure what a muffler does, first of all, but I KNOW it muffles sound, because when it's not on, or working, or whatever, it gets really loud. Like, help-my-ears-are-bleeding loud.

It is interesting how loud noise affects people - everyone on the highway was very, very mad at me, without ever meeting me, hearing my voice, or understanding the particulars of my extremely noisy situation.  People would pass by and give me a sneer, or the hairy eyeball, or even the finger.  Do they think a lady in a somewhat nice car, dressed up in a blazer and blouse and cute earrings wanted a car with a sound like a descending hovercraft? (One exception; teens and kids loved it.  They gave me the thumbs-up and other signs of respect.)

At first, I ignored everyone in the lanes to my left and right.  Then, after the first hour, I was cranky and lost and partially deaf anyway, so I started waving back at the annoyed drivers.  Then, I started making very obvious happy gestures, like this is great!  Rock on!

In a lesson in behavioral sciences, it is funny what people do when presented with confidence - even if confidence is totally unwarranted.  People looked shocked at my happiness, then confused, and then they just - looked away.  That's right; look away, road snobs.  I am loud and I like it.  (Not really; I was miserable and my ears were ringing.  But it's fun to play with people on a long, loud drive to the cape.)

In closing - hug a muffler today; even if it means going under your car to do it.  They are the most under-appreciated part of your vehicle.

Japan, A Country Full of Sorrow

This speaks for itself. Please go to http://www.redcross.org/ to donate.

"Winter-World" - a Kevin Costner Production

A remarkable, amazing, totally unforseen thing happened just outside my window today, and I am still rubbing my head and wondering if it was all just a crazy dream, or if this really did happen: the birds came back.  I'm not kidding; they did!

I had assumed that here in New Engand, we were in never-ending winter.  I have gotten used to slipping on ice, looking for my snow boots, and ruminating on the color grey - which is what the sky always is, around here.

I had accepted my post-apocalyptic world, a world Kevin Costner could perhaps make a bad movie about - and also had accepted a life of big sweaters, by-now-grungy mittens, and loads of diet hot cocoa. (Note: what's the point of this product?)

And suddenly, my viewpoint was turned on it's axis - I saw a group of tiny birds, just like the ones in this picture, sitting and eating berries from one of my shrubs, a shrub that is grossly deformed from the snow that has covered it for months, and is now in the shape of a banana.  I knocked on the window excitedly, just to say hello.

They cocked their heads in that adorable, bird-like, warm-weather way, and then kept eating.  Not deterred, I gathered up the hem of my flannel "Little House on the Prairie" granny gown and flew to the front door, and then through it.  I ran to the shrub, meaning to hug the birds in a gesture of welcome and gratitude for their message of spring.

Note: birds do not like to be hugged.  At all.

Anyhoo - like the Who's down in Who-ville, I want to say: Welcome, Spring!  Ya-who-door-ay!  (Or whatever it is that those Who's are trying to say!)

Getting to the Core

In a world that is increasingly complex and on-edge, it is hard to maintain your center of balance; that core you draw from to respond to the events in your day as well as events around you.  How do you maintain that "core", that center, which actually determines how you relate to the world?

In our culture we have a lot of things that temporarily fill the anxiety that current times bring us as well as filling the holes - unfulfilled longings, disappointments, malaise or even just spiritual exhaustion - in our own lives.  Food, alcohol, reality TV, obsessive talk radio  - and even "healthy" pursuits like televison sports viewing and computer games sometimes mask our inability to actually take a deep breath and just do nothing; just be. This is how you build and strengthen that core; with the whisperiest, quietest of pursuits. Try it - close your eyes, lean your head back against your seat, and take three good, deep relaxing breaths and exhale.  Doesn't that feel foreign?  Peace of mind, soul and body is a task of self-care; it takes a small commitment from you, for you.

When I do this, I pray.  I take those things that live so deep - long-standing and short-lived concerns, longings, worries, or hopes - and I say to God, I can't carry all this; it's so heavy and my tank is empty.  Would you take them?  I will release them, because you know what?  They drag me down, and there is nothing I can do about these things.  And I know that you know what to do with them.

Others may just take a few minutes of quiet, or pray to their own sources of strength.  It is a little thing, literally taking just moments, but it has really made a difference in how I approach the day, and the happy focus that comes into each day because of this small practice.  It widens your mind and reminds you that you have a core, and that it is real, buried there deep inside you.  It is you.

Just breathe.  Three deep breaths, eyes closed, head back, mind emptied, or alternatively really focused on your source of strength in a trusting, open way.

Feel blessed; if you are here on earth then you already are!

ALERT: JAPAN WAS TRUE ALLY AFTER KATRINA

AS YOU KNOW BY NOW, A HUGE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI HAS HIT JAPAN, AND AFTERSHOCKS KEEP FLOWING.  But did you know: Japan was a true ally in assisting the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina both through their government, and in private citizen donations and corporate donations, sending a virtual "tsunami of assistance" to the victims of Katrina. We need to return this assistance during this crisis and help this suffering nation by taking a moment to visit www.redcross.org, or even easier, simply text REDCROSS to 90999 to send just $10 from your phone.  DO IT NOW!

The United States government has a webpage that details the Japanese contributions to Katrina aid. Here's part of what the page says:


15 September 2005

Japan Proves Truly "A Friend Indeed" After Hurricane Katrina
By Jane Morse

Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- If the saying "a friend in need is a friend indeed" is true, Japan is one of the best friends the United States ever could have to provide support while so many Americans are suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Japanese private citizens and the government alike have sent a virtual tsunami of assistance to the victims of Katrina, which devastated 90,000 square miles along the U.S. Gulf Coast in August. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and hundreds lost their lives.

Japan has pledged more than $1.5 million in private donations. The government of Japan has donated $200,000 in cash to the American Red Cross and some $800,000 in relief supplies -- from blankets to generators -- already are arriving to aid the most needy. Japanese firms with operations in the United States have donated some $12 million in total, including Honda Motor Corporation ($5 million), Hitachi ($1 million) and Nissan (more than $750,000).

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo was overwhelmed by the generosity of one Japanese individual -- Takashi Endo -- who donated $1 million from his personal funds to Katrina relief efforts. Endo said he was moved when, during a business trip to London, he saw a televised report about a mother separated from her children in the chaos of the flooding in New Orleans. The story so disturbed him he could not sleep that night; the next morning he resolved to do something to help.

Yuji Takahashi, president and chief executive officer of the Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Ltd., which has operations off the coast of Louisiana, donated $100,000 to U.S. federal government hurricane relief efforts. Takahashi said that when he learned of the destruction caused by the hurricane, he felt as if his own family had been affected.

Source(s):
http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-engli…