Finally Friday Week 22: Abundance Has Nothing To Do With Money

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into."—Wayne Dyer

You could have everything money can buy: a few Rolls Royces, trips to 5-star hotels around the world, several houses in various locations, your own private jet, etc. Maybe a summer vacation for you means flying in your private airplane or first class to your 5-star resort where you will be pampered by a host of staff. They do everything from the tips of your toes to the top of your head: pedicures, manicures, hair styling, massages—the works! You don't need to lift a finger.

On the other hand, maybe you have a meager amount in your bank account, live in a tiny apartment and pay rent month to month, cook at home and watch home movies. A summer vacation for you may mean a trip to your backyard or garden with a good book, a tall glass of homemade lemonade, a K-mart folding lawn chair, and your favorite radio station.

Which scenario is more abundant?

The truth is, abundance has zero to do with money.

Money can't buy you love, happiness, a clean bill of health, or a fabulous life. Maybe you can buy anything you want, but you will not live forever. Money can't buy you immortality and your stuff will probably outlive you.

Abundance has nothing to do with money. Abundance is about having enough or more than you need. It's a state of mind. It is related to nature and the spirit. In nature, there is nothing lacking. In nature, everything co-exists and works together. To feel abundant in spirit, this feeling of coexistence is important. When you separate yourself from the whole, there is a feeling that something is lacking.

In fact, nothing you own is really yours. However, the ego makes us believe this is so. We say, "I paid for this, so I expect all these things!" or "This service was not what I expected, I want my money back."

Now you are NOT in a state of abundance, you are in a state of lack. You have all the money in the world, but you are not satisfied. Unfortunately, it's a bottomless bucket and you'll never be able to fill it this way.

Or maybe your dialog is more like this: "How come I never have enough?" "How can I get more?" "Why does everyone else have what I don't have?"

Now you are looking over the fence and comparing lawns. Why is her grass greener? Again, you are operating from a state of lack.

I remember once when I was in a Vietnamese noodle shop with my husband Yoon. They were selling $5 bowls of noodles. An Indian man walked in. He looked rather humble in appearance and he apparently came on foot to the restaurant. The owner, who seemed to know him, asked, "How are you?"

His answer sort of surprised me and even today Yoon and I sometimes repeat his words and smile at each other when either one of us says it.

The Indian man said, "Today couldn't be better. I have two legs to walk and money to buy a bowl of noodles. Everything I touch turns to gold." Then, he flashed a smile so wide with sparkling eyes so bright and in that moment I was completely convinced that this was true.

In fact, everything he touched DID turn to gold in a metaphorical sense. This was his experience both mentally and spiritually. Complete abundance was radiating from this humble looking man. He had everything he needed. He was completely fulfilled.

Some people marry for money, I married a monk. This is not a usual scenario. I remember once my uncle said to me, "It must really be love, because who would marry a monk? They don't own a thing."

And yet, I often feel like the Indian man. I feel completely abundant. I feel like everything I touch turns to gold both spiritually, mentally and even physically. It's not something that can be taken away or lost. It's an inner state. In my opinion, this inner state is more valuable than anything on the material plane. It comes with earnest practice. It comes with connection, love, sharing and opening. It comes with being generous and not expecting anything in return. It comes with realizing that we are all connected in some way. This is true abundance and I wouldn't trade it for all the dollars in the world.

Finally Friday Week Four: I Am Alive

The Bird Totem on Puget Sound

Okay...It's Sunday! I'm having trouble getting here on Fridays, but it will happen. When Friday comes, I'm out experiencing life because.....well, I am alive!

I think it's easy to forget.

It's easy to get wrapped up in this drama or that drama. Thinking can take such a great hold on the mind that it's easy to forget that life is happening right now.

For the past three or four days, life has been pulsating and vibrating in me. It has been so blissful, rapturous even, that it has often felt overwhelming or hard to contain at times. I was afraid, for a few split seconds, that it would swing the other way and my thoughts would take me down a deep dark path, but it hasn't happened.

I know life has it's ups and downs, but if I stay here in the present and fully experience life as if it is happening to me for the very first time, I experience something indescribable. In fact, words don't often do it justice, but I'm here to write, so I'll do my best. This poem spontaneously came to be right now:

Totem of Life

Do you ever look at the ocean? Really see it.
Do you see the waves, the deep blue, the vastness of it,
A lone boat in the distance at dusk with just a flickering light.
You feel you are on that boat.
You can feel the solitude and peacefulness of the moment.
The boat reflecting back at you,
And you, a lone person on a cliff staring out at the sea,
Are also sharing a moment with that boat and its sailor.

And then, did you see that hummingbird?
The one that hovered above your head,
It's tiny green body full of life,
pulsating with it,
flittering, fluttering from flower to flower,
Did you see it?

And the smell of those flowers....
Of lilies and lilacs.
The sun beating down on your head
Warming your entire body from head to toe,
You tingle with this sensation.

And then the sun going down,
Crimson and orange and pink—
Darker and darker.
The Bird Totem next to you comes alive too.
The outline of it,
Like a person, almost, watching the sunset with you.
A totem of life, of lives...so many lives culminating.
All of life's secrets, prophesies, legends and myths
Become known in that moment.

I didn't expect I'd write a poem today, but it came out that way for some reason. It's these pieces of life woven together. I am witnessing more, feeling more. Who knows how long it will last. I seem to have this curiosity with life these days. When I walk to class, I see the cherry blossoms looking at me like one thousand eyes penetrating my being. The purple crocuses hidden under a bush cry out for attention. I can't rush to class and miss them. All around is this beauty reminding me that I am alive. When I enter this space of now, I understand everything at once.

