365 Inspirations—276: Seeing the Signs

I live a few streets from a very busy thoroughfare. This major avenue has everything you could possibly need or not need. There are cars new and used, restaurants, hardware stores, banks, tiny little pop-up medical marijuana shops (it's legal now in Washington State), casinos, pharmacies, lumber yards, discount stores—there's even a huge graveyard near the hospital, just in case.

There are signs EVERYWHERE. Big and small, fat and tall, neon and non-neon, standard and over the top. Close to my house is a neon sign—probably from the 50s—that is in the shape of a giant toilet plunger.

I used to find this street overbearing and would take side streets, but I've started seeing other signs. Signs that have meaning and are thought provoking. Signs that make you stop and say, "Hmmmmm."

On the way to Greenlake, I saw a sign that read,

"Weird is a side effect of awesome." 

It was at a paint shop. A car dealer had a sign that read,

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude." 

Well, that was certainly food for thought as I made my way home from work along this busy street. Instead of tuning out my surroundings, I'm seeing the signs and they actually bring a whole different experience to my drive to and from work.

Do you pay attention to signs along your commute or are you only concerned with getting to and from a place?

365 Inspirations—275: Nothing is Happening

"Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it."—Woody Allen

 I just said to my husband, at 10:47pm tonight, after teaching four hours of classes straight, "What's the inspiration today?" And I waited for something and he said,

"Nothing is happening."

"Oh, great, so I'm to do a blog post on the fact that nothing is happening. Is that an inspiration?"

"It implies that there are lots of possibilities," he said and then wandered off to the sofa.

Perhaps all of our lives exist in that nothingness. But we want something, right?

We want a burst of inspiration, a quiet hour of meditation, a vacation, a creation or maybe a new occupation.

Tonight, I just want to sink into the bathtub with a book. Nothing is happening and I'm so incredibly grateful for that. I am grateful for this shelter, for my husband on the sofa, for the Hawaiian music he plays every night before he falls asleep, for our conversations, for finishing my job tonight and for not having to do anything else because 'nothing is happening,' which means there are so many possibilities....

A bath, a book and sleep are the possibilities I'm looking at right now...good night all!

How do you feel when 'nothing is happening?'

365 Inspirations—274: Writers and Readers

Photo of my cousin reading my book!

"One must be an inventor to read well. There is then creative reading as well as creative writing."—Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you've written anything in your life, you are a writer. If you've read anything in your life, you are a reader.

You may not like to call yourself a writer or a reader and that's just fine.

I think it all depends on how you want to be identified. You can call yourself whatever you want to call yourself. Just because you work in an office doesn't mean you have to call yourself an office worker. If you don't have a job, you don't have to call yourself unemployed.

You decide.

I'm teaching a small business ownership class to ESL students this quarter. When I volunteered to teach the class, I questioned how much I actually knew about the subject. Turns out I know a lot more about business ownership than I thought I did. My husband owns a small business and I guess I sort of own my own business too—I write on this blog and I'm the author of a book.

I identify myself as an author/blogger and I appreciate and am inspired by all writers big and small. The same goes for readers.

I try and tell my students at the college that they can be whatever they want to be and open up any kind of business they want to open up, BUT it should be something they are interested in.

This blog here is a creation of mine I started in 2009 when I had absolutely no idea about how to start a blog, just like so many of my students aren't exactly sure how to start their own businesses. That's not so important at this point. The important thing is that they are taking steps in the direction of one day becoming business owners.

The steps I took in creating and nurturing this blog were such important steps for me and they changed the course of my life.

I appreciate you taking time to read this blog and to write thoughtful comments. You are both a reader and a writer just by doing that :).

I'm on blog post 274 today and it's a new month! It's October...happy October to you all.

I've been writing every single day here for 9 months! I can't promise every post will be life changing or earth-shattering. I'm writing about the small things that inspire me. I've written about everything from doorknobs and socks to the sun and the moon. You name it, it's probably here. In fact, I could use a few inspiring post ideas from you all and I'm open to guest posts on inspiration.

Today all the writers and readers out there are my inspirations. Without one, there wouldn't be the other, so my hat is off to you.

Do you consider yourself a reader or a writer? Neither or both?

365 Inspirations—273: A Walk in the SUN

Indecisive Seattle weather

One of the things I remember clearly from our trek over Salkantay Glacier in Peru is when our guide, a full-blooded Quechua, raised his hands, open palms to the air, just as the last ray of sun fell behind the glacier. He also closed his eyes and chanted something under his breath. In Quechua the sun is called 'inti' and is worshiped just like the moon 'quilla'. Pachamama, Mother Earth, is also highly revered.

