Perfect Moment Monday -- The Big Apple Part 2

Tom and I in Times Square at night.
Lots of lights!

Each month I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this month.

As part of Tom's curriculum, we had the opportunity to go to New York City together. My parents flew out to PA to do some "teen-sitting." It was PERFECT to have some time alone with Tom to relax with friends, see the city, take in a couple of shows and have a lot of fun.

As part of our trip, we went on Small Group Visits to tour a couple of large organizations. I figured these would be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and was excited to attend.

The organizations we got to see were the New York Container Terminal and the Port Authority.

Wow! I learned a lot about transportation in New York.

Tom at the New York Container Terminal.

The New York Container Terminal is the port where a large number of cargo ships arrive bringing containers full of materials to sell in U.S. and Canadian markets. Large trucks come to the Terminal to load the containers and transport these materials all across the U.S. and Canada.

To get a better understanding of how important this port is, they can access 20% of the U.S. population in under 8 hours with goods, and more than 30% of the population in under 48 hours.That's a lot of hauling!

The Port Authority is responsible for all transit between New Jersey and New York including trains, buses, subways, airplanes and the bridges and tunnels. We got to see one of their emergency control rooms that are "stood up" during times of crisis (see pictures below), which might include things like Hurricane Irene, 9/11, and other situations that require cross-agency communication.

The other Small Group Visit we participated in was to the Suriname Mission (part of the United Nations). The reason we went to Suriname was that Tom has a student in his seminar who is from Suriname, which is located on the northern part of South America. The ambassador from that country, and three of his five staff people, met with us to educate us on their country and their role at the United Nations. It was very interesting.

In addition to our tours, we got to see Wicked (the story that happened before the Wizard of Oz), and my favorite, Rock of Ages. If you grew up during the 80's and liked the music, you would love this show. It was the highlight of our trip.

Add in a little New York shopping, several delicious restaurants, lots of walking in Times Square and staying at an elegant hotel near Times Square, and you have the makings for a Perfect trip.

It was full of Perfect Moments and I'm so grateful for our time away.

Here are some pictures from our trip.

A picture out our hotel window.

The Empire State Building at night.

Grand Central Station.

Hugh Jackman getting into his limousine after his show.
No. You can't really see him, but there was a lot of excitement!

New York City Library which is a cross between a museum and a library. Wow!

Elevator up to the 5th level of the crane at the New York Container Terminal.
We got to ride in the 4-person elevator and take a look around. VERY HIGH!

Looking out from the top of the crane. Don't look down!

Loading and unloading the cargo ship.

Control Room at the NY Port Authority.

It was a great trip FULL of Perfect Moments!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Today is 11/11/11

Today is 11/11/11 and I am writing this at 11:11 a.m. It looks cool, especially on a digital clock, but what does it mean?

Knowing that some of the roots of tarot cards' meanings come from numerology, I thought it would be interesting to look into the meaning of ONES and ELEVENS.

Ones are associated with new beginnings, creation and the start of a new cycle. When doubled, the number 11 becomes a master number and according to Tarot: Plain and Simple, by Anthony Louis, "Eleven is a master number symbolizing insight, spiritual understanding, inspiration, awareness, revelation, illumination, intuition, creativity, idealism, teaching, wisdom, compassion, and enlightenment. In numerology 11 reduces to 1 + 1 = 2., and master number 11 is a higher octave of two." (page 312)

"Two is a number of balance, choice, harmony, moderation, pairs of opposites, duality, polarity, partnership, friendship, relationships, etc..." (page 309).  
 
For me today's date, 11/11/11, is full of insight, spiritual understanding, creativity, wisdom and compassion. I feel Divinely supported as I more fully step into my purpose. So many positive shifts are happening universally and personally. The double "1" invites me to take a fresh look at what's happening in my life, especially new ideas, projects and adventures.

I've recently been doing some introspective work looking at my personal mythology. Personal mythology includes looking at human myths, societal myths, my ancestor's myths and my own to see how they impact my life.

The beauty of doing this work is that I get to re-examine my beliefs and re-shape them according to where I am now, no longer relying on old habits and patterns. I am much more conscious about my choices and my behaviors.

Through this work, I've uncovered some beliefs that will stay because they are still true for me. But there are others that, once viewed with today's wisdom, are being modified or discarded because they no longer serve me. It's deep work that is sometimes refreshing, and at other times heavy and emotional. But I am slowly moving towards a much better understanding of who I am and what influences me.