What have you witnessed about life lately? 

365 Inspirations—365: Happy New Year

Well, goodbye year of the SNAKE and hello year of the HORSE....If 2013 was a hard year for you, the snake might have something to do with it. Snakes are deceptive and creep up on you when you least expect it. I know so many people who experienced unexpected setbacks and difficulties this year. But the good news is, the Year of the Horse, a compassionate and loving creature, is here for 2014.

This is a pre-written post. Right this very minute, I'm at a silent meditation course in CA with no contact to the outside world. In other words, no reading, no writing, no electronics, no dancing, no singing.

Just meditation. That's it.

So I'll be ushering in the New Year with eyes closed and legs crossed.

I so need this time. I'll be welcoming the Year of the Horse in silence.

Now is a time when people write down New Year Resolutions.

After writing 365 blog posts for this year, I feel like cutting myself some slack on the resolutions!

I made it to 365 and that's a miracle in and of itself!

But I'll give you the gist of what I see in 2014:

1. More meditation, yoga and inner work.
2. Less computer (except for book writing and a handful of blog posts)
3. More walks in nature
4. More focus on friends and family
5. Exercise and healthy eating

I was thinking I might join a gym too, but I do get lots of exercise with walking and yoga. I plan to continue working on my new book and not blogging every day will free up some of that time. I also really want to cut sugar, grains, and coffee from my diet. I felt so good when I did that before.

I want to say that travel is in my horizon. I see it, but part of me feels the need to save and to just observe where I am. In 2013, I went on so many trips and yoga retreats—Peru, twice to Hawaii, twice to Las Vegas, Sedona, and right now I'm in California for this course. It was exciting, but perhaps I need to see how it feel to stay home for a year? Maybe it will give me an opportunity to travel inward if I stay right where I am instead of always being on the go!

Maybe I will get some clarity about my direction at the end of this meditation course. It ends on January 6th  and I'll be coming out of silence then.

 Thanks for tuning in here for an entire year. I plan to still write posts, just not everyday.

Our next retreat is at The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island January 24-26! Hope to see you there. You can find out more about it here.

Did you enjoy these blog posts for one entire year?

365 Inspirations—364: Nothing Looks Interesting

Here are some pictures of where I am right now. I'm at the California Vipassana Center in North Fork near Yosemite. I was here in 2012 in the summer, so it was SUNNY and hot. It is most likely colder now. Who knows? We may even get a little snow? Anyway, I wrote this post after I had finished my 10-day course and I wrote about how I felt. I want to share that with you here. This is a repost and it has been prescheduled. Going on retreat is a great way to rejuvenate and gain insight into yourself. Please click here about a yoga/writing retreat Yoon and I will be offering at The Yoga Lodge in the New Year and share it with others if you can. Here's my repost:

I was at the Fresno/Yosemite airport on Sunday. After 10 days out in the "bush" in silence with very little stimulus, the airport was a rude awakening. There were people with backpacks, roller duffles and suitcases, whining children, fast food and kiosks full of things I really don't need. After a long period of no stimulus, suddenly the magazine display seemed to come alive with stars faces, colors, and words. The jewelry case which displayed mostly bling was overwhelming. Gum, newspapers, bottle openers, tacky fridge magnets and t-shirts seemed to enclose me. I found my way towards the exit next to the display of bestselling books. I thumbed through a few of them. "Nothing looks interesting," I said under my breath.

Nothing looks interesting.

"Nothing" looks "interesting".

Somehow nothing had become interesting. Because nothing, besides meditation, responding to calls of nature, walking, sleeping and eating was all I did for an entire 10 days. This might sound boring to those looking for an exotic vacation at say...a beach cottage in Thailand or a mountain chalet in Switzerland. But for me, this was how I chose to spend my precious time off. And not a minute of it was wasted time. From 4:00am, when the first gong sounded to 9pm lights out, we were working. Hard to imagine how meditation could be work. Let me tell you, it's the hardest yet most rewarding work I've ever done.

Maybe you've traveled all over the world. Maybe you've spent time on that exotic beach or at that mountain chalet. And I know, I have fond memories of those places too. But have you ever thought about taking a trip inside? Do you know what's going on in there?

Give yourself 10 days in silent meditation and I guarantee you you'll find out more than you can imagine. And if you are working properly, you'll uncover quite a bit..and not all of what you see you'll want to face, but when you do decide to face what's in there, things start happening. Good things...positive things...

Nothing looked interesting because I was full. Not full in the sense of "I ate too much" but full in the sense of "I have all I need." I felt light and clear and happy. This happiness wasn't about who I was with or where I was or what I was doing. It was a happiness or a very deep contentment with what was. It came from the inside out. Even the kiosk screaming with "things to buy" had its place. I felt like a scientist observing my new surroundings. Like every moment called for my undivided attention and thorough examination.

During the course, it was hot and dry. As not to make contact with my fellow meditators, my gaze was usually downward. While at the meditation center, we are meant to keep to ourselves. The point is to go inward. We are meant to be working alone, in silence.

Still, I couldn't help but notice the beauty around me. The California wild flowers became my friends. They greeted me every morning on my walk around the pond.

On the last day, we had an opportunity to view a new pagoda building.

This building housed dozens of tiny meditation cells. During the course, we meditated in the hall, but these cells would provide further privacy for the meditator. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to sit in the pagoda when it is finished.

On the last day, we come out of silence and have an opportunity to speak to one another. This is always an interesting experience. After having spent most of our time in silence with our gaze cast downward, we were now communicating and getting to know one another on the very last day.