After two days of torrential downpours ( I walked between squalls), I wanted nothing more than to get outside. I was determined, even though I had a full schedule today, to get outside and walk.

So even though the clouds looked dark and ominous, I convinced my husband to come with me to Greenlake for a 3-mile walk.

It started out windy and looked like a storm was going to crash on our heads, but then everything changed.

The dark clouds left the sky completely about half-way around the lake and the only thing overhead was that bright orb and blue sky.

Instinctively, my husband and I lifted our arms to the sun, palms to the sky, eyes closed, and just stood there very still taking it all in. We felt the warmth and let it penetrate us and give us the light we so miss this time of year.

After our little walk, despite storms and clouds (externally and internally) that still threaten our horizons to come, I felt energized. Such a simple, peaceful walk with my husband on a normally busy day changed my entire perspective about life. It made me want to slow down and it made me want to be present for the shifting winds that I'm sure are coming my way.

Do you ever stop to take in the sun, or is it around you all the time?

365 Inspirations—272: The Passing of My Teacher, SN Goenka

“For real happiness, for real lasting stable happiness, one has to make a journey deep within oneself and see that one gets rid of all the unhappiness and misery stored in the deeper levels of the mind.”—SN Goenka

Today my meditation teacher passed away. I started practicing Vipassana in the tradition of SN Goenka in 1996. This practice changed my life. I sat that very first course in Kathmandu, Nepal with my now husband, then monk, Yoon.

The first course was so hard for me, I did not think I could continue, but year after year, I returned to sit a 10-day silent course and even sat longer courses. I signed up last month to sit a 10-day course over Christmas in North Fork, CA. That's where I'll be on Christmas and it feels right, especially since my lovely teacher just passed.

I had the privilege of meeting SN Goenka when he was doing a North American tour in 2002. That was a very long time ago. I went to Canada with my best friend Lena and sat with many people for a one-day course. I was able to talk and ask him a question. I don't quite remember the question, but the answer was "to keep on practicing."

In 2007, I traveled to India for the Teacher's Self Course with my husband and once again had a chance to sit with my teacher.

I am so grateful for all the metta (loving kindness) he shared with so many people. I'm so grateful that I found meditation and was and am still able to practice it.

I've written many posts here about Vipassana meditation and the benefits. Here's one post I wrote after my return from a long course of 45-days which will give you an idea of the practice.

In my book, Lessons from the Monk I Married, I thanked SN Goenka for teaching me meditation.

Right now I feel like sitting down on my meditation cushion. I feel like that is the best offering I can give this wonderful man at this moment.

365 Inspirations—271: Storms

We've got storms—two of them—colliding into each other in Washington State causing high winds and  torrential downpours.

We are housesitting. I think the rain may have let up and I'm thinking of venturing outside. I've felt a bit stormy myself today. Perhaps the weather has caused internal storms?

At any rate, I feel the need to make this post short. I'm adding a picture from the window today of the rain. You can see it coming off the gutter from the roof in large quantities.

Today I went over to my house to assess the basement. We often get flooding with heavy rain. I raised everything up off the floor and organized the basement a bit.

Off I go to take a look outside.

Do you often feel like the weather affects your moods?

365 Inspirations—270: Cooking in a Fully Equipped Kitchen—Gluten Free Baked Penne

We've been cooking at home to save money. We have been pretty good. I found $10 in the bottom of my book bag and went out for lunch with it and my husband took me out for lunch today, but other than that, every meal has been at home.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this is not like me. With dozens of food options right out my front door, it's hard to get motivated to cook at home.

Just as I was starting to lose my inspiration for cooking, we got a call to housesit.

We love housesitting at this particular place because it's down on Puget Sound in Seattle and we get to take care of four lovely cats! Another great thing is that the house is spread out and very much like a retreat for us.

And the kitchen inspired me to cook! It's fully equipped with every gadget you could ever need to cook with and there's plenty of space.

I brought over a bag of potatoes, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of olives, an onion, garlic, lettuce, brown rice penne and found a few veggies and cheese in the fridge here and I cooked the most amazing dinner!

I cooked baked Penne with tomato sauce and Italian seasoned vegetables and made a big green tossed salad.

