Chicago, Saturday in the Park

Livingston Saturday Night, Jimmy Buffett

And simply because I’m in a (rare) Buffett mood this morning:

What’s on your playlist this morning?

(Union Square, San Francisco, CA, April 2010)

Usually, the animals wake me between 5:30 and 6:30 to remind me that they are in need of food right now. Today, it was 6:05 AM. Instead of feeding everyone, keeping my eyes closed to keep the light out and surrendering to the call of my covers, I started the coffee pot and got busy. The first thing I did was strip the sheets off the bed, and with the help of Tommy the Cat, put on fresh sheets so that tonight, I will be rewarded after a long day with the sensual feel of freshly laundered Egyptian cotton.

I wish I could tell you why I was so inspired before the sun had actually risen. I have always been a morning person, true, but for the last few months, I wasn’t an early morning person. I think it’s a sign that the blues are beginning to leave me a bit. I’ve reconnected with some old friends and have made a few new web friends in the past couple of weeks. Talking with these amazing, strong, and inspirational women has helped me more than I can say. I finally wrote a column for All Things Girl after an 11-month absence. And I decided to not replace my fish.

I know that not replacing the fish that left while I was traveling may seem like something odd, but for me, it was a sign that the part of my life was over, and it was time to move on. See, the ex-boy insisted that I needed fish since they were shown to reduce blood pressure. Well, as my Cuban girlfriend, who was house-sitting for me when the fish expired put it: all they did were raise my blood pressure! (Believe me when I say that the story of their expiration is humorous…I must tell it to you soon).

Anyhoo.

Yesterday, I went through the arduous task of dismantling the 10-gallon tank, which went promptly to the curb. Then, I moved the cedar chest that was serving as a tank-stand into the spare room and out of my dining room. Later last night, my dear Cuban friend came back over and helped me further rearrange the furniture in the dining nook of my kitchen. Eliminating that bulky chest and the fish tank opened up this amazing space in there. We moved the China Cabinet and then pulled the leaf out of the kitchen table. WOW. Seriously. I never knew that those few things could make my kitchen/dining area so much more inviting. So, this morning, when I stumbled into the kitchen to feed the remaining creatures of The Menagerie, I felt as if I had the space to really breathe.

I know that Mondays come a bit too often for most of us, but today, Monday was a welcome day. A fresh start with an smorgasbord of opportunities. A day to be celebrated and embrace, instead of a day to hide myself back in the covers.

It’s a beautiful day out there. I hope you are able to find the blessings in your day. If not, maybe the lovely harmonies of The Mamas and the Papas will put your day on a better path. Love and Peace, baby!

You’ll find interviews with Joshilyn Jackson and Philip Anthony-Rodriquez. And so much more.

This lantern is found along the tidal basin and is lit during the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Teaser Tuesday

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Instead, there was Thibault. A cipher. A con man. Or much, much worse. Deals that didn’t happen. Relationships that didn’t exist. What kind of man did all that? What was it he had to hide?

and

How do you put away something that is as true to you as the beating of your own heart? how do you put the truth behind you?

Reckless, by Andrew Gross.

Want to know more about Andrew Gross? Check out the interview in All Things Girl. Want to know more about Reckless?  Listen to Andrew tell you about it:

Wow.

I took some time and read through some of the older postings.      I found a link to the first post I made for “World Without Weblogs” for World AIDS Day, organized by Brad of Brandlands who passed away this past year.  Hard to believe I’ve followed folks like Zeldman and Jim McCormick and Eric Brooks for almost 10 years.  Back then, there weren’t very many blogs and the blogging community was pretty small.   This was long before Twitter and Facebook.   We all “knew” each other.  Everyone supported each other’s writings and the ability to read so many personal stories was comforting and refreshing.

During the first three years of my blog, I met people like Lee and Melissa through my blog – people that have become some of my best friends.

