Peaceful Daily Blog

An Obituary to live by

Walking on the dark side, turning into the sharp corners that cut away at the me I clung to

 

I saw the other roads wrought with wondering marauders; they called to me and I answered. They spoke to me and I felt called but my feet pointed away.

 

I fell often scrapping my knees and taking others with me but accompaniment didn’t soften the fall.

 

Finally, as if I what I thought mattered, my mind churned thoughts into a deep abyss. Not knowing if I would return I swam through the fog of my heart, cried to my soul and begged for a god that did not show herself.

 

I visioned, I sweat, I danced, I prayed and finally peace became me and I died a complete death.

 

There is no heaven for those who die between ought to and should

When I got to will you –there was only a knowing that they will come and they did.

 

I heard them cheer within. I saw the path they had cleared free of pebbles or prickles.

 

Like the ground of a Zen garden just raked. My soul was grooved and ready.

The sharp corners remained but I was anew with agility of a soulful creature.

 

I made mistakes, I had regrets; I gave love and received it well.

I bowed when you applauded and cried when you didn’t but I was never, ever alone when by myself.

 

I honored the quadruped, the bipeds, the creepy crawlers, the winged one and those that swim.

We communed often. I listened often. I was humbled by them more often.

I pray I respected them well. 

I hope I made it easier for someone or something.

 

I practiced compassion; practiced it again. Trying to learn something of Buddha and leave something he’d taught to me.

 

I was impaled by the death of others and held together by their memories and good friends.

 

My elders taught me until I had to teach myself.

I talked with God; she gave me my papers.

 

I spoke of evolution and some threw stones so I built a home.

Walked inside and they’re you all were.

 

In the last years we laughed so hard we snorted.

We drank tea; sometimes with whiskey.

We said goodbye to those who moved on.

We held each other dear.

We shared our wisdom with each other and with youth who didn’t care.

We changed our world –and others too.

We loved.

We argued

We ate like wolves.

We slept like teenagers and sometimes with an old fart.

 

Life only got as good as we let it be

It was so much better because of you, (thank you)

 

We became free in the arms of one another

I still smile as I reflect the joy we had, the times we used well and deep dish life that was ours.

I’m here now; in another way.

Wash rinse repeat

It was all too good not to return.

 

p.s. each chocolate

 

Process

How many times have we heard, "it's a process"?  Usually it means that we should be practicing some modicum of patience --a quality possessed by few.  And that includes me.
 
However, once we settle in with the notion that things take time and nurturing, we get in the groove.  And so it goes with our bodies if we can begin to think of them as processes and not just structures.
 
Research shows that we essentially get a new bod every 7 years because all of our cells turnover and regenerate.  Now that's a process --a miracle if you ask me.
 
See if you can't begin applying this process to your health and wellness and "I want a leaner body" goals.   Sometimes getting in shape feels methodical, boring and uninspired.  But then one day you wake up and fit in your skinny jeans, your blood pressure is down and you're smiling because the process is working.
 
Go at your own pace.  Nurture.  Process.

Peace,

Joan

Ode to Cheese

There is a food

That brightens my mood.

It fills me warmth and ease.

It is sharp or mild

Enjoyed by adult or child.

Yes, I am talking of cheese!

 

Melted and gooey

Sometimes a little puey

But always a party in my tummy

Be it cheddar or Brie

It makes me happy

Because it is so freaking yummy.

 

If I coulda

I would eat that Gouda

Everyday without a miss

Warm mozzarella

On a grilled portabella

Everything goes with Swiss

 

Aged or new

It goes well with wine too!

So a little ode to heavenly cheese

This simple pleasure

Is hard to measure

But has me saying thank you and please.

 

I am so over tired and I love me some cheese!

 

Namaste,

Krissy

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Thyme

It isn’t really summer yet, despite what the calendar says. On these rainy nights I like to see something warm and golden on my table.  This soup takes less than forty-five minutes from pot to bowl and has a rich sweetness to it.  The apple makes the soup stand up a little straighter!  Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

One tablespoon of canola oil
One diced carrot  
One stalk of diced celery
One small diced onion
One medium sized cubed butternut squash
One teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (three or four sprigs)
Six cups of your preferred vegetable broth
One cup of apple sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a soup pot and add the canola oil to warm. Add the carrot, celery, thyme and onion and cook on low heat until they have softened a bit, barely taking on color, which should be less than five minutes. Add the butternut squash, stirring to combine. Pour in the vegetable broth, seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste. 

