365 Inspirations—91: THREE MONTHS of Daily Blogging!

Photo of Mt. Rainier in WA on way to Las Vegas. 

"You just have to keep on doing what you do. It's the lesson I get from my husband; he just says, Keep going. Start by starting."—Meryl Streep

I've been blogging every single day for one-fourth of a year! I made it to April 1st, and it's not a joke! I really did it.

I'm inspired by the fact that I kept it going for THREE solid months—91 posts this year!

I'm taking things step by step...but so far I'm still here.

I just started a new quarter at school and it was a really long evening. I taught for 5 hours straight (from 4:50-9:40PM). I felt a bit delirious when I got home, but here I am, an hour before the clock strikes midnight, writing a post!

I'm going to go celebrate now by taking a bath, eating a few choclate-covered macadamias, and reading a book.

I'm wiped out!

More soon from the land of blogging!

Have you ever done anything for 90 days straight or THREE whole months? (not including the regular brushing your teeth and going to the bathroom) 

365 Inspirations—90: Cherry Blossoms

"Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."—Khalil Gibran

The cherry blossoms are in FULL BLOOM at the University of Washington. There's been so much sun in WA since we got back from Hawaii that it's almost overwhelming. Not a cloud in the sky at 4:05pm!

So, after a vigorous yoga class, we drove down to the University and had some Thai food and then walked over to the campus and saw the gorgeous cherry blossoms.

Everyone was out and about and enjoying the beautiful weather and flowers.

My husband has really bad allergies in spring. I think he's allergic to grass. He didn't have them until he came to the USA.

Even though he loved seeing the flowers, we couldn't stay too long due to the grass and other pollen that is out and about this time of year.

For some reason, he wasn't allergic to any flowers in Hawaii. He was allergy-free. It just may be the place we settle down someday.

For now, we are enjoying all the beauty in Washington and all this nice weather. Things truly transform when the sun comes out, don't you think?

Is it spring where you are? Have you had a chance to get outside and enjoy it?

365 Inspirations—89: Bright Sun and Low Tide Beach Walking

"The land was not the arctic waste commonly envisioned, but a fertile paradise; Puget Sound, said one rhapsodic report, was 'the Mediterranean of the Northwest'"— David Lavender 

Today we went down to Richmond Beach in Shoreline and the tide was so far out that we could walk on these amazing sandbars. Normally the walk is quite short on this beach due to high tide, but today it seemed like we could walk forever if we wanted to.

We saw barefoot prints in the sand and seagull prints too.

The Olympic Mountains seemed HUGE. It felt like we could reach out and touch them.

Today I felt like Hawaii had followed us to Seattle. It is on days like today that I reconsider my thoughts about moving.

There is absolutely no place like Seattle or Washington State when it is sunny. The air is so fresh and mixed with the smell of salt water and seaweed. The sights, sounds and smells were overwhelming today. We even saw an eagle take flight over our head.

I'm so happy we ventured out today and got to walk in the bright sun at low tide. It was a beautiful day for beach walking!

Have you gone beach walking lately?

365 Inspirations—88: Full Moon and Movie Night

"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."—George Carlin


It's after midnight and the full moon is huge. Yoon and I went to see Stephanie Meyers's new movie called The Host. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen but it had some interesting concepts about humans and aliens.

I did not read the book. Perhaps I should now. It's a sci-fi sort of night out. I feel I'm still not back from my trip and for some reason blogger is composing in a very strange font. We'll see what happens when I push publish.

I'm on inspiration 88. I may only go to 100. I'm still debating this. It's been hard being online every single day. I did it for one year before, but I'm feeling different about it this time.

 While on vacation on The Big Island, it was very hard to keep up with this blog. The energy of the island was so pure and I wanted to be completely immersed in where I was without the use of technology. I don't know. Maybe I'm changing? Maybe I'm ready to write my next book or change where I live. It's one of those mysterious nights. It will all change tomorrow. Good night everyone. Hope you got to see the moon.

 Question for you today: Do you think the moon affects people's moods?

365 Inspirations—87: Video of Yoon's Yoga Bliss Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii

"Your dream is real."—Seong Yoon Lee

My inspiration today is this video I created because I was inspired to do so. It took me a very long time, but I think it captures everything we experienced on our retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii. I hope to see you at our next one! Enjoy the video and let me know what you think!

Have you ever created a video before for friends?