Here's my recipe for the baked penne:

two potatoes peeled
one mushroom
half a zuchini
half an onion
garlic
one can of diced tomatoes
half can of black olives
cottage cheese
mozzarella cheese
Italian herbs or fresh herbs (I added rosemary, basil and chives from garden here and a little dried oregano)
brown rice penne (gluten free)

1. boil the penne al dente with a little salt and olive oil
2. saute potatoes, mushroom, zucchini, onion, garlic and italian herbs until veggies are cooked
3. pour sauteed veggies into an oiled shallow glass baking dish
4. drain pasta and rinse and pour penne into baking dish and mix with sauteed veggies
5. add cottage cheese and black olives and mix again
6. add diced tomatoes in a layer on top of penne mixture
7. sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese
8. bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees

Serve with a BIG tossed green salad. This was delish and not too heavy like most pastas. If you like it cheesy, you can substitute ricotta cheese for cottage cheese and add it to your liking.

I was just about to hang up the pot holders, but this new kitchen environment motivated me to cook something delicious with what I had on hand once again!

Do new environments inspire you to cook?

365 Inspirations—269: Taking Care of Business—Doing Left Brain Stuff

I'm paying bills and figuring out my expenses and creating some sort of budget. I don't like doing these things, but they are necessary. I just finished my teaching week and I feel like I need to get organized and get a grip on things.

The teaching week went well. I teach ESL from Monday to Wednesday. I teach almost full-time on those three days, so they are long nights for me. I chose this schedule because I want to have Thursday-Sunday to write and focus on other projects that are in the works.

My house is in a state of disarray and I feel like I want to open all the drawers and cupboards and organize everything down to my underwear drawer. I will start with the upstairs, but dare I attack the basement?

It will get done this fall. It's my goal to work on my organizational skills at home and school over this fall season. I'm a big picture person, so I tend to overlook the small things that are now screaming for attention—like dusting, throwing old things away, etc.

Fortunately my husband mowed the yard and really cleaned things up, so the outside of our house looks great. The inside is not bad either as long as you don't open any drawers or closets. That's where you will find disorganization lurking.

I'm the kind of person that likes to sit down and organize everything in one foul swoop, but I know organization is a practice and it takes patience and time.

Off I go to clean the kitchen.

Stay tuned.

Do you like to organize and take care of business around the house and office, or do you procrastinate and do things at the last minute?

365 Inspirations—268: My Favorite Season—Fall is Here!

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."—Albert Camus

Some people can't wait for the warm weather of summer to hit or the merry days of the winter season with snow, holidays and skiing. While I enjoy the other seasons, fall is my FAVORITE.

I was born on October 28th—three days before Halloween. As a child, my memories of this season are quite vivid. My father told the story of how I came home as a newborn baby on Halloween and how he had to chase some kids away outside because they were making too much noise.

Ghosts, devils, vampires, fairies, clowns, skeletons, pumpkins and other characters used to show up at my house for a combined birthday/halloween party when I was a kid. Up until my 40th birthday, I still enjoyed throwing Halloween costume parties at my house. I even had a few live bands in my living room.

I had my writing group over to my house last Friday and one of the members asked why I don't have my Halloween parties anymore. I thought, Well, maybe I'm too old for them?

Instead of Halloween parties, I've been choosing to go away for my Halloween/birthday weekend to a scenic, relaxing place like a hot spring or country town. Last year we went to Breitenbush Hotspring in Oregon.

But maybe I should bring the Halloween parties back. They don't have to be huge, just a fun gathering with friends.

I saw pumpkins in the grocery store the other day. It seems a bit early, but I was happy to see them. I take a scenic road to work that has a canopy of maple trees overhead. I noticed a tinge of change in the leaves colors. I can't wait to watch them change on my way to work. I am no longer wearing short sleeves and sandals. Instead, I actually need a jacket! Warm soups and hot teas are sounding like a better choice right now.

Fall started officially last Sunday and don't forget to turn your clocks back on November 3rd—you still have some time.

Happy fall everyone!

Do you like fall season? What is your favorite season?

365 Inspirations—267: Cooking at Home

Brussel sprout, italian sausage, onion, and sweet pot soup

I'll be honest, it's not easy to eat every meal at home when you live in a place like Seattle. We have dozens of food options within a five mile radius—Ethiopian, Korea, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Mexican, Indonesian and the list goes on.

With so many amazing choices right outside my door, who'd want to cook?

The thing is, I went on a trip to Peru and my next paycheck doesn't come for just over two weeks, so cooking at home it is.

And the menu has been lovely.

Today my husband cooked Korean rice cake soup for lunch and I made two crock pot dinners that have lasted us a loooong time. The weather is just starting to get a little cooler, so we've been making soups and warming foods.

We had chili for a few days and then we had chili potatoes with cheese and yogurt for sour cream with a nice green salad. I also made a 10-bean soup with anything I could find in the fridge—broccoli, carrots, sausage, onions, garlic, ginger. It was divine and we are still eating it.

