Finally Friday Week 12: Seeing the Silver Lining

My husband Yoon at the summit of Haleakala, Maui

"I'm choosing to see the silver lining. Every single moment and life event we are faced with has one, even if it doesn't seem like it."—Katherine Jenkins
 Lately, after a long period of smooth sailing, some storms and waves have been on the horizon. They have not only affected me, but those around me as well.

I wonder how and why these things come and how they have become so predominant lately. In the midst of a crisis or bad news, it's hard to see the silver lining, but what I've discovered is that life goes on.

Today, on a walk through the beautiful woods near our house, I asked my husband what he thought about the recent string of events—an earthquake, a fire in a friend's home, my own ruptured right eardrum. These things happened fast and out of the blue. One day I was walking along with a friend and the next day I could not hear. It seemed like things were exploding all around, in one way or another.

"It's nothing personal," my husband said, "Things come and go, are born and die, it has nothing to do with anyone or anything. Just the world balancing itself out."

We walked along for a while in silence. The new green leaves on the trees were so vibrant. The leafy branches seemed to almost reach out and touch us. They were pulsing with new life. Birds fluttered around us. Life was happening all around, but right below the vibrant green, swept close to the roots of these new shoots, were brown leaves from last year. They were barely noticeable and blended into the background.

I felt my own life pulse through my veins. I felt my feet in my shoes and the sun on my face. I felt my legs move on their own—strong and steady. I also felt the static of my right ear that weeks before could hear distinct birdcalls from distant paths in the forest. If I strained a bit, I could still hear those sounds. They were not so distinct, but they were there.

"Not all is lost," I told myself, "Look at all this beauty!" And in that moment I feel gratitude for all that I could see. My husband reached out to massage my neck. The warmth of his hands on my skin made me also feel gratitude for having him in my life.

Our lives may not be perfect, but this moment is just fine as it is. "This moment, this moment, this moment," became my mantra as I walked through the forest.

Recent events have caused me to stop, slow down and witness life. I feel humbled by all that is around me. Things I see everyday have become miraculous. I often wonder if life explodes or shakes or erupts to get us to sit up and notice its still there—to make us realize how amazing it is.

I've been blessed with silver linings these days. How lucky I am to get to experience this life.

Do you often see the silver lining in unfortunate situations or events?

365 Inspirations—328: Loving the Life You Have

Photo of the Road to Kalani on the Big Island

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."—John Lennon

The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? We are always looking over the neighbor's fence to see what's happening over there. I don't know what it is with us human beings.

I'm not saying I'm free from this thinking. I fall into this too, but there's something to be said for loving the life you have RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW and it's something I'm going to look at more closely.

Since returning from the Big Island, I've dreamt about living there. Not to say it won't happen, but I'm HERE now. I'm here in Seattle and the last four days have been absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Blue skies and not a day of rain or clouds. When it's beautiful in Seattle, it's absolutely GORGEOUS.

For the last four days, I've gone outside and walked. I've walked around Greenlake three times (since Wednesday) and I went on a loooong walk at Discovery Park on Saturday with my husband. We sat on the beach and did SUN meditation.

Sometimes, when I'm walking around Greenlake, I can't help but notice the infinite number of baby strollers. Moms and babies are everywhere. They are taking over the place. My husband Yoon loves to look at babies. Their freshness makes him smile. They make me smile too. When I look at little kids, I sometimes wonder why I didn't choose to have them.

I saw a cartoon the other day of a woman who had reached her late 40s. It said, "Oops, I forgot to have kids!" It made me laugh. I haven't forgotten to have children, I actually chose not to have them loooong ago. I love children, but I didn't feel the need to ever have my own.

Now that I'm in my mid-40s and that window is closing for me, I think of what I might have missed out on. Funny how I never thought about it in my 20s or 30s or even early 40s, but when the door of opportunity begins to close, I start thinking of what that might have looked like.

To tell you truthfully, I feel like a very OLD soul. I think I may have had children in countless lives. Perhaps, in a parallel universe, I'm the woman with the stroller somewhere.