I also found the logo from All Things Girl from 2004.  With the 10th Anniversary of ATG coming in August and a re-design scheduled for the September issue, it’s exciting to see the growth.

2004

Current Logo – Revealed Oct. 2007

New Logo – To begin with redesign Sept 2010

I hope you’ve had a good weekend.  And have a great week.  I’m traveling tomorrow….

San Francisco to Alameda, Bay Bridge, April 2010

Blind man playing music in the MUNI/BART entryway, San Francisco, CA, April 2010

Our bodies and our lives are forever changing. We are all energy that is continuously flowing. When we fight with our reality through non-acceptance, we are blocking the energetic flow of the universe.

This is why dieter’s get stuck in a negative cycle of gaining and losing. They continuously focus on what they don’t want – the weight. They are afraid that if they accept their wonderful bodies as they are now, it will never change. However, the opposite is true. If they will trust the divine intelligence of the universe and understand that very few things in life are permanent – including weight – then acceptance may come easier.

Permanence is rigid. It does not bend. It breaks easily. It is a block to creativity. This mindset stands between you and your ideal body. Think of things that we deem as permanent – death and, well, come to think of it, nothing in life is permanent, except maybe Sharpie’s.

When you believe in permanence, you lose. You believe things won’t change. And then you spend your time fighting with reality, and as Byron Katie says, “To argue with reality is to argue with God, and you only lose 100% of the time.”

But, acceptance….acceptance is love. It allows for transformation. It fuels positive energy. It flows. It puts you at peace with yourself, and peaceful people don’t stuff down their feelings with food, and if they do, they know that it isn’t permanent. The next moment is an opportunity to start over.

Self-acceptance causes you to be an ally with yourself, instead of your worst enemy. When our bodies and minds work together, amazing things happen. Acceptance means that you accept the now but you are also excited about what is to come, not afraid of what the future holds.

via Acceptance does NOT Equal Permanence « Just B Living.

This is one of the best things I’ve read all week.  I am certainly the queen at self-flagellation and in recent weeks I’ve realized that it has to stop.  I am a long believer in the fact that we are capable of stretching our spirits and polishing up our souls if we are willing.  But I wasn’t looking at all the wonderful things in my life and all the positive things I do, I was only looking at my failures.  It’s a horrid cycle to get into, and when you are there in the middle of it, you just can’t seem to find a way out.

I know that there is a way out, though.  And it isn’t going to be easy, but it’s doable.  And it isn’t going to be possible if I continue to criticize myself for anything negative; I have to accept things as they are and also accept that I have the power to change.

Christine Kane had advised creating a weekly “minimum habit requirement”:

4. Create an MHR.

MHR stands for “Minimum Habit Requirement.”

Instead of trying to change everything at once, pick one small new habit and make that your Minimum Habit Requirement each day. A 30-minute work out, for example.

Your MHR is the starting point of your newfound proactivity. The goal is to simply experience the creative energy of choosing a habit and sticking with it.

via Christine Kane’s How to Turn a Set-Back into a Come-back (Part Two)

My goal for this week was to get back into the gym at least twice this week.  Today was the third day this week that I’ve made it.   My body is sore, but a really good sore that reminds me that my muscles love to be worked and that my body really is more energetic when I move it.    The first day back, I was feeling really wonderful about being there until a group of stick-thin women headed into the Yoga area.  Then I gave myself a little talking to:  why would I beat myself up for having this curvy, wonderful body?   It isn’t perfect, but it’s something that can be worked until it’s in the best shape that it can be.    I don’t have the stick-thin body type and though I can lose a little around the middle, parts of me won’t decrease unless I have breast-reduction surgery.   I LIKE my curves – they are wonderful.  And being back in the gym will enhance that wonderfulness, make me feel more energetic, and continue to make me feel strong and healthy.

What about you?  Are you stuck in the cycle of only seeing your flaws?  Or are you striving to accept your reality as you make your life better?