Eating all meals at home is not easy with a busy schedule and tempting choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner within minutes from our house, but we are trying this out and it's been good.

How often do you cook at home and how often do you go out to eat? Do you have a good recipe to share?

365 Inspirations—266: First Day of School

Today was my first day back at school. I'm not sure I was completely ready for it being that I just returned from a trip a week ago and still feel like part of my body is in Peru.

The oddest thing is that I'm teaching a small business ownership class to ESL students and I had a small class, but I had TWO people from Peru in that class—one from Cusco and one from Puno. These were two places I visited on my trip and it was interesting to meet theses students in my class.

It was like two worlds colliding—my travels in Peru and my life back here in the States.

I think it's going to be a good quarter. I like my classes and students and it was just the first day!

It always takes me about a week or so to wrap my head around the idea that I have an entire quarter's worth of classes yet to teach. I find the best way is to plan, but take one teaching day at a time. Otherwise it can get overwhelming.

I also like to allow for space in my classes and time with my students to really get to know them. Being an ESL teacher is a fascinating job because I meet students from all over the world.

I'm looking forward to the quarter ahead and getting to know my students!

Do you have fond memories of the first day of school?

365 Inspirations—265: A Visit to Soul Ease Spa in Kirkland, WA

Last Valentine's Day, my husband gave me a spa gift certificate to Soul Ease spa in Kirkland, WA and I just used it today. When I told people this, they said, "Are you kidding? I would have been there the very next day!"

The thing is, I generally feel pretty good and don't have too many aches and pains, so I don't feel like I really must go to the spa. I do always enjoy my time at any spa once I'm there and I absolutely LOVE hot springs!

So after our adventurous trip to Peru and hikes over mountain passes taller than the tallest mountain in my state, I decided to treat my feet and face to some soul easing.

It was blustery and raining elephants when I left the house for the spa. I had to make it over the bridge to the Eastside. Whitecaps were forming out on the lake and I could barely see two inches in front of me. It wasn't the most relaxing journey to the spa.

But when I stepped inside Soul Ease, things changed.

 A lovely woman at the front desk greeted me with a smile and got me a cup of green tea with mint. I filled out a few forms and then I was guided to a room in the back passing beautiful art and scented candles on the way. I was given a hanger for my clothes and a robe, towel and slippers for the infared sauna I'd be lounging in for 30 minutes before my foot detox.

I brought my tea in, but there was a cup of cool water waiting for me in the spa as well as other towels and magazines.

After 30 minutes, my foot detox therapist knocked on the door and led me to another room. She fetched me water and got me situated. I was now in the robe and slippers. She checked my body to find out my ph balance, and it turned out that I was a bit on the acidic end of things. I was at 6 and ideally I needed to be at 7.5 or so.

She put my feet in the detox machine full of salt water and after about 30 minutes the water turned dark brown. This was an indication that toxins were coming out of my body, most likely metals and other polluntants. I felt really alert and relaxed after the foot detox and she massaged my feet with cream and geranium oil. My ph after the foot massage was closer to a 7, so that was good!

I was then led to another room where a lovely therapist gave me an hour-long facial. She filled me in on all sorts of interesting facts and info I did not know and a few home remedies for the face. She then put me under a big heated blanket with my feet elevated and went to work on my face. The soothing music, low lights, aroma therapy and soft touch made me almost fall asleep. I received a face, neck shoulder and scalp massage as well and she moisturized and applied a face mask to my face. It was so lovely.

I don't know why I waited so long! My husband used to be a yoga teacher at Soul Ease, so I knew the foot detox was good because I had the opportunity to try it one time.

I feel alert, yet calm. I feel a huge weight has been lifted and I feel balanced again.

Do you ever treat yourself to massages or spa therapies?

365 Inspirations—264: Spending Time with My Mother

Today I ventured out to Port Towsend, WA to meet my mother for her birthday. Actually, it was the day before her birthday, but she planned to play golf on her birthday, so this was a pre-celebration.

On the way to our meeting spot, I was struck by the beauty of Washington State. I've been out of the country and haven't ventured far from my house since my return.

As soon as I got on the ferry, the smell of salt water reminded me of why I love this place. Seagulls hovered above the ferry boat and I didn't mind at all to stand directly in the wind for the entire ride. I wanted to feel everything.

I drove passed the quaint town of Port Gamble and saw people setting up for a wedding at the little chapel over looking the water. The leaves had a tinge of color to them indicating that fall is on the way.