It will take about 30 minutes for the squash to cook. Sticking a piece of the squash with a knife should show a tender slice. I like to cook at a simmer and not a hard boil during cooking time. I use a blender to smooth the soup, but you can use an immersion blender to keep it in the pot.  Add the cup of applesauce and stir. 

We have a local bakery that makes olive bread, which lends the perfect amount of salty to sweet here.  You can make your own croutons or simply add a bit of cubed green apple to the top of the soup with a bit of grated cheese.  The smell is rich and sweet and the taste is simply delicious.

Peace,

Elizabeth

 

The End of Second Grade

I had one of those existential moments.  My daughter just finished her last day of second grade.  As I was about to pick her up, I glanced over at the middle school and saw  eighth graders celebrating their graduation and their newfound high school status.  This is all going by so fast.

 

I remember the tears that filled my eyes as I dropped her off at kindergarten, which seemed to be only yesterday.  My baby, who I could hold and spend every waking moment with, was venturing out into the world to have her own experiences.  Experiences she would tell me about, but they were truly just hers-separate from me. 

 

Of course I want her to grow into a happy self-reliant confident young woman, but at the same time when she does that it feels like it diminishes who I am.  In reality, it only diminished whom I have identified with.  For so long I have wrapped my self worth into the growth of this amazing little spirit.

 

It is funny though.  In the midst of motherhood, it seems as if you will never finish cleaning up someone else’s poop.  It seems as if you will never see a movie that is not animated.  It seems that you will never be able to eat your own dinner while it is hot.  But then you pick up  her favorite wobbie toy that she needs so desperately all the time and as you hand it to her to be the hero of the day, she tells you that she doesn’t need it any more because it is for babies.

 

I always heard that children grow up in a blink of an eye.  But I guess what surprised me was  how incredibly long some of the days could be and yet the years so short.

 

The end of a school year really brings that home for me…the bitter sweetness of it.  Summer is great, carefree, and awesomely fun.  I embrace it but with the knowledge that one more year is tucked away in our memories.  That one more grand accomplishment has been made.  One more step to independence has been mastered. 

 

Growing up and change can be hard, for the both of us.  Remembering that with this change and growth is brought new and wondrous possibilities is my current coping mantra.

 

The Buddha said,

 

This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds.

To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of dance.

A lifetime is like a flash of lightening in the sky,

Rushing by like a torrent down a steep mountain.

 

Indeed, how fast and how ever evolving:  A collection of moments that create a lifetime. 

 

Namaste,

Krissy

The Borrowers

We just returned from our bimonthly trip to our beloved local library. There is such a wonderful sense of satisfaction mingled with joyous anticipation and immense gratitude as we leave the check-out desk laden with pounds of library materials. On this particular trip, our tote is brimming with documentaries on electricity and bees, several books on tape to enjoy during our numerous errands, biographies about Helen Keller and Ben Franklin, and the requisite stack of Hardy Boys books. Regular library trips have become indispensable since I began homeschooling my children some years ago, but libraries have always played an important role throughout my life. 

As children, my mom would take us to the library each sunday.  Upon arrival, we would each saunter off to our respective sections and peruse subjects for what seemed like hours. As we got older, the school library eventually replaced these public library outings. In college, the library took on a more pragmatic role--no longer was it used for the simple purpose of enjoyment, but for required research or a quiet place in which to study or write. Eventually I stopped going to the library all together and when I wanted to read a book, I simply purchased one. I didn’t think twice about purchasing magazines either, and subscribed to dozens over the years.

Sometime during this period of my life, I was walking with a friend of mine. She needed to drop off some library materials, so we decided to swing by the return bin. I watched admiringly as she returned numerous magazines and books. I  asked her if she ever bought books or magazines. She seemed surprised by my question and pointed out that there was really no reason to buy most books, especially magazines, when one could borrow them for free. I was surprised that it no longer occurred to me to go to the library before going to the book store. Sometime later I was walking with yet another friend who needed to return library materials. I watched admiringly as she placed movies and music CDs into the return bin. I was surprised that it had never occurred to me to borrow music and movies from the library.  

My library flame was rekindled. I let my magazine subscriptions expire and I gradually phased out the purchasing of books. I began checking out music and movies in addition to books and magazines. I could take chances with my selections--if they were not to my taste, I simply returned them and tried again---for free. I was in heaven. I went regularly and loved it. Every now and then I came across a book or a music CD that was a keeper, one that I wanted to own. For these special items, I attempted to buy them used first before buying new.