Still, I'm so happy and grateful for my life the way it is. Sometimes I feel overwhelming gratitude that is so full it starts to bubble over—I can hardly contain all the blessings I feel I have right now in my life.

I've had the opportunity to travel with my husband doing what I love and sharing my gifts with others. We have started leading workshops and retreats all over the place. This year alone we've been to Las Vegas, Utah, The Big Island twice (once for a yoga retreat we led and once for the Hawaii Yoga Festival where I was a writer-in-residence), Peru for an international yoga retreat and Sedona for a yoga retreat. I met and spent time with so many wonderful people at these retreats and I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything in the world. They have expanded my horizons and made me want to expand and share more.

I'm currently putting together a new website about our yoga/writing retreats and will be leading another yoga/writing retreat in January at the Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island called Setting Intentions:  An Intuitive Writing, Collaging and Yoga Retreat. (More soon about that!)

I teach ESL at a community college and I like my students and co-workers. My schedule is very flexible and gives me an opportunity to travel during the breaks between quarters for our retreats. My husband recently moved his business to our house and it gives him a bit more flexibility too.

We get to take walks together in the afternoon while people are working. We dream and scheme about our lives. We enjoy each others company and both LOVE sharing with others. Both of us are social and love being in settings where we have an opportunity to be in community. Being at Kalani on the Big Island at the Hawaii Yoga Festival was an idyllic experience for us both. It was a dream come true.

With all these blessings, I still find myself looking over the fence on occasion. Isn't that funny?

But recently, I've felt the need to really embrace these blessings in my life. I want to really make use of my life as a service to others. I want to write and continue to teach. I have a new book in the works. I have a lot on my plate that I want to share. I want to fully become who I am WHERE I AM!

I want to embrace my life as it is fully. I want to count every single blessing.

For most people, life is a series of choices. We choose to go this way or that way. Whatever door we decide to open—be it marriage, parenthood, a new career, life in a new place or state—another door or series of doors close. We can't DO and BE everything. We can try, but we might be painting ourselves very thin.

I love this life I have right now. I'm happy I can say it. Life may change and take new twists and turns, but that's part of the excitement. I don't want to look over the fence, I want to be here RIGHT NOW.

Right now I'm in my WRITING ROOM writing this blog post. It's my favorite place. It's surrounded by all of the things I love. It contains my vision board, inspirational quotes and books, memorabilia of places I've visited, scraps and notes on a new book I'm researching. It's the place where I get to be me. It's where I've written 328 inspirational posts this year!

Do you love the life you have or do you sometimes look over the fence or wish you had a different life?

365 Inspirations—160: A Weekend Wedding in the Countryside

Flower bouquets we arranged for wedding!

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”—Maya Angelou 

I was gone all weekend for a wedding out in Washington State's beautiful Methow Valley. Even though it's the busiest time of the quarter at school AND I had to pre-schedule a few blog posts, I was not about to miss this beautiful union of two dear friends.

While the ceremony out in a lush green field with beautiful surrounding hills was definitely the highlight, there were so many other wonderful things about the weekend.

Sometimes I think it's very easy to get caught up in our own little worlds and forget that there is a much bigger world out there. I'm grateful for the fact that my friends invited me to leave my little world behind and take part in something very beautiful.

To get to the venue, we had to drive through the Cascade Mountains. It was breathtaking. Every twist and turn in the road offered more phenomenal views.

With each mile we drove, I felt the stress of my busy life in Seattle melting away. I was meant to be at this weekend wedding and I was meant to leave my computer, technology and everything work related behind.

When we got to the venue where we'd be spending the weekend, I already felt instantly rejuvenated. We arrived just in time for the rehearsal dinner and caught up with good friends. Later that evening, I spent time in a wood-burning cedar sauna and, after a nice warm shower, enjoyed a starlit walk to my room. I've never seen so many stars!

The next morning, we ate breakfast and headed to the fields. Several of us were in charge of arranging flower bouquets for the wedding. We went out to our friend's property and picked three huge buckets full of yarrow. Then, we delivered the flowers to another house where we assembled them into beautiful bouquets of flowers which were gathered from various friends' and neighbors' houses. After a brief flower arranging lesson, we got to work.