The course had produced "shiny, happy people"...people full of gratitude and full of gentleness. The smiles were contagious.

Svetlana, didn't even hesitate when I asked for a ride to the airport. She said, "Certainly!" She also planned to volunteer and clean the kitchen before our departure. Everyone who works at the center is a volunteer. There are no fees for these courses, they run on donations and the hard work of volunteers who have all completed at least one course.

I cleaned my cabin and had a chat with my cabin mates, and then Svetlana and I went out for a little brunch before my flight. It was our reintegration into the world. We had a nice chat.

It was a very productive course for me and I received a lot of clarity. As I type this I feel so much gratitude that I have had this practice of meditation in my life for almost 15 years. But most of all, I was grateful for the opportunity to do "nothing" and to realize that stepping away from "doing something" all the time was what I needed. It's easy to get caught up in what we are doing as if the world revolves around what we "do." Sometimes more productivity and clarity can come from stepping away and stopping. What I found is that the world is not going to stop if you decide to and when you come back you'll realize you haven't missed much.

Have you ever gone on a personal retreat? How did you feel when you returned home?

365 Inspirations—356: Spending the Holidays with Family

early Christmas dinner at our house

We celebrated early this year. We had our Christmas today at our house. I cooked a delicious pot roast. I woke up at 6AM (very rare for me this time of year) and sprinkled the roast with fresh ground salt and pepper and seared it in olive oil before placing it in a crock pot.

I then went out to our garden in the dark in my polka-dotted pajamas and black boots to pick a fresh sprig of rosemary. I chopped carrots, onions and celery and covered the roast with these and beef broth, along with a little red wine, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and lots of herbs—fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, dried lavender, fennel seeds, marjoram, etc. The result was a bit like beef bourguignon. It was delicious and was done in plenty of time and so easy.

I decided to make mashed potatoes rather than putting the potatoes in the crock pot. My roast created lots of beautiful gravy for the potatoes.

My mom made a fresh green salad. The meal was divine and the beef was so tender, but the best part was the company.

It was so nice to all be at the table together and I felt so warm inside for having prepared a meal for my family. Yoon was a wonderful help with everything and he got me outside, which was really good.

We walked around Greenlake before our family arrived. It was so good to get outdoors and exercise, even though it was drizzling outside. I'm glad he suggested that we go.

After our meal, we all opened some gifts and then had hot apple pie and ice cream.

My mom and step dad went home. My nephews are tucked in bed in our guest bedroom.

 We babysat them tonight while my sister and brother-in-law went to see The Hobbit at a nearby movie theater. They are spending the night tonight because they plan to head to a cabin in the mountains for Christmas and Seattle is a good stopping off point.

I watched a movie with my nephews. I couldn't find The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, so we watched a Japanese animation movie my husband had called The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It was good!

I feel happy and full from this lovely day.

Do you plan to see your family over the holidays?

365 Inspirations—353: Real Gifts

"Being present with family and friends is the best gift we can offer."—Katherine Jenkins

Today I spent time in my office cleaning and wrapping gifts for my family for the holidays. I like shopping and wrapping things for other people, but I'm thinking I'd like to do something different in 2014.

Instead of gifts, I'd like to offer a meal, a day at the movies, time together at the spa or maybe even the gift of babysitting so that my friends or family can have a night off.

Instead of exchanging material possessions, I'd like to exchange time.

Because we all know that no one has enough time and it's just easier to buy a gift, but 2014 is going to be about spending more *time* doing things....slowly....particularly with the people I care about.

If I'm going to give a gift, I'd like it to be a service I can offer or something I can make that is useful.

I want to cut out clutter, get rid of material things...I'm not sure I'm ready to become a minimalist, but I want to work towards paring down my possessions to the things I really use and need.

This year, I will be at a silent meditation course over Christmas, so we are celebrating early.

My immediate family is coming over to my house and I'm going to make a home-cooked meal. I'm excited about that.

I started thinking about gifts in another way. Each one of us has a gift or gifts that make us unique and these are things we can offer—to ourselves, to the world and to others.

Maybe you can write, or do art or you are good at math. Maybe you like to hoola hoop, do yoga, juggle, paint, organize, take photographs.

These are you real "gifts" and this is what you can offer the world.

And someone else probably has something to offer you too. We can exchange and share like this. My husband Yoon is very good at collaborating with others. When he doesn't know how to do something, he finds a person with that *gift* and offers his gift of teaching yoga in exchange.

He's had his car repaired, accounting taken care of, house repaired, fence built, pants hemmed all for the exchange of his *gift* of yoga.

Long ago, this is how the world operated. People exchanged services or materials, people spent time making things for each other. Holidays were about coming together and sharing and offering whatever you had on hand.

Holidays weren't about going out shopping all night and buying lots of stuff.

I still enjoy buying gifts for my family and wrapping them carefully in pretty paper, but next year I'd like to start a few new traditions. I'd like to just "be present" with family and friends, after all, that is really the best gift I have to offer.

What do think about the materialism of the holidays? Have you ever tried to offer something other than store-bought gifts?

365 Inspirations—346: Decking the Halls

Yoon with a Christmas tree he chose last year

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles."—Author Unknown

The other day I was driving to work and I got in the holiday spirit...just like that! I hadn't been in it AT ALL. I was Scrooge through and through. I just wanted all the cheeriness to pass for some reason. The holidays can sometimes bring out depression or moodiness in people. It can be a reminder of things we have lost or people who are no longer with us.

But it can also be a time to reflect on what we have and the good in our lives.