I met my mom in the parking lot at McDonald's because there are bathrooms. That's important in my family. There should always be bathrooms before you set off on an adventure anywhere.

Since my mother knows her way around better than I do, she drove and I left my car behind. We found a perfect parking spot and landed. Mom already knew what restaurant she wanted to go to for lunch. She wasn't thrilled with her order of smoked salmon on a bed of lettuce, but my lunch was appealing to her. I had the steamed clams and mussels with a side salad. Very Pacific Northwest!

We wandered in and out of shops. Mom bought sunglasses with bright blue rims and she decided to buy me shoes—completely unexpected. After all, it was her birthday.

I did give her a few gifts: a Peruvian hat handmade by my host mother on Amantani Island, a wool table runner from Peru and a book about going Gluten Free that she's interested in at the moment.

We were only together for a few hours, but I enjoyed the time. I think it's important to spend time with my mom. I thought about her a lot while traveling in Peru. When I was in my 20s, I did not do a good job of informing her of my whereabouts while I trotted the globe. This would make any mom worry. This time I made a point of keeping her updated through my blog posts and photos, etc.

We parted ways at around 2pm and I had a quiet journey home. I counted up my change and bought a Seattle's Best Coffee from the vending machine, plopped down on a chair and stared out at the sailboats on Puget Sound. Our boat made a magnificent, glowing path of light. I think the future is going to be bright!

Do you spend much time with your mother? When do you usually get together?

365 Inspirations—263: Break

I need a bit of a break this evening. I have a cold coming on from traveling and need time to transition back to my life here. I start a new quarter of teaching on Monday and lots of changes are in the works on the homefront.

Feel like I just need rest. So my inspiration today is a break. A hot bath and hot tea is waiting for me. Good night all...hope to be back to my usual self soon.

Do you ever feel like you just need a break from life?

365 Inspirations—262: Transitions (i.e. marriage, children, new job, loss of job, divorce, death)

"Divorce, disease and death don't have to be terrible journeys that we should all avoid, they can be enlightening journeys of growth, depth and new understanding."—Katherine Jenkins

CHANGE

How do you feel about that word?

Transition is my inspiration today. Life is full of transitions, some small and some life changing.

Our world seems to be getting smaller and smaller. All we have to do is log onto Facebook or Twitter and we find out in an instant who gave birth or who died.

Most people like to share the good things on these sites. We see hundreds of pictures of newborn babies from every angle. Wedding pictures splatter the pages showing happy faces and sunshine. Those traveling to exotic locations around the globe like to include albums of their travel pics (I'm one of those people). It's enlightening and uplifting to read about these transitions. We prefer, on average, to share those transitions which are positive.

But what about the not-so-postive transitions? What about divorce, disease and death? The three Ds? Not many people are willing to share these or look at these as a transition anyone would CHOOSE to have.

The funny thing is that we will ALL, each one of us, get sick at one point or another and we will ALL die.

I know you are thinking, "Please don't remind me, I don't want to hear it, I want to focus on the positive transitions!"

I don't know what it is about our culture that makes us afraid to except all transitions equally as passages to a new way of living. One is not better than the other, it is just different.

Divorce, disease and death don't have to be terrible journeys that we should all avoid, they can be enlightening journeys of growth, depth and new understanding.

If everything in life were simple and easy, full of ponies and rainbows and sunshine, then why would we need to make any effort at all.

I realize that being a positive person may make it difficult for others to open up to me about their own suffering or uneasiness. Sometimes it is even difficult for me to open up on such topics because who wants to be a downer, right?

The truth is, when I do choose to share that my day is not going so well or that I'm suffering in some way, people are often very empathetic and supportive. Why? Because THEY'VE BEEN THERE. We have all been there.

Maybe they haven't had exactly the same experience, but each one of us has had to go through our own share of not-so-wonderful times.

No matter what any of us may be experiencing at this moment in time, there's one thing for certain. IT WILL CHANGE.

The process may not feel nice. We may even feel like running away or escaping. But if we can move through the transition. If we can look at our situation and say, "This is happening right now. Things are changing. I'm going through this transition. I'm here and witnessing it and hopefully learning and growing from it," then it doesn't matter what we may be experiencing or going through. It is in fact all the same: a learning experience.

And now you are asking, "What transition are you going through?"

And here it is:

My husband is planning on closing his yoga studio in order to pursue a self-sustained business model. I believe this is necessary and will turn out extremely positive, but the process is scary. He has built a very wonderful community near Seattle. I believe that community will continue, it will just take on a different form.

Do you tend to embrace transitions (positive or negative), or do you try to avoid them like the plague?