I welcome the energy of the number 11 to help me continue to find insight, spiritual understanding, compassion and love as I move forward.

With these insights, what does the date 11/11/11 mean for you?

Perfect Moment Tuesday? Visions of Graduation

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

If you have a teenager in high school (or were a teenager in high school not so long ago), you'll relate to this story. It's the battle of "who is holding the reins" as kids grow up. As a parent, when kids are young, you do everything for them...but as they grow up, more and more responsibility shifts towards them.

The conflict as they grow up (especially in the teen years) is how quickly do I (the parent) release the reins? What are they emotionally ready to take over AND what am I emotionally ready to release?  The parents' view of this typically differs (a lot) from the kids' view, which is one of the reasons the teen years can be such a struggle.

This past week served as a Perfect example of this...

Last week Tom and I were fretting over one of James' grades. After trying the nagging approach for the past three semesters (which created a lot of friction between us), we decided to try something different and determined that it is time to hand the reins over to James and see what happens.

Did a slight panic just shoot through your entire body, possibly delaying your heart beat for a split second? If so...my heart did the same thing.

What if it doesn't work? 

But we handed over the reins and jumped off the cliff, hoping that if we needed our parachutes, they would open up to save all three of us.

Lo and behold, after James took the reins, I saw him take a more mature outlook on his grades (including talking about school with us). He seems to be focusing more on his homework and looked online to see what his grades were. It was as if he cared...AND he was relieved that we weren't breathing down his neck.  It's only been a couple of days and the change is slight, there has been an improvement.

It gets even better...Last night we went to a lecture on post about preparing for college.

Are you sitting down? All three teenage boys attended! And they listened. And they got something out of it.

James, Bryce and Ryan heard many of the things we have been telling them about grades, getting involved, volunteering, working, and building a resume. But hearing it from someone else helped them to tune in and get something out of it.

How do I know? One reason I know is because when we got home, James and I had a great conversation about college, getting a job, investments, life insurance, grades, driving, and his expectations of himself.

After this pleasant conversation with such a nice young man, I went to bed with a smile on my face realizing that this nice young man was my first-born!

Bit-by-bit, he is growing up. His attitude last night reinforced our handing over the reins. In many (if not most) of his decisions now, it is up to him. Our job as parents now is to offer support, advice if necessary or when asked, and guide him as he moves through the rest of his high school education.

Will there be bumps in the road? Probably. But at least we continue to move forward. This brings to mind a statement I heard a long time ago while I was teaching parenting education programs (WAY before I had kids of my own):

Our job as a parent is to work our way out of a job.

Seeing this shift in James, ever-so-slightly and sometimes by great leaps, is what makes this transition worth it.

Just thinking about this conversation with James...is Perfect!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Brewing Masters

What the heck is this?
No matter what it looks like, just know that it's Perfect!

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Me the Happy Brewer!

Pictured above is one of our first two cases of home brewed beer! We brewed a Pale Ale and a Scottish Red Ale as part of the Home Beer Brewing course that we are taking while here in PA.

Tom and David check the alcohol content of the new beer.

No, it's not an official class, but we did have homework (including reading our Home Brew manual and collecting and washing brown bottles -- which required some beer drinking). Tough, I know, but in a couple of weeks we will know the results of our efforts. I can't wait for the first official taste!

We met some awesome people who also brewed their own batches of beer, and the instructor of this course, is, well...he's quite adorable. Our instructor David B. is SO passionate about brewing beer and the science behind it. He refers to the fermenting beer as a living organism and "liquid happiness!" His face lights up whenever he is brewing beer or teaching something about the process. He LOVES to brew beer! It's quite admirable.

Sanitizing the bottles and then hanging them
to dry on the bottle tree.

The bottled "liquid loveliness" is ready to sit for two weeks
prior to our first tasting. I can hardly wait!

When I told Tom how impressed I was by David's passion, he said, "Honey, that's the way you are about yoga!" Yes. That's true. I just didn't realize it was so obvious to other people.

The great thing is that we have our recipes, the equipment and the experience to brew more. In fact, we may make it a life-long hobby.

It kinda makes you want to come visit us, doesn't it?

Spending this time with Tom doing something this fun was PERFECT!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Miracles DO Happen

James, Ryan, and Bryce with their blond friend, Jackson in church.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Since moving to PA, we have started going to church at the chapel on post. You won't believe this, but I am part of the Praise and Worship team that sings uplifting songs prior to the service each Sunday. I have met some of the most wonderful people in this group, including a sophomore whose name is Sara. She is a bright young woman with an outgoing personality, an absolutely beautiful voice and a heart of gold.