365 Inspirations—86: Beauty in Nothingness

"I want to live in communion with nature. I want to hear her calls and her messages. I want to listen deeply. For there, I believe, all the answers lie."—Katherine Jenkins

Beauty can be found everywhere in Hawaii. Everywhere you look there are palm trees and flowering trees like hibiscus and plumeria. Where we stayed in Kapoho, the trees and leaves towered over us on many roads. It felt like we were in the jungle. Nature out there is vibrating and pulsating.

But in the Volcano National Park, you can see the starkness of nature. You can see how the lava flow took everything with it and how it took millions of years for just one plant or insect to make its appearance again. Still, on many parts of The Big Island, that nothingness is there.

I think this is the beauty of the island. It has primordial feel. You start to understand how the world began. There's wind, earth, fire and water. All the natural elements mingling together to give new life.

On the Big Island, I understood so much more. I realized that humans, with all there gadgets and technology, have perhaps lost touch with where we came from and how we came here. That perhaps we aren't the most intelligent beings.

On the Big Island, I saw locals communicate with dolphins and swim with them. I saw that they had a connection to the wildlife and the emptiness there. They were all interconnected.

Have we lost this?

I've never felt more alive than I have on this island. Even though I live in Washington State, which is known for its nature, mountains and trees, it also has an urban sprawl like all other cities.

In most cities, everything is created for the comfort of humans with not much thought about how nature plays a part in it all.

Seeing this red flower blooming brightly in the blackness of the crater in Hawaii brought me back to a time before humans. A time when the earth lived in harmony with all that was around it.

There was a time when humans communicated with this nature, when life was centered around it.

I want to live in communion with nature. I want to hear her calls and her messages. I want to listen deeply. For there, I believe, all the answers lie.

Do you commune with nature often? Where do you do this and how do you feel?

365 Inspirations—85: The Geo-Thermal Hot Pool, Big Island, HI

"Look into nature, and then you will understand everything better."—Albert Einstein

We are on the plane heading to Oakland, CA where we will stay a night before we head on to Seattle. We had an amazing trip on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was really hard for me to leave. I feel like the Big Island really fits my personality and it’s a place I would consider living.

Of course, I also said that about Sedona, AZ where we also had a yoga retreat. Every place we go seems like a place I’d love to live. 

One of our nightly rituals was to soak in the Geo-Thermal Hot Pool on the Hilo side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

After hiking, doing yoga or other strenuous exercise, this pool was just what the doctor ordered and very unique to the Big Island. I do not know of any other Hawaiian island that has this kind of pool.

It is warm, but not super hot like hot springs. I’d say the water is around 85 to 90 degrees. It’s just perfect. It’s like sitting in a bath at home. The water is so soft. 

It’s a salt-water hot pool because the water comes in from the ocean and is heated geo-thermally by the hot volcano rocks. I’m sure there are lots of natural mineral deposits.

It was such a relaxing end to our day for our group. You could also snorkel in the hot pond, but we found out an even better place to snorkel within walking distance of our house. I’d never seen so many kinds of coral and fish. These were also pools that were protected from the rough ocean, but they weren’t as hot as the hot pool.

Kapoho, where we stayed with our yoga group was the perfect place. It had so many unique features and I experienced so many new things. 

Some of the highlights besides the hot pond were walking on Pele, an active volcano, snorkeling in coral reef pools with amazing fish right near our house, beautiful canopies of all sorts of jungle-looking trees on our trips to different sights, the sunrise every morning near our house, whales breeching right in front of my eyes while watching the sunrise, doing yoga and swimming with dolphins on a black sand beach.

Most of all, I can’t forget the bonding experience with our group. The time we spent together was the most precious time. I’m sure we will all remember it fondly.

What was the best part of a trip you recently took?

365 Inspirations—84: Black Sand Beach Yoga and Swimming with Spinner Dolphins

"The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it."—Jacques Yves Cousteau

Today, our last full day on the island, we headed off to a black sand beach that is a popular place for swimming with spinner dolphins. Most of the people were local there so it had a very laid back feel.

When we arrived, we put our stuff down on the beach and rested a bit and then did a bit of yoga on the beach with our group. It seemed like the locals had the same idea. It was 8:00AM and lots of people were down on the beach doing yoga.

I decided to grab a water noodle and go for a swim. While I was out there, everyone was pointing to my right and then right before my eyes a spinner dolphin emerged out of the water and put on a show for me. Soon many people were in the water.

There must have been dozens of dolphins out there in pods. People grabbed snorkeling gear and swam with them under the water.