Usually when I drive down the main drag during the holidays, everyone is in a major rush to get somewhere and the drive is not enjoyable.

I decided to steer off the main drag and take a neighborhood route to work. I turned on 106.9FM which plays continuous Christmas music and 'Deck the Halls' came on. For some reason I began to sing along to the song in my car and a flood of memories came back.

It was dark out, because I teach in the evening, so I got to see all holidays lights on the neighborhood houses. Instead of a stressful drive to work, mine was cheery and I had an opportunity to reminisce about all the joy this time of year can bring if I just let be as it is.

I got to work in a very good mood.

My husband somehow caught this spirit too. He didn't grow up with Christmas. He's a former Korean Buddhist monk, but today he strung lights all around the inside of our house and put colored lights around our fence. He also put the wreath on the door. It's getting quite festive.

His birthday is the day after Christmas, so it's sort of anti-climatic and most people aren't really in the mood for a birthday party the day after Christmas. He's decided to have a party before Christmas. His party is going to be a Hawaiian-themed holiday party. It should be interesting.

What ever you believe, or don't believe, I think it's good sometimes to just 'deck the halls'. Bring in that cheer and that light and that love. Let it in.

All the lights around our house light up my heart. Winter can be so dark and gray here this time of year. I think lights and decorations and songs and getting together with friends and family can help bring cheer into our lives.

Do you like to 'deck the halls' this time of year, or do you usually not participate in the holiday festivities?

365 Inspirations—339: Nelson Mandela

"There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."—Nelson Mandela

The day before yesterday, I put this quote on my blog post. I used it on a post about my students at the community college where I teach. They inspired me in class with their projects and the quote fit the inspiration that I felt.  As soon as I found it, I began to reflect on Nelson Mandela and his life.

Little did I know that two days later he'd be gone.

I don't know if it was just a coincidence that I found the quote, but I'd like to think that I was meant to find it and to honor this amazing person in my own way before his physical body left this world.

I'm happy I was able to do that.

The quote is so powerful. It is asking that people STAND UP and live the life they are capable of living. These words are from the mouth of a great man who did just that and asks that we do the same.

Nelson Mandela gave his life as a revolutionary against apartheid. He spent 27 years in prison before becoming the president of South Africa.

He didn't give up, he didn't surrender, he was a peaceful warrior who just kept standing up for what he believed in.

I often think about how great our world would be if every single one of us could do the same. If every one of us would stand up and live the life we are capable of instead of settling for a life that does not suit us.

I'm not saying that we all need to become freedom fighters or do what Nelson Mandela did. I just think we should not give up what calls us.

Fear is a big one that gets in the way of being all that we can be. Lack of confidence and belief in oneself is another one.

Nelson Madela's life inspires me to STAND UP and not be afraid. To live my life fully and not be concerned about what others may say about it—to have the confidence to follow my dreams and beliefs.

I'm so happy to have walked on this earth at the same time as this humble, gentle, yet strong, unyielding soul. The world lost a LIGHT today. I'm lighting a candle in his honor tonight to carry on that light.

How did Nelson Mandela inspire you?

365 Inspirations—336: Yoga at Home

”Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move.”—Osho

I did yoga at home today. My husband has moved his classes to our house. Usually I get up and walk around Greenlake during his morning classes (just three days a week), but today I decided to stay and do yoga.

It was a WONDERFUL class and I felt so grateful to have people practicing yoga and 'omming' in my home. The energy of our lovely home feels so serene thanks to the people who show up to offer this practice and peace to our space.

Gratitude is what I felt.

Gratitude for the people who woke up, got in their cars and drove to my little house for yoga.

Gratitude for being able to just stop and tune in.

Before class I did my own little practice. I placed my mat in the corner and got my block and belt from a shelf nearby. I set myself up in the back of the room.

Before the students arrived, I began moving on my own. I moved into eagle and then warrior pose. It felt so good. Sometimes I forget how good yoga feels.

Life is sometimes hectic. It's easy to get caught up in the stress, especially this time of year.

I was so grateful to have this break right here.

I'm grateful to my husband who has taught so many people yoga and continues to teach joyfully despite the fact that he no longer has his studio.  What I realized is that it was not the place people were coming for, it was him. They enjoyed Yoon and they liked his class.

I enjoy it too. I'm so glad I decided to stay and do yoga. 

Have you ever experienced a change that you thought would be difficult, but turned out to be a blessing?

365 Inspirations—329: An Octopus's Garden

The scariest fish in the garden!

"I'd like to be, under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been in his octupus's garden, in the shade."—The Beatles

There is really NOT much to do in an octopus's garden except float around and meet other things floating around, like tropical fish, turtles, sea creatures, dolphins and, if you are lucky, an octopus.

Yesterday I drove to the Walgreens photoshop nearby and handed the guy my rinky-dink, disposable camera that I got on sale at an ABC store in Hawaii. The thing was cheap and I expected to get all my photos back black.

I'm so use to digital where you can check right away and delete. I could barely see through the camera lens on this thing and I wasn't sure if it was even taking pictures or if I was self-winding it in the right direction.

I was surprised to see the colorful pictures of fish on the photo CD I picked up. Here are some of my pics from that day:

Looking at them, I remember that day clearly. I was in an octopus's garden, yet I didn't see an octopus.

It's so quiet and peaceful down there. No one is in a hurry and even the little guys that swim fast, do so with such grace and ease. A few of them would come right up to my mask as I did the breast stroke while using my flippered-legs as an engine.

I was gliding around in that garden just as smoothly as the fish. I was becoming one of them. I could hear my own breath in my snorkel. Sometimes I'd try to dive down deeper to the white, yellow and pink coral where hundreds of brightly painted fish swirled in circles around a tasty morsel in the coral, but my snorkel would fill up with water.