A couple of weeks ago, she told me she had invited James to church, who unlike his brothers, had not chosen to attend church each Sunday. She was singing a solo and wanted him to come listen.

When the Praise and Worship team met to practice prior to Sunday School, Sara told me she was very nervous about singing her solo in church, but what helped her find her strength was knowing that she was singing this song for James to help him open his heart. As she explained this to me, tears filled my eyes. I was so touched that she cared so much for him (miracle #1).

Sara and I stood next to each other during Praise and Worship and I smiled as I saw James come into the church and sit by his brothers, Ryan and Bryce (miracle #2). They all three smiled, sang along and even got their entire pew moving left and right to the music. They were having fun...in church (miracle #3).

At the offering, Sara and Dan, her accompanist, came back out to set up for her solo. The music started and the entire church was silenced and in awe of this beautiful soul singing out to every person who has lost their way...but especially to James.

Here are the lyrics to the song, "Cry Out for Jesus" that Sara sang this morning:

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

Chorus

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

Chorus

When your lonely (when you're lonely)
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

Chorus

Before she had finished, I had tears in my eyes. My heart was happy and sad all at once. I prayed that James' heart would open, and I realized that my heart was opening too, and that my heart had been sad. Sad about his sadness, grief over losing his father, loss on so many levels, and just having to experience things that nobody his age should have to face.

When Sara ended her beautiful song, the congregation clapped, and James was the only person to stand up as a standing ovation for Sara -- and he didn't care at all that he was the only person standing. I was sitting behind him and as he sat back down, I noticed James was crying. Perhaps his heart had opened, possibly a little bit but maybe even a lot (miracle #4). Ryan was sitting beside James and he was crying too. I moved up next to James and hugged him, both of us crying.

Sara's beautiful voice cut through all of the layers of grief and emotions and reached out to us and to all of the other people in the church (miracle #5). It was absolutely beautiful.

It took me several minutes to find my composure. I couldn't believe so many emotions came pouring out. Even typing this now, I am teary-eyed by the memory.

I am so very touched and moved by what happened today. WOW! Miracles DO happen.

Perfect...

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- The Big Apple!

Strawberry Fields in Central Park -- a dedication to John Lennon.
We took the boys to Strawberry Fields to mark the third
anniversary of the death of their father (my ex-husband), who
loved that era of music. The boys sat on a bench listening
to a great musician playing Lennon's music, and had a
few minutes to remember their Dad.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Over Labor Day weekend, we took the train to New York City and visited Tom's brother, Mike, and his family. Their family is VERY accommodating (and appreciated for being so). Even though they live in a two bedroom apartment on the east side of Central Park, they invited us to stay with them. With all four kids (our three and their one) sprawled out in the living room, and Tom and I in KK's room, we felt quite welcomed, if not a bit cozy.

The famous Nathan's Hot Dogs was our
first stop at Coney Island.

Friday we had great weather and spent the day at Coney Island. No trip to Coney Island would be complete without stopping at Nathan's. My question, "Hey -- where is the vegetarian hot dog???"

We hung out on the beach and relaxed. Tom and the kids got into the water (which had been quite stirred up from Hurricane Irene), and amongst all of these already perfect moments, KK asked me to show her some yoga poses.

Authentic Chinese restaurant in Chinatown
where they hand pull the noodles. Shown
above is the cook throwing the dough,
preparing it for hand-pulling. Delicious!!

We spent at least 30-minutes doing yoga poses together -- experimenting, playing, enjoying our time on the beach. She gave me some tips and showed me some of her own "poses" from her extensive gymnastics background. I felt like I was 12-years old again! It was a great bonding moment for me and my niece. Perfect!!!

Saturday we walked through Central Park and made our way to Hell's Kitchen to find the delicious sushi restaurant we visited last year. Lo and behold...it was all boarded up! So we went to another sushi restaurant just down the street and found a new favorite.

That night Chinatown offered some great shopping and bargaining. KK had previously learned about an authentic Chinese restaurant that hand-pulls the noodles...so we checked it out. We were all amazed that there was a open doorway into the kitchen and we could watch the cook preparing (slamming the dough down onto the counter) the noodles for our delicious meals.