 It was such a memorable experience and one I will truly treasure. What a joy to see so many people coming together to help out in this beautiful country wedding.

I wish my two friends a beautiful life out on the farm. They've now got me contemplating the country life. They made me see how beautiful it is to participate and be part of a community. I'll never forget the weekend. It was so full of joy and love!

Have you ever participated in a wedding or community event that was memorable?

365 Inspirations—139: Feeling Blessed

Our view of Puget Sound this evening

“Gratitude bestows reverence.....changing forever how we experience life and the world.”—John Milton 


My husband and I often house sit down on Puget Sound for 4 lovely cats. We feel lucky to spend time with them and blessed to be in this place. Tonight we ate dinner in the dining room and this was our view. I made a tossed salad and baked a fish and we ate very slowly staring off in the distance at all the ships passing by as the sun slowly set. We cleaned up the dishes and went for a lovely stroll around the neighborhood.

Last night my husband took me to a concert in Seattle. He took me to see Snatnam Kaur. It was an Indian kirtan-style concert. Snatnam's voice is so beautiful and the tabla and guitar player were out of this world. You could not help but feel blessed just hearing the sounds.

At Snatnam Kaur Concert

I think every single moment of our lives is so important and I'm trying to remember to stop and feel appreciation for the wonderful things that are already in my life.

It's easy, in the hustle and bustle of life, to forget to really to be fully present to what is right in front of us.

There's always something more that we are waiting for.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that if you make this moment an important one and make it count, all the other moments will follow suit and that will become your life. Make this moment really good!

Did you make your moments count today? Are you making them count right now?

365 Inspirations—72: A Dozen Red Roses

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."—Henry Ward Beecher 

Today I received an unexpected surprise which made my entire day worth it.

I sat down at 12:30pm and only left my chair about three times in 6 hours. I was checking a monster test for my class that was at 7:30pm tonight. There was no stopping other than to eat and use the bathroom. I had to get the whole thing done.

During test time, all other things fall by the wayside. Bill paying, responding to e-mails and texts, cleaning house, laundry, errands, promises—these are all on hold until I can get through the quarter. I apologize to anyone I haven't gotten back to.

I'm surprised I made it to my blog tonight. I was also surprised when my students presented me with twelve beautiful, long-stemmed, red roses. It was completely unexpected, but it made my entire night.

It had been a long, tedious day and I was a bit dizzy when I got to class. I had to hand back tests and let students know whether or not they passed the class. It wasn't the best party atmosphere, but my students were so kind.

Some of them brought homemade food and snacks. Even though there is still so much work to do until I'm really done, we were able to enjoy a little bit.

This particular class was so big, it was hard for me to give students individual attention during the quarter. I did have a great volunteer named Tony in my class which made it easier for me to get to everyone.

So after I handed out all the tests and did a bit of paperwork with the students, I finally got to sit down and chat with students individually and take a few photos.

As I was driving home, my entire car smelled of roses. It was a sweet, fresh smell and it made me very happy. It doesn't take much to make my day, but my students really took me by surprise today. I really appreciate their thoughtfulness.

Thank you so much!

Have you ever received a surprise or gift from someone that took you by surprise? Have you ever given a surprise or gift that took someone else by surprise?

365 Inspirations—51: Free Book, Letter and Gift Giveaway

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."—Lao Tzu 

I'm feeling rather generous today. I don't know what that's all about. Many of you have commented here that you've already read my book. Some of you have left comments and those mean so much to me. I've decided to give a free book away today along with a personal letter and gift. I don't know what the gift will be yet.

If you've already read my book, Lessons from the Monk I Married, it's a wonderful gift to giveaway to friends or family, so don't pass up entering in on this.

Recently I've received THREE books in the mail from two different authors. It is such a wonderful feeling to receive signed books, letters or gifts in the mail. So much is online these days, that we don't take time to send things by post anymore. That makes it all the more exciting to receive a gift or package in the mail!

I guess I've recently been the recipient of so much generosity, I feel I'd like to also offer something to my readers here.