Valuable resources are used to manufacture, transport, and curate books---resources far beyond the obvious vast quantities of paper used to make them. Borrowing not only circumvents this process, it also reduces the sheer amount of stuff in the world, stuff that will eventually make its way to a landfill. 

Besides, the more stuff one has, the more stuff one has to manage.  I would rather spend my precious time doing something more soulful...like reading a borrowed book for example.

Peace,

Annie

Be Kind to the Sub...

Remember how, as schoolchildren, we delighted in tormenting the unfortunate soul who filled in for our regular teacher? From the moment it was known that a substitute would be in class, the energy level of the room revved up exponentially. Throughout the course of the day, paper airplanes whizzed through the air, countless whispered conversations hissed among the students and even more obnoxious acts of defiance took place; changing seats, for example, and pretending to be another student. Another swell trick was pretending that no homework was given, even though the lesson plan said differently. In the end, the class was unified in its malevolence and the poor sub was the lightning rod for these shenanigans.

 

I cannot say that we, as adult yoga practitioners, inflict the same suffering upon substitute for our public yogasana classes. There is, however, the sad reality that many of the “regular” participants in a given class will not attend when a sub is announced, or they will turn tail and leave the studio when they see that an unannounced sub will be leading the class.

 

For certain, I have my favorite teachers and make plans to attend a class specifically to practice with that person. As I look back on my years of attending classes, I realize that taking classes from a sub has been a great experience for me. If nothing more, the presence of a teacher who is (at least partially) unknown to you forces you to have “beginner’s mind:” you listen more carefully to instructions and watch the demonstrations with greater attention to detail. I have also noted that a sub may phrase something sticks in your head merely because it was said in a different way: the person is more prosaic or poetic, uses different metaphor or simile, employs unique descriptions or possibly takes a different approach to a well-known concept. Although the experience will seem odd at first and maybe even as you leave, there will be things that stay with you that your regular teacher may not always highlight. Perhaps there will be specific poses in the sequence that the sub utilizes which are not part of the usual program for the class.

 

This whole concept of the sub came to mind when I was reflecting upon classes I have taken since movingto Colorado. Overall, the teachers I have enjoyed the most and have learned the most from have been the substitutes, not the regularly scheduled instructors! In fact, a woman who has become a frequent fill-in for a local studio now ranks as one of my all-time favorite teachers! Sadly for our community, she is leaving the country soon for an unspecified duration. While she hopes to return next summer for a stretch as a guest teacher, we will miss her brilliance, wisdom and warmth of spirit. Thank you Paula!

 

Be receptive to those non-scheduled instructors; I have been in that situation and have really appreciated the participation and support of the regular attendees. And who knows: you may just find a great teacher who you otherwise would have never met!

 

Peace!

 

Trent

 

Dash the Diet

I know that summertime brings up lots of body issues because we're wearing less clothes.  Here's my suggestion:  let go of this diet business and put your attention on your health rather than skinnying it down to get into a bathing suit. 

We inherently know what we need to eat to be healthy, strong and lean.  Stop worrying about giving up what we've labeled "bad foods" and start adding more of the good stuff in --things like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins. Be patient and tune in to hunger, satisfaction and emotions. 

Peace,

Joan

DREAM ON...

Experience the improvement/solution/change that you want in your body in your mind before you can actually see it in your life.  In other words, imagine what it feels like to be healthy, have abundant self esteem, be naturally thin, have toned arms, be proud of the way you look… before it actually shows up. I know this may feel silly in the beginning but keep doing  it.  The old body will follow through.

Peace, 

Joan 

Top Five Good things about rain.

It has been raining non-stop here in the Northeast for about two weeks.  All I hear in the grocery lanes and school pick up lines is about the poopy weather.  I was just about to succumb and start complaining myself, but decided to think of the top five good things about constant rain.  So, here they are:

5. I have a good excuse not to go for a morning run.

4.  Mushrooms will fill my yard and all the smurfs will have a place to visit.

3.  I just bought another week before "swimsuit" season.

2.  running mascara gives me that edgy goth look I always wanted to try.

 ...and the number one good thing about rain is...

1. a good reason for the family to stay in tonight and hang out together.

Namaste,

Krissy