I popped up to the human world only to realize, with my head now up above the water, that I had no idea where I was. Where were the others?

"Hey, over here," I heard Yoon shout, waving his hands in the air.

I turned my body and pointed it  in the direction of where they were sitting on the volcano rocks and pushed off with my legs.

I didn't want to come up again. It was so warm and cozy under there. I could have stayed for hours. I would have stayed for hours but my arms and legs were getting tired.

Have you ever been snorkeling? Where did you go?

365 Inspirations—236: A Wedding on Puget Sound

"But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."—Khalil Gibran

Today we went to a wedding on Puget Sound on Tulalip Indian Reservation. It was very nostalgic for me because I lived there when I was ten years old for about a year and hadn't been back since then!

I wanted to find my old house and show Yoon, but there wasn't time. I promised we'd come back and I'd show him.

Yoon was the officiator at the wedding and he was great! He chanted a few Buddhist chants from his monk days and even told a few great jokes. Everyone laughed.

The most wonderful part of the ceremony was the tide that was slowly coming in. The bride and groom's sandals were completely submerged in water, but it felt the merging of two worlds—the land and the sea and the worlds of these two people. Yoon was on a platform so his feet were not in the water, but after he finished the chanting, there was the slight dilemma of how he'd get from the platform to land. One of the groom's friends said, "Yoon, hop on Eric's back and let him bring you over to the shore." And without further adieu, Yoon hopped on the groom's back and was taken safely to land!

The day consumed with food, drinks, good conversation, acro-yoga, a fire in a fire pit and a burning sunset. Just gorgeous!

 But the best part of the evening was a dozen huge paper lanterns that were lit by the wedding guests and set free to soar up above Puget Sound,  the tree line and beyond. At one point I wasn't sure which were paper lanterns and which were stars.

It was a beautiful day with lots of love.

Have you ever been to a memorable or unique wedding?

365 Inspirations—206: We are All in This Together

Celebrate the Differences!

"We all have to live together, so we might as well live together happily."—Dalai Lama

I think it's easy to get caught up, through the internet and what not, in all that we may not have.

Maybe you look over the fence and find that you don't have what your neighbor has. Maybe you don't have a fence. The grass is always greener on the other side, so they say.

But is it really?

We are only looking at another person's reality through our own eyes. It is our perception of that person's reality. We can't possibly know the struggles or difficulties another faces by merely observing a situation externally.

It's helpful, maybe, to realize that no one has a perfect life. We are all in this together. Some struggle more than others or find themselves in more trying situations than we might currently be in, but it doesn't make us exempt from experiencing trials and struggles and similar experiences.

Today two smiling Jehovah Witnesses came to my door. An elderly African American woman had such a twinkle in her eye, that even though I don't usually take solicitations, I decided to hear her out.

She said, "What's the one tragedy or difficulty in the world that you'd like to see taken away if it were possible?" I said that I didn't know, there are so many.

She continued, "If all pain, suffering and even death could be taken away, how would you feel?"

I thought about people who are in pain in hospitals or who have lost a family member and I said, "That would be beautiful." I didn't think too much about it, but I thought that would be nice.

She read a few passages from the bible, but she did not preach to me. She just left me with those questions to ponder, gave me a pamphlet and then she smiled and turned away with her friend and told me that she came because we are all neighbors and she said, "Have a wonderful day."

I liked that she said, "We are all neighbors." It made we think of how we are all in this boat together, this world together, no matter what we may be going through, what we believe or how we live.

It made me appreciate my life and made me want to share what I have with others. Understanding that we are all neighbors made me think of how much easier it would be to appreciate and even celebrate the successes of others and to really reach out to those that are struggling too.

In September I'm going to Peru with my husband and a bunch of yoga students. I'm also going there to do book research. The woman who owns the house we will be staying at in Sacred Valley sent me a book when she heard I'd be writing one about the area. It's called Pachamama's Children. Pachamama means 'mother earth' in Quechua and they believe that all of us are children of this earth. One of the most beautiful things I read about in the book is called ayni.

Ayni means "today for you, tomorrow for me." The Quechua believe in the idea of reciprocity. It's the idea that everything is shared and that I'm not separate from you. Everything from farming to rearing children to cooking food is shared. On my very first trip to Peru, almost 20 years ago, I witnessed this hospitality. I was frequently invited to eat food and stay with the locals and they kindly gave me all that they had, even though it was very little.

I can't forget this. Anytime I catch myself wondering why I may not have something that someone else has, I try to remind myself that we are all humans sharing this world. Nothing really belongs to us and we can't take anything with us when we go.

I try and appreciate the beauty I have right in front of me for the offering. It may be a tree or a flower or the sun on my face or the light of the moon that streamed through my bedroom blinds last night, beckoning me to come to the window and look out at it. What I realized, while standing there staring,  was this: It doesn't matter where we live, who we love, or what we believe—we all get to see the very same moon and enjoy its beauty.

Do you appreciate the beauty in life and do you share it with others, even if their thoughts, beliefs and ideas may be different from you own?

365 Inspirations—196: Art Ambush Project: Bringing Free Art to the People

Art by Lisa Brandel

“The world is not interested in what we do for a living. What they are interested in is what we have to offer freely—hope, strength, love and the power to make a difference! ”—Sasha Azevedo


Long, long ago, when I first started blogging, I met Lisa Brandel, who was a blogger at The Widow Lady, but who has since stopped blogging there and instead maintains a Widow Lady Facebook Page.