The next morning a walk in a park near Mike and Holly's house was so beautiful and peaceful. It's amazing how the city can be SO loud and within a couple of steps be so quiet and peaceful.

Sunday's excursion was to Times Square (for some more bargain shopping), a Broadway musical, The Addams Family, and dinner at Patsy's to celebrate James' 16th birthday. Do I really have a kid that is 16 years old???

The only caption needed: DELICIOUS!!!

Monday we headed back to Penn Station to get back on the train to head home. The train was very relaxing and provided a great atmosphere for studying, reading, sleeping and relaxing.

The entire weekend was FULL of Perfect Moments!

Here are some additional photos from our trip:

A statue of Peter Pan in a nearby park.

Tom and Holly enjoying our walk.

Boys sleeping on air mattresses in the living room.
We had awesome accommodations and enjoyed (and appreciated) GREAT hospitality.

A quick lunch at Nathan's at Coney Island before hitting the beach.

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Covettes Galore!

This is the car Tom wanted to buy...but didn't.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

This past weekend our new hometown sponsored the Carlisle Corvette show. Even with the warnings of Hurricane Irene, there were a ton of corvettes in a variety of colors, models, years...and conditions.

Tom and I walked around the fairgrounds and he pointed out the ones he thought were cool (pretty much all of them). It was fun to see so many Corvettes all in one place. Amazing!

Here are some pictures from the show:

See the swirling, dark, clouds from Hurricane Irene?

The Pace Car for the Indy 500 in 2007.

A classic...

The two Corvettes that we might possibly be able to afford. :)

Cloudy or not (and no rain, thank goodness)...it was a great time to spend time with my hubby. Perfect!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Tree in a Cornfield

A tree in a cornfield.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Over the weekend the boys all went on a field trip to Hershey Park (Perfect). Before they left for the amusement park, they asked, "Will it smell like chocolate?" I can imagine how wonderful it would be if it did smell like chocolate. Can you gain weight by smelling calories??

Tom and I had the day to ourselves (Perfect), which we filled with a great workout, a delicious lunch in an Italian Pizza restaurant, reading out on our patio, and running on the Appalachian trail, a part that runs by several cornfields.

Having never run in a cornfield before, I stopped to look at the corn stalks (to confirm that they only grow one ear per stalk). In addition, I paused to do a yoga pose, Vrksasana (or Tree pose). Too bad my kids weren't there to say, "Mom!!! Really? Right here? Do you have to???"

The weather was beautiful, the run was so new and different...and it went by really fast (which is the sign of a good run). In short, it was perfect.

I confirmed that there is only one ear per stalk.

Enjoying lunch with my Sweetie in a delicious Italian Pizza restaurant. Perfect!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- DC In August

WWII Memorial at night with the
Washington Monument in the background.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Last week, our oldest son, James, had one of his friends, K, visit us in PA to check out our new home. The boys had a great time hanging out, sleeping, eating, sleeping...and did I mention sleeping? It's amazing how much teenagers can sleep!

There were some great Perfect Moments last week including Bryce and Ryan riding their bikes to a friend's house, and discovering the freedom of having transportation and the ability to explore our beautiful town.

When Bryce and Ryan returned from their bicycle trek and I suggested James and K take the bikes out, James adamantly said, "I don't ride bikes." But sure enough, not a day later, he and K were out on bikes riding downtown to get some pizza and custard.

Perfect!

Over the weekend, we took the boys to Washington DC for an overnight before we took K to the airport in Baltimore on Sunday.

While in Washington, we gave James and K times to go exploring on their own (with money, of course). K had never been to DC before and we wanted him to see some of the sights. Should I mention that some of their exploring time was spent in the hotel room sleeping???

Tom and I took the twins to explore and even had some time with just the two of us. One of the best times was Saturday night when we set off from our hotel about 10 p.m. and walked the mall. It was a long walk, but the evening was beautiful to take in all of the beautiful memorials...and it's amazing how many people are out that late at night.

Here are some photos from our trip:

Tom and I ran Sunday morning
by the U.S. Capitol in a drizzly rain.
It's amazing and ironic how so much and so
little can happen all in the same building.

Lincoln Memorial at night. Very powerful.

Of course, much to the chagrin of my teenagers,
I had to do a yoga pose (in public).
Did Abe do yoga??

We visited the National Museum of American History.
The first car I drove was a Honda (matic) like this
(except it was the station wagon version in light blue).
Great memories for me as my first kid starts to drive.

Our trip was...FULL of Perfect Moments!!!