My husband Yoon floated by on a noodle and he had a mask and snorkel on. He let me put it on and I put my face down under the water and saw dozens of them swimming right under my legs! I have never seen dolphins under the water and to see so many of them at once right up close was amazing!

Above the water, the dolphins continued to put on a show. They jumped, back flipped, spun around, and flapped their tales. It was great fun and I felt really close to them.

I love being so immersed with nature here in Kapoho. This is not the tourist side, so it feels really wild. It 's been so wonderful to be so close to whales and dolphins and really feel the energy of that experience.

I will definitely be back!

When was a time you felt very close to nature? How did it feel?

365 Inspirations—83: Sharing

“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”—Charlotte Brontë 

It's been so great being in Hawaii with the group of people we are with. We share everything here: cooking, cleaning, creating plans for the day, etc. Yoon teaches yoga classes and I held a workshop tonight on writing and collaging.

We are a mini community way off in the middle of nowhere in Kapoho near the coast on The Big  Island of Hawaii.

I've gotten so much from this group and it's really been quite the exchange.

It's very different a regular trip or vacation. Our purpose is to tune into ourselves and also to tune in to each other as a group.

Sharing things with a group allows you to offer yourself. Practicing yoga and spending time together bring so much joy and happiness.

Tonight's collaging session made me very happy to be with such wonderful people.

This is a trip I'm sure all of us will not forget.

Do you find happiness from sharing with a community of people?

365 Inspirations—82: Walking on Pele, an Active Volcano

 

"Pele is the goddess of fire, lightning, wind and volcanoes. She is a popular figure in many stories of ancient Hawaii."—Wikepedia

Last night at around 10pm, a group of us decided to head out into the night with flashlights and not much more than a map and the clothes on our backs. We wanted to walk on a lava field formed by Kīlauea Volcano, an active volcano on The Big Island of Hawaii, in order to see hot lava flow into the sea.

The goddess who is said to live in the Volcano is called Pele.

She was calling us. I was hesitant.

How would we find her? It's not easy to access her burning, molten rock at night without a guide, but the group was determined.

As we were driving down a dark red, dirt road, I could smell the gases of the volcano. We drove down a forbidden access road with signs everywhere that said No Public Access or Road Closed, but we kept going, ignoring all these signs.

Pele was calling and no sign was going to stop us.

Houses started appearing along the desolate road. They had been built right over the lava. We paid one of the owners of a house to park and off we went in to the darkness.

In the distance we saw the huge flames of the fire. We walked over uneven, crunchy lava rock in the direction of this fire. Here's what it looked like below our feet:

It was tough terrain and very hard to see. It was how I imagined walking on the moon would be like.

Nothing but us for miles and no clear path in the dark!

Were we crazy? What if met with active lava? What if we fell in a crevasse? I didn't even bring a flashlight. Fortunately, someone in our group gave me one, but the batteries were dying fast.

 I was wearing very thin sneakers and socks, my yoga pants and my pajama top (since I decided at the last minute to go), we were hardly outfitted for an expedition over smoking lava rock to the fire falling off the volcano into the sea.

It was a clear night and the almost-full moon was bright. The contrast of the light of the moon over the blackness of the lava rock was striking. Even more striking was the fire in the distance.

I suggested we walk towards the ocean and watch the fire falling into the sea. It just seemed too dangerous to walk right up the fire and I felt the rocks were getting hot under my feet. Here's what Pele's fire looked like through my iPhone:

One adventurous member of our group, James, walked ahead to see how close we could get. He came back to tell us it was too hot.

We opted to watch the fire from the lava rock sea cliff.

We all sat in a circle the uneven lava at the edge of a sea cliff. The waves were so huge, at times they splashed up and over this cliff. In our sitting circle, we meditated on the lava spewing out along the waters edge in the distance. We sat like that for quite some time.

The road home was just as rough. We also realized that while it was pretty easy to find where we were going (just walk towards the fire), it wasn't so easy to find our way back.

There were no clear trails out there and we hadn't taken a clear path.

We walked along the waters edge and eventually came to a house and decided to take a red-dirt path between the lava back towards what we hoped was our car.

But looks were deceiving in the dark and we got genuinely lost and by now it was almost 1:30AM. We were getting delirious and we were tired. We ended up walking an extra mile out of our way and finally, realizing that we weren't going to make it with our heads, I did something that surprised me.

I prayed to Pele, the volcano goddess we were walking on. I asked her to show us the way.

I let everything go and let the moon fill me up. I let the smells and the sights engulf me. I walked in silence. I looked up at the sky and saw a huge cloud aura around the moon. I felt I was in another world.