Her page is full of inspiration and Lisa is always doing new and exciting things. I recently found out, through Facebook, that she started an organization called Art Ambush Project. Here she is to tell you about it:

Katherine asked me to tell you all a little about this project for her blog. It’s taken me some time to do it, but I think I’ve finally found the words to express what Art Ambush project.

We are a micro-movement of people, from all different backgrounds, faiths, paths, disciplines of art who have banded together to give the unsung heroes, the everyday people doing extraordinary things, a piece of beauty. No strings attached. Nothing but love and thank you for being you.

We began this grass roots movement a mere seven months ago with four artists, including the founders, and as of this date we have over 25 artists, several coming from across the sea, and have gifted over 350 people pieces of art and supplies for art. We’ve ambushed hospice houses, chemotherapy wards (nurses and patients), doctors, survivors, people who have been through loss, people making a difference for homeless and forgotten animals, people making a difference for homeless people, people fighting for equal rights, and the list grows all the time.

This is one of the pieces given to a burn victim made by Anna Gruszka of Heart to Art Jewelry Designz

We are being the change we want to see in the world. We want more love, so we give more love. Many of our artists, including myself, know loss in our lives so we reach out and give the hand up we have either gotten or would have liked to have gotten.

I’d like you to imagine something for me. You are coming home from work, living your life, going through a rough patch, and when you get to your door you find a box. You think, “I didn’t order anything.” You take it in, and as you open it you discover a beautiful piece of jewelry, or a blown glass globe, a painting, or some handmade item. You are confused, but then you see a card. It tells you that someone noticed that you are beautiful, helpful, that you are doing all you can, and they wanted to give you something because you are. They don’t want anything from you, they just want to say “Thank you.” 

It’s a stranger. Someone you don’t know, or don’t know well. But, whoever it is took the time not only to think of you, but to send something of themselves to you.

That is the art ambush project.

No artist asks what color, age, religion, or other label the ambushee carries. They simply know it’s a soul. They take it and the story we are given and create something to give. We are the change we want to see. We are the love we want to receive, and in giving have received it.

Sometimes we receive a thank you on our facebook page, and many times the person tells us, “It arrived at the exact perfect time.” 

 
So, this writing for Katherine is my mini-ambush to you all. When you think the world is divided and has lost their collective heart remember. There is a movement, not about money, not about fame. It’s about giving people recognition, love, and a little beauty as a reminder life is good.

With love, Namaste,

Lisa Brandel, The Widow Lady and Art Ambush founder.

https://www.facebook.com/artambushproject

Have you ever made art and given it away for free?

365 Inspirations—144: Asking for Your Good Wishes

"The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it. Whether he's got an abscess on his knee or in his soul."—Rona Barrett


I hope you've enjoyed my daily posts for nearly 5 months! I don't ask for much here, but today I'm asking for your good thoughts and wishes.

 Today, at 2pm I have to go in for a colonoscopy. Nothing major, just a check up, so don't worry. However, my fasting experience I wrote about yesterday went from good to worse. The fasting part was fine, but the solution they give you to drink that is used to "clean" the colon, was not a pleasant experience. And there is A LOT of it to drink. Have you ever done anything like this?

I haven't and I'm kind of scared.

For the procedure they have to put me out. I've never been put out in my life! It's only for about an hour. Apparently I'll be awake, but will have little memory of the experience. That sounds a bit like hypnosis! ^_^

Anyway, I'm writing about it here for support because right now I need a little. I know it sounds kind of funny. It a common procedure, but I hardly ever visit the doctor, so for me it's pretty big.

My husband is going to drive me to the hospital at 1pm today and he'll remain there until I'm finished at around 3:30pm and drive me home.

I have to sign a consent form in case something happens. I know I will be fine, but I said to my husband this morning, "If I don't make it out, you can have all my clothes and my bicycle."

I was joking of course. He smiled and said, "You'll be fine and I love you."

And then he added, "And I'll enjoy riding your bicycle."

"Hey! Wait! What do you mean?" I asked, surprised.

"Just kidding!" he said.

I feel lucky to have a partner who makes me laugh and who I also know is there for me no matter what.

Thanks for being here, for commenting, for reading my posts and for all your support. I really appreciate it.

Have you ever undergone a medical procedure that required you to stay in the hospital? How did you feel?

365 Inspirations—73: New Yoga/Writing Retreat at The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island

Upper deck at The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island

"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul."—Marcus Aurelius

On Tuesday we head to Hawaii with a bunch of yogis for a yoga retreat led by my husband in Hilo for about a week! The retreat is sold out. I'm very excited about this one, but I wanted to let you all know about another retreat we will have in the summer.

Last year my husband and I co-led a yoga/writing/collaging retreat to a sold out group at the Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island, WA. We got such wonderful feedback about the retreat that we are doing it again this year!

Summer is the absolute best time to visit Washington State. It's warm and usually SUNNY. Last year we had several people fly in from out of state and before and after the retreat, guests took the opportunity to explore Washington a little more. One went kayaking and others rented a car and toured the wonderful San Juan Islands. It's the best time of the year for hiking and camping too.

The Yoga Lodge is nestled in a forest. It's a little oasis of peace with a wood-burning sauna, fire pit, yoga room, beautiful dining hall and lodging facilities and food prepared by a local chef on the island!