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

What is 8/8/11 About?

I just wrote in my journal and noticed that it is 8/8/11. With two 8's and two 1's, there's got to be some significance to this...and so I started looking into it.

• Eights are about order, organization and strength. They can symbolize advancement, stability, cycles, setting priorities and accomplishment.
• Ones are about starting a new cycle, trying something new, the beginning of projects and trying a different approach to starting new things.

How does this apply to your life? Maybe start by asking a couple of questions:

• In relation to the 8's: Where am I seeking order in my life? What needs my attention? What priorities are most important (see Rice and Walnut example below)? What cycles have created stability and how can I build on that foundation?
• In relation to the 1's: What is new in your life? What would you like to bring into your life more fully? How could a new beginning in your life benefit you and others?

Personal example:

Most of you know that we recently moved from Colorado to Pennsylvania for a temporary assignment in my husband's career. Leaving my home of over 20 years, and the boys' only home they have known, we are experiencing LOTS  of new beginnings. Some of them exciting, some seem painful, uncomfortable and new.

My time has been consumed by organizing for the move, and then unpacking and setting up our new home. As each item falls into place, there is a feeling of more stability and comfort (organizing is EIGHT energy).

When we first got here I constantly found myself subtracting two hours off the clock and wondering what was going on in Colorado.

But now, I am on Eastern time and only occasionally deduct the two hours to think about what's going on "back home," mostly because I have a new home...here...now.

I have on my plate a smorgasbord of choices of how to spend my time. The soldier students have started school and the spouses are being invited to participate in all kinds of activities -- from recreation to fitness to educational to family to you name it! (new beginnings are ONE energy)

In our Spouses Briefing last week, the General came in to welcome the mostly female spouses. After a touching slide show of his family (he has three sons as well), he gave a demonstration that I have seen before, but it is a GREAT reminder of how to set priorities. I call it the Walnut and Rice example and here's how it goes:

The General lifted up a jar that was completely full of six walnuts and rice. He separated the walnuts from the rice as he dumped the rice into another glass jar and set the walnuts on the table.

He explained that the jar represented all of your life, and each of the walnuts represented a different priority for each of us. The priority was based on our values, in other words, what was most important to us.

He held up the first walnut and said, "Perhaps your top priority is your family -- getting your kids to their activities, family dinners, etc. Another priority (he held up the second walnut) may be your education. And yet another one could be your health (he held up a third walnut)."

"And then there's the rice," he explained. "What's life without the carbs?" he said and explained that the rice represented all of the many fun activities, options, opportunities available to each of us every day...all of them sounding so appealing!"

He explained how tempting it is to be presented with LOTS of options and want to immediately put them into the jar. He poured the rice from one jar into the empty one.

The General continued to explain and demonstrate, "But, if you fill your jar first with the rice," he said holding up the rice-filled jar, "then the walnuts may not fit in like they did before," he said as he jammed the walnuts on top of the rice...stacking on top, but not fitting into the jar.

He continued, "If you are not careful and don't prioritize your life, the walnuts (top priorities and values) don't fit into your life (jar), and you find that you are busy tending to all of the rice, while the important walnuts get shoved out."

"As you might imagine," he said, "a life without the important walnuts can feel busy, but empty...and we know that all six walnuts and the rice CAN fit into the jar, if we do it in the proper order."

Over the weekend, both Tom and I talked about and prioritized our "walnuts" and our "rice," in an effort to fill our "jar" with the most important things first.

Today's date, 8/8/11 emphasizes the importance of this lesson for me. It's important to think about the walnuts and the rice in my jar (life) and use my best organizational skills (a characteristic of the 8), to prioritize and begin to pour my energy (a characteristic of the 1) into the most important areas of my life...the things I value the most.

What are your walnuts? What is the rice? And MOST importantly, what are you going to do to use your 8 energy to fill your life with what's most important?

Perfect Moment Monday -- Pass the Parmesan Cheese, Please!

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

My Blogging Confession..."Forgive me, readers, for I have taken a breather. It's been over a month since my last blog post." :)

OK. I feel better getting that off my chest!

The great news is that I have lots to write about...so let's start with a Perfect Moment.

We've been living in Pennsylvania for a little over three weeks (driving here from Colorado). Since everything is new, we've all been going through LOTS of adjustments.

Our house is different. Our community is different. Our routine is completely different. Everything feels new and different.