I let go.

I felt my breath. I didn't try anymore.

And we arrived.

Driving home, we ended up on a coastal road. Wild boar stopped us, their beady eyes peering out from Tarzan trees. The trees seemed alive. We were in the wild.

I'm not sure how we made it home really, but all I can say is I will never forget that night.

Have you gone on a crazy adventure that you'll never forget?

365 Inspirations—81: Gardens

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."—Thomas Jefferson

Hilo is a place that bursting with life in the garden area. It's hard to contain all the sights and sounds of this place. It's overwhelming at times.

My husband is conducting a yoga retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are in Hilo, Hawaii. Our place is located close to all these amazing thermal snorkeling pools. They are very warm and perfect for swimming!

This afternoon we visited the Botanical Gardens in Hilo. In the 70s, a couple bought a large plot of land that was wild and a bit trashy and, over the course of several years, groomed it into an outstanding botanical park right on the ocean.

Some of the plants simply didn't seem real to me. I felt like I was in a Sci Fi movie walking through the park. Hilo has a primal feeling. It feels like how the earth must have been before humans were introduced.

The gardens here have inspired me to do some gardening myself when I return home, but for now I'm going to enjoy all the sights and sounds of this place!

Do you have a green thumb? Do you like to garden?

365 Inspirations—80: The Big Island

"Hawaii is not a state of mind, but a state of grace."—Paul Theroux

This evening we all walked down the street, through a tree tunnel and out onto pumice rocks and geo thermal pools with the roaring ocean in the distance. We sat down on the hot rocks and meditated in the moonlight. Suddenly I felt the entire moon fill me up. There was a circle around the moon, like a big aura and the stars were so clear.

We are out here in the middle of the ocean on The Big Island of Hawaii. Everything is lava rock in Kona, but Hilo is bursting with life—a rebirth if you will. Everything is humming and buzzing and growing. I feel like we are nestled in a great big jungle. Our house is like a tree house and life is pulsating here. The sights and sounds are overwhelming and heavenly all at the same time.

We've forgotten what day it is, what time it is, what month it is...we've forgotten about plans. We follow the flow. This place does something to you. Makes you stop and breathe and rest and tune in.

The Big Island is calling me. It's telling me to stay for a while. It's telling me it has some stories to share. And I want to listen...........

Is there a place that calls to you?

365 Inspirations—79: Plumeria

"Plumeria flowers represent spring and new life. They are also associated with beginning or birth of something. This flower has a special meaning in the Hawaiian culture as it symbolizes everything good in it. It also stands for paragon or flawlessness."—from Buzzle.com

I'm in Kona and the smell of Plumeria and other tropical flowers are everywhere! No Internet here now, so I'll type more when I find Internet! Typing a blog post on an iPhone is hard....more soon!

What is your favorite flower?

365 Inspirations—78: Genuinely Organized by Karen Cafarella

"You don't have to spend hours to get organized. A little goes a long way."—Karen Cafarella

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting author Karen Cafarella in person. She read my book Lessons from the Monk I Married and we've been in contact through my blog. She even hosted Yoon and I at her lovely home in Phoenix last October when we were en route to Sedona, AZ for a Yoon's Yoga Bliss Retreat.

We had such a lovely visit! She even knitted us scarves! While chatting in her living room over snacks and drinks, I learned that Karen is also an author of a book and workbook about getting organized called Genuinely Organized: A Simple Guide to a Clutter Free Life. As I sit here at my desk, which is cluttered beyond belief, I wish I could channel Karen or that she'd magically appear to help me out. Karen sometimes makes house calls in her area to help people de-clutter. For now, I'm going to start with her book and workbook. Organization has never been my strong point, but I'd like to make changes. Here's my interview with Karen:

1. Have you always been an organized person? If not, when did you start to become interested in organizing? 

 I look back at my childhood and remember how I used to organize my Barbie's clothes as well as my closet and dresser drawers, so I guess I have always been an organized person!

2. Do you think organizational skills are something we learn or something we are born with? 

 I think anyone can be organized.  You don't have to be born with that gene..ha, ha.  It just takes a little practice to make it feel more "normal" than something that is a struggle.

3. I know you have worked with people professionally by helping them get organized. How do you approach a person's mess and disorganization and not make that person feel overwhelmed? 

 The most important thing for me is to make them feel comfortable.  I always let my clients know that they can keep everything they have, I am just there to organize them.  Since I am not making anyone get rid of anything they feel comfortable and usually fill up my 4Runner with the stuff they want to donate.  