I'm including some info and photos about the retreat below. It WILL fill up quickly, so be sure to reserve your spot soon at info@yoonsyogabliss.com

Eating organic vegetarian food in dining hall with participants

Organic, vegetarian food prepared by a chef on the island

Yoga everyday in the yoga room

Collaging Workshop at the Yoga Lodge

Here's some info about the retreat from my husband's website;

Open Your Heart and Live an Authentic Life

 Join Katherine Jenkins, author of Lessons from the Monk I Married and former Buddhist monk Seong Yoon Lee, owner of Yoon's Yoga Bliss http://www.yoonsyogabliss.com/ for a very unique yoga/writing/collaging retreat! We will use yoga, writing, and collaging as tools to guide the individual to his/her unique purpose and talents. Each person has so much to offer this world once they have opened their hearts and minds.

Where: The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island, WA

When: Friday, August 9-Sunday, August, 11 2013

Schedule: 

Friday

3 - 4pm Arrival/Check-In
4:30 - 6:30pm Opening and Yoon’s Vinyasa Flow
6:30 - 8pm Dinner

8 - 9pm Workshop with Yoon
9 - 9:30pm Sauna (optional)

Saturday

7:00 - 8:30am Morning Yoga
8:30 - 10:00am Breakfast and Resting
10:30-11:50am Workshop with Katherine Jenkins
12:00 – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30 - 5pm Free Time to Write

5 – 6:30pm Yoga
6:30 – 7:30pm Dinner
8 – 9:30pm : Meditation and Collaging
 9:30pm: Sauna (optional)

Sunday

7:00 - 8:30am Morning Yoga
8:30 - 10:00am Breakfast
10:00 - 11:30am Meditation and Sharing Circle
11:30 - 12:30pm Closing/Distribution of Sack Lunches for Your Journey Home

 Fee: The lodge accommodates 11 and the retreat is limited to 20 people. Fees include all yoga and workshops, mostly organic vegetarian meals, sauna, and shared accommodations/bath.

$500.00(shared room for the lodge) $550.00 (after 4/20)

$420.00(campers),$450.00 (after 4/20)

 $350.00 (for off site)

To register, contact info@yoonsyogabliss.com

This is going to be a fantastic opportunity and I so hope you can make it! And now my questions for you...

Have you ever participated in a retreat? What was the best part about it?

365 Inspirations—68: Sleeping in the Sun

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."—Buddha

The weather has been warm and sunny in Seattle. When we see the sun around here—that mysterious orb in the sky—we want to be out with it.

Today Yoon and I had the day off, so we both woke up late. We had breakfast at around 9AM, relaxed a bit and then headed out to Richmond Beach, a beautiful spot near our house. People were out with dogs, kids, picnic lunches, frisbees, balls, beach stuff—it was crowded!

We found a spot away from the crowds and both of us fell asleep. For a moment I swear it felt like I was in the tropics. It felt so good to be in the sand with my head on a log listening to the sound of waves. I just melted into it.

I fell into one of those deep sleeps where you wake up and don't know where you are. I was happy to discover that I was on the beach.

I climbed up on a log and Yoon took a few pictures.

 I also got a shot of him resting on the log. He looks like he's in perfect peace in the picture above.

We had Thai food for lunch and then went to see Oz the Great and Powerful in 3D. It wasn't the best movie I've seen this year, but it was entertaining.

Now we are back at home and resting again! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Is it typically sunny where you live? How do you like to spend a sunny, weekend afternoon?

365 Inspirations—56: Home

“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.”— L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I'm home and it's 10:28pm. I just finished teaching my night class and I'm going to get this post in just shy of a new day! I'm late. 

What am I inspired by today besides the full moon and lots of stars in the city sky? I'm inspired by home.

It's the place that's always here for me when I get done from work. It's the place where my husband also comes home to after his long day teaching yoga classes.

It's my retreat, refuge, sanctuary and habitat. It's where I cook, eat, sleep, ponder, dream, write books, do art, have conversations with my husband about life, occasionally entertain friends, take a bath and garden in the spring.

Our house was recently remodeled by one of my husband's yoga students. We live in a 1940s Seattle bungalow. Our house has old world charm and lots of the original characteristics from that time period, but we've modernized it a bit.

It needed an update and hadn't had a real one in its entire life span. Now it is much cozier.

Someday I'll show before and after pictures! 

On days that I feel like running away to the Southwest, I try to remember how lucky I am to live in a great city with lots of culture and nature! The city is full of towering Evergreen trees and lot of wonderful hiking trails and views of Puget Sound and the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, but it also has amazing restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, you name it! I love this about Seattle.

But really, home is what you make of it no matter where you live. I think my husband and I have made it as cozy and peaceful as we can.

So today my inspiration is home. I'm so happy I get to come back here. Now off I go to sink into the bathtub.

Do you like where you live? Are you happy with your home?

365 Inspirations—Nine: Meditation

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there—buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day."—Deepak Chopra

I don't know where I'd be without all the meditation I've had in my life. I'm very grateful for it and have written many, many posts on it. You can find them all here.

I practice Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka from India. Read my posts on meditation above to find out more about it. I started my practice in this tradition in 1996 in Nepal with my then-monk-now-husband.

I was a 20-something, vagabond on a quest for the meaning of life when I arrived at the footsteps of a remote meditation center near Kathmandu. Boy was I in for a rude awakening! I didn't realize how much baggage I had been carrying around, and I'm not talking about my backpack!

Through continuous practice, it was easier for me to make clear choices and even be in a space of unknown when there wasn't a clear choice to be found. I was much more able to experience things as they were and not as I wanted them to be.

Meditation streamlined my life and made me happier with simple things. In fact, it made me appreciate the beauty of all people, places and things.

I have gone through periods where I have abandoned my practice for a bit, but somehow I always return to it and am always grateful when I do.