If you are interested in this giveaway, please just leave a comment in the comment section mentioning that you'd like to be part of the giveaway and please join my blog community on either Facebook, Blogger or Networked Blogs, or all three!

Also, since I'm doing 365 days of Inspirations for 2013, I'd love it if you would let me know of an inspiration—a person, place or thing—that you'd be interested in reading about on this blog.

I often do guest posts and interviews, so if you'd like to do an exchange with me or know someone I might interview for my inspirations, I'd love to hear about it.

Oh! and I'd love it if you'd share my free giveaway on your blog too as there may be some other people who might want to join in. I will randomly pick a name from the comment section of this blog on March 15, 2013. That person will receive these gifts from me. Thanks for reading and being here and now a few questions for YOU!

Special note: Kirsty is the winner of my giveaway! You can read about it here.

What do you find inspiring? What person, place or thing is inspiring to you?

365 Inspirations—29: Saying Thank You

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."—Jean Baptiste Massieu

Two little words that can make such a difference in someone's life. I hope I never pass up an opportunity to say THANK YOU to anyone who I appreciate. I probably have, though.

Life feels difficult at times. Not every day is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes I write and wonder if anyone is really reading what I put down here day after day. I've just about completed an entire month of writing every single day. HOORAY!

Only 11 more months to go (he, he!). But really, in all honesty, I write because it feels so good to share. I write because I have something to say and I want to connect. I write because I have received so much in my life and I want to give back.

Just the other day I received this comment on one of my 365 Inspirations and it was completely unexpected:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing your book. I was pleasantly surprised to find, while reading it, that you are a local writer. This book has moved me beyond words. Thank you for taking the leap and publishing.

That was "four" thank yous and probably more than I deserve. Today I read a very touching letter from a community leader on her webpage. She was recently in a plane crash with her husband and he is suffering from severe burns on one-third of his body. Even though she has been through the most unspeakable situation in her life, she wrote about how acceptance of the situation has brought her peace and also how that has brought her equanimity at the same time.

We don't know what life will throw at us each day and I was struck by the fact that she was able to find acceptance of the situation and how that, in turn, brought her peace.

Lately, I've been struggling with a few personal issues, but nothing comes close to what these two friends of mine have been through. After reading her words, all I could do was think thank you.

That thought prompted me to write her an e-mail and express my gratitude for her words today. That's the gift that I can give right now. The gift she gave me was to see that sometimes life doesn't turn out how we expect or how we want it to be. If we learn to accept where we are right now and not wish it to be different, there is great peace.

So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you (you all deserve four "thank yous" too) for reading this post today and for taking the time to leave comments. They make a world of difference and they mean so much to everyone you extend yourself to. Thanks to all of you bloggers and writers out there who, with your words, are making a difference in someone else's life.

Do you usually express gratitude to the people in your life? When was the last time you said, "thank you" to someone?

365 Inspirations—24: Yoon's Yoga Bliss

"That taste of the present moment through the physical body is good. Through that taste, we begin to enjoy the state of simple existence and I think that is right concentration of the mind because we are not distracted by outside things and we naturally want to reside in the deeper sense of ourselves."—Seong Yoon Lee on Practicing Yoga

*special note* Yoon's Yoga Bliss closed its doors at its former location, but yoga with Yoon is still happening! Contact Yoon a seongyoonyoga@gmail.com to find out about classes and retreats!

Okay, I might be biased because this is my husband's yoga studio, but going to Yoon's Yoga Bliss has always left me feeling inspired. I feel lucky to have a husband who is a very good yoga teacher in the Seattle area and fortunate that his studio is a 5-minute drive from our house. I should have no excuses for missing yoga, but I'd like to go more often.

I work late on weeknights, so I can only attend yoga classes in the mornings. It's hard for me to get up early and do yoga because I stay up so late after my class doing my blog posts, etc. I try and get my posts done before I teach at night, but I'm not always successful.  

Last night was one of those nights where I stayed up too late writing, so it was hard to get up. Somehow I managed to get myself to yoga class and I'm sooo very grateful that I made it.