4. Do you think a disorganized person can learn to be organized? How long will it take ^_^!?  

I don't believe anyone is disorganized.  Everyone just has their own way of doing things.  I don't have a right way or wrong way of getting organized because we all have different ideas of how we want our home or work place.  As far as how long it will take, it is really up to you.  If I am helping a client, I only work with them maximum 4 hours in a day.  I find they get exhausted after that and then I come back the next day or week depending on what needs to be done.  

5. To be honest, I'm not an organized person. Where do you recommend I start organizing things and how often each day do I need to organize? 

 I would recommend you start with a closet.  If you want to organize your whole house you need to start slowly and for just a small amount of time.  The key is when you start with your closet you don't move on to anything else until that closet is done.  Also, as you clean out, put the stuff you want to donate into the car.  This way it is out of sight and when you pass a donation center you can just drop it off.  Again, really it is up to you how much time you spend.  It really depends on how busy you are each day.  I have found that most people,  once they start and see the results, can't wait to continue.

6. How do I keep up being organized and not slip off the wagon?

 Everyone slips off the wagon!! But don't chastise yourself for it.  Just get back into it.  After you have gotten your area, whether it be your home or office organized; to keep it up you should look at the whole area every few months.  Some of us obsessed organizing types do it much more often...ha, ha.  

7. As soon as I clean or organize something, everything gets cluttered again. How can I solve this problem? 

You have to look at what is getting cluttered again.  Is it the kitchen counter top?  What type of items are you putting on there.  Is it the bedroom? Is it clothes everywhere?  Make notice for a few days what is cluttering up the space and deal with it a little at a time until it becomes a habit.  For instance, if it is the mail, when you pick the mail up go through it right then and there.  Discard what isn't needed and place what is needed at your desk or wherever you do your bills.  

8. What prompted you to write Genuinely Organized: A Simple Guide to a Clutter Free Life?

 I love to organize and wanted to share what I had found helped people over the years.  I kept it very short because I feel no one who wants to get organized wants to read 100 pages or more on how to get organized.  I wanted it to be short and to the point  with tips to help get people started.

9. What do you hope your readers will get from both your book and workbook? 

 I hope with the book, people will see that you don't have to spend hours (unless of course you want to) to get organized.  A little goes a long way.  In the workbook,  I hope for it to be used as a guide and people will see how easy it truly is to get organized.

10. Any suggestions on how to keep on top of things when one is very busy?

  I think I keep repeating myself but it is so worth repeating, just do a little a day.  A drawer, a closet, the countertop.  You don't have to tackle it all at one time. When you try to do too much it is overwhelming.

11. Do you have any final comments?  

Keep it simple!  Thank you so much Katherine for inviting me to do this interview.  

Thanks for being here Karen! Now off I go to get ORGANIZED!

Karen and I at her house last October

Karen Cafarella lives and organizes in Phoenix, AZ.  She has written about organizing for her community paper and has spoken at women's groups.  Her other passion is yoga. Her books are available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Genuinely-Organized-Simple-Guide-Clutter/dp/1438269390



And a questions now for my readers....

Are you an organized person?

365 Inspirations—77: Packing my BRIGHT PINK suitcase

"If I'd known how much packing I'd have to do, I'd have run again."—Harry S. Truman

Not ALL bags look alike.

I shouldn't have any trouble spotting my mine, it's BRIGHT PINK! Don't ask what inspired me to buy this glowing thing. The handle fell off my last one, so I got this one recently. It's a hard-case Samsonite carry-on. It should do the trick!

Just finished entering grades and doing lots of last minute running around before our trip.  I went to the bank, drugstore and post office. Now I have to get ready to go to school to proctor a test from 7:30-9:40pm! It's going to be a VERY LATE night AND we have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to get on a bus, the link rail and then our flight to Hawaii.

I still haven't really packed!

Well, I've sort of packed, but it's not in any organized fashion. I'm sure I'll forget something, but there are always stores, right?

Anyway, got to go get organized now.

P.S.—Tomorrow I have a very special author who will be appearing here to talk about her new book and tips related to it. I think you'll all like it. It goes well with the season. I'll give you a hint: THINK spring cleaning! Don't miss out. Stop by here tomorrow to learn more!

AND THERE WILL BE MORE BLOGGING COMING SOON FROM THE LAND OF ALOHA........STAY TUNED....

Do you often feel rushed before you go on a trip? Do you pack several days before or the last minute?