Today I had a large gap between my classes at the college (I'm an ESL teacher). What did I do? I came home and meditated! I feel very refreshed now. My goal is to keep this up throughout the year. It makes such a difference in my life!

Do you meditate or have you ever practiced meditation before?

365 Lessons-Lesson 48: Meditate

People have been asking me about meditation, so I dug up this old post about when I came out of 45 days of silent Vipassana meditation. I am reposting it here so that all those who are interested can have the same opportunity and reap the same benefits that I am. While these 45 days were truly remarkable days of my life, every day is important and daily practice is the most important. Participating in a meditation course can help you establish your practice of meditation, so I recommend that too.

I'm emerging. I feel like this lotus. My petals are unfolding one by one. If there were an appropriate pop song for this occasion, I think it would be I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross. It's going a bit slow for me my friends. I'm talking again, just fine. I've met three people since I've been home-my husband, my mother and my friend Lena. I find myself wanting to be part of all that I have missed and then wanting to retreat again. I think it's just where I am. For those of you who have just happened upon this blog, you may want to read earlier posts. To catch you up to speed (and the speed is quite slow at the moment), on March 14th, 2009, I returned from a 45-day meditation course at the Vipassana Massachusetts Centre in Shelburne Falls, MA. People have asked, "Did you have a good course?" Well, it's a bit hard to summarize the experience actually, but I feel so much gratitude, peace, happiness, and clarity. It was harder than anything I've ever done, but it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

A 45-day course is not something you just jump into. I've been practicing this form of meditation since 1996 when I took my first 10-day course in Nepal with my husband Seong Yoon, who was a Buddhist monk at that time. The 10-day course in Nepal was so hard. I felt so much anger coming out and I wanted to run far away. The moment the course was over, I was on the first bus out of there. I vowed to never take a course again. Later, when I was wandering the streets of Kathmandu with Seong Yoon that day, I realized that something had changed. I felt light and free. There was a deep happiness inside. As soon as I was away from the meditation center, I could clearly see that I had gotten something very positive from the experience. At the Vipassana center in Nepal, I was surprised to learn that there is a center in Washington State. By December, 1996, I was sitting a course in Washington. This is still shocking to me given my state after my first course. What's more surprising is that I've continued taking courses for 13 years and I just completed 45-days of meditation.

The benefits I have received from sitting and serving courses are really indescribable. If you have never tried a course, all I can say is, "try it!" It's very easy to make all kinds of generalizations or have judgments if you've never done it. If you've tried it, you know that it's not easy. Right away you know when you arrive for orientation that this is going to be work. Hard work. For me, it is the most rewarding, beneficial work I've ever done. Already people have asked me, "What did you do for 45-days?" Well, I meditated. Another question was, "How did you spend your days?" I spent approximately 10 hours per day meditating in a 2 by 6 foot meditation cell and two hours meditating in a hall with other meditators. The cells are only for people who have completed at least one 10-day course. If you are attending a course for the first time, you will sit in a meditation hall with other meditators.

Other than talking to the teacher a few times, I was in silence for 43 days. We had two days of speaking at the end to reintegrate. The other times I was either sleeping, eating, walking or taking care of personal matters. The Vipassana Massachusetts Center provided me with a private room and bathroom, a meditation cell, meals and walking trails. Every center is different and what you are offered depends on what is available and how many people attend the course. People came for 45-days to cook. They volunteered to do this because they have received so many benefits from this practice. Forty-five days is a long time to cook and work. There is no charge for the course either. The courses run on donations. People get so much from these courses, that they feel they want to give. If you serve at the center, they call it "selfless service" . Those who have completed at least one 10-day course can serve. You serve, just to serve. You don't expect anything in return.

In the past, I have had an opportunity to serve on courses and live for a year at the center in Washington and serve as the center manager with my husband. It was so wonderful to live and work in an environment where people are meditating. Most people go into a course a little heavy with whatever emotional and physical pain they've been carrying around with them and come out light, happy and shiny! The transformation that I have seen is truly amazing.

If you look at a picture or see someone meditating, it appears that nothing is happening. We live in such an extroverted society. People, especially in Western society, aren't taught to go inside or to experience what is happening inside of us, yet that is where everything originates. Every emotion or action on the physical level starts inside. I don't want to go into details here on the practice of Vipassana. If you are interested, I suggest you go to the website (http://www.dhamma.org/) where you can learn all about it. All I can say is that through this practice, I do not feel as much anger, pain, worry, or irritation as I used to. As I continue to practice Vipassana meditation, I feel more and more content, peaceful, happy, at ease, and free. I am not perfect, so of course negative emotions creep in, but they are not as strong as they used to be. They don't stay for very long.

Right away I am able to notice the people who received positive benefits from this practice. They are shiny! Their eyes are so bright after a course. They make people feel at ease and comfortable. There actions are positive. They really seem to glow like this woman from Serbia!

In my 45-day course, I sat with people from New Zealand, Chile, Japan, Vietnam, India, Israel, Canada, Burma. People from so many different walks of life and religious backgrounds are sitting together. It's amazing. They listen to instructions in their own languages. I've sat with an army general and a rock star (you'll have to ask me personally, if you'd like to know who...^_^). People come and keep coming because they get something. They feel different. This technique of meditation is very practical. Anyone who is not seriously debilitated mentally or physically can practice this. You don't need to change your country, name, religion or background. You will remain as you are, but you will have a technique or tool that can help you in all of life's ups and downs.

You can start with a 10-day course. Look at the website, I am sure there is one near you!

I write this with the sincere wish that everyone can share what I have experienced. May all of you feel peace and happiness. May all of you be free....