I think the hardest part in life is just getting there. Once I'm there, time flows and I'm always grateful that I made the effort. I've never once regretted going to yoga. Have you EVER regretted exercising or eating healthy or showing up for a class? It's the getting there that is hard.

So I woke up, ate a little breakfast, made sure my blog post was up for the day, jumped in the shower, pulled on my yoga clothes, grabbed my mat and water bottle and headed out into the rain. 

Once I was sitting on my mat in the studio, I felt a BIG feeling of relief and immediately felt relaxed. I was so happy to be there today. I needed the time to tune in to both my mind and body.

My husband was a Buddhist monk for 10 years in Korea and had never held another job (besides very short part-time jobs) outside of the monastery. When he decided to be with me, he left everything he knew behind and had to figure out what he would do for a living. He was trained both in the monastery in Korea and in India in yoga and had a natural knack for teaching others yoga. The fact that he now owns and operates a popular yoga studio in the Seattle area is so inspiring to me. It shows that someone with nothing can do anything if they put their minds to it. (You can read all about our journey in my book Lessons from the Monk I Married ^_^).

My husband became friends with Sonam Rinpoche from Tibet who is recognized by the Dalai Lama. He has come to Yoon's Yoga Bliss on several occasions to chant and give talks. We've felt very fortunate to be connected to him. This is a picture of all of us above at the second anniversary of Yoon's Yoga Bliss.

The studio is inspiring because my husband has made it that way. It is bright and cheerful, has beautiful art on the walls from many yoga students, and the energy and people make it such a great place to practice yoga. There's now a pretty strong core group of people who attend this studio and we often go on yoga retreats. We've had two on Whidbey Island, WA at the Yoga Lodge, one in Sedona, Arizona and we are going with a group of students to Kona, Hawaii this March. I think the community of people who attend the studio make it very special.

So this morning I felt gratitude for reconnecting with the studio and this community. I also felt gratitude for my husband who has created such a special place, an oasis of peace, in the midst of the city! 

Have you ever practiced yoga before? Is there a yoga studio near you that you find inspiring?

365 Inspirations—Four: The Whos down in Whoville

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose 

 Sometimes it's easy to forget how much we have. The Whos are my inspiration today because they weren't going let their day be destroyed by the fact that the Grinch had stolen everything they had.

Two days ago, I went on a lovely sunlit walk with my husband in some beautiful woods near our house. I was enjoying three straight days of sunshine in Seattle. The sky was blue, the sun was high and the smell of pine was in the air. I felt happy to see the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound at the end of our walk. I felt invigorated.

When we got back to my car, my husband paused at the passenger side of the car and then said, "Do you have your wallet and your cell phone?"

"Yes, why?" I said, with a slight bit of concern.

"Well, you don't have a window anymore," he said.

I went over to the passenger side of my car and saw hundreds of shards of glass in the seat and and on the ground. Someone had smashed my window into dozens of little pieces and took my purse.

For some reason I was very calm. I looked at the window with a detachment that surprised me. Recently two friends were in a plane crash on Christmas. Both survived, but one was badly burned. After hearing the news, I couldn't shake the sadness I felt for my friends from my head and it made me realize that we really don't realize how much we actually have until it's gone. I'm not just talking about material things, I'm talking about the fact that we are breathing and alive. I'm talking about love, compassion, family and friends. I'm talking about the things that really matter.

 Perhaps that's the reason why I felt so indifferent to the smashed window. If anything, I felt sorry for the desperate person who felt the need to smash it. Perhaps the person was homeless or jobless or simply desperate. Unfortunately, for the thief, the purse didn't contain anything but a few receipts, a lipstick and some loose change.

When I got home, my husband got out the vacuum and the garbage can and cleaned up all the glass as I got ready for work. He even taped up my window. Seeing him doing this made me feel so much gratitude that he was there with me and eager to help me.

I drove to work and actually felt warm inside despite the cold air blowing through the window. For some reason I thought of the Whos in Whoville. They just popped into my head and I felt happy. I taught my first class of the quarter at the college (I'm an ESL teacher) and then drove home with the white garbage bag taped to my window flapping in the breeze. At one point, on my journey home, the bag became loose and was blowing out the window like the white flag of surrender.