The only thing that is not different is the people in our family. But even that is not a true statement. I am watching each of us change as we move from day to day. Here's an example:

Tom and I were sitting with Bryce and Ryan (the 14-year old twins) at the table. That afternoon we had registered them for school and were given the materials to select their specific courses when we meet with their counselor, about two weeks away.

At dinner, we looked through the catalogs to determine the requirements, classes, credits, etc. The tension was building as Tom wanted to discuss the options and the boys were stuck on a "NO" stance. It seemed that for each door, each opportunity that we were opening for them, they were immediately shutting it (and sometimes slamming it).

The tension reached an all-time high. Tom got up from the table and said, "I've had enough."

Bryce and Ryan tried to apologize, but their efforts seemed less than genuine and only escalated Tom's frustration. So much so that he (are you sitting down?)...unplugged the wireless Internet. You would have thought he cut off their right legs!

The boys immediately wanted to talk to me because any effort they made to talk to Tom was flatly refused. Bryce and Ryan explained their frustrations and their feelings...and I listened.

I went upstairs to talk to Tom, who shared his frustration and his feelings. As with most confrontations, both sides had legitimate concerns, but NO communication was happening and so the problem remained unsolved.

I was in the middle, listening to both sides, but unable to help them communicate to each other. Until I saw one of the boys tapping on their beds with the drumsticks we had gotten them from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one of our great sight-seeing stops we took on our trek east.

The "talking stick." Yes. We could use the talking stick to help us communicate.

We all gathered in the living room as I explained how the talking stick works. You can only talk when you hold the stick. When you pass the stick, the second person explains what they heard the first person say and the second person asks for confirmation that they heard and interpreted correctly. The second person then goes on to express their thoughts and feelings...passing the stick (to the next person who would like to speak) when they are done.

And so it went. We passed the stick around the room doing some of the best active listening (communicating) I have ever witnessed my family doing...ever. And, we were able to each express our frustrations, our thoughts and our feelings...and know that we were heard and understood.

The talking stick slows down the conversation, but it is SO much more effective.

A couple of nights later, when all five of us (James included) were finishing dinner, we had the same type of discussion, but this time we used our Parmesan cheese as "the talking stick"...and it worked again. We had a great discussion where each person felt heard and understood. It doesn't mean we all agreed, but there was a common understanding, love and respect that we had for each other.

A love for our sameness and for our differences.

The joke now in our family when a difficult subject arises is someone saying..."Pass the Parmesan cheese please," which means they would like to talk, be heard, listen and respond.

Watching his unfold and thinking/hoping that each of the boys would take these skills with them into their own relationships, their work situations, their own families and communicate effectively...was Perfect.

Could you please pass the Parmesan Cheese?

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Hanuman Yoga Festival

Seane Corn (think cover of Yoga Journal) and I
at the Hanuman Festival 2011.

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "Perfect Moment Monday" is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

This year for my birthday and Mother's Day, I asked for a yoga retreat, not knowing that my special weekend would be right around the corner.

The first annual Hanuman Festival was hosted in beautiful Boulder Colorado. I got the luxury of taking four days of a variety of yoga classes -- asanas/poses, philosophy, etc. as well as connecting to a much larger yoga community. It was four days FULL of Perfect Moments!

Prior to attending, I wasn't familiar with the story of Hanuman, a monkey god who is known for his service, strength, devotion...and his ability to jump (think about hurdling forward into the splits, or what is called Hanumanasana in sanskrit.) 

Several of my classes were held in a large tent
on the lawn of the local high school, near a babbling creek.
Perfect for yoga!

Hanuman's story is told as part of the Hindu Mythological story, The Ramayana...of which before the Hanuman Festival, I knew little to nothing about the monkey and could barely do the pose that bears his name.

As you might imagine, many of the classes were centered on hip and hamstring openers, in preparation for doing the splits.

One of the classes that took my practice to the next level was presented by Tiffany Cruikshank. The class was called, "The Anatomy of Inversions."

Not only did Tiffany give us the technique and opportunity to try several inversions, but she explained the anatomy behind building a strong foundation in the shoulder girdle...so the pose makes sense not only to my body, but to my mind as well.

Over the past two weeks, I have been enamored with  being upside-down. Right after I returned from Boulder, I jumped up with both legs into handstand (next to the wall, of course), but I bet after some practice, I will be just as comfortable in handstand as I am in Warrior II (at least I hope).

The Dushanbe Tea House...DELICIOUS!

One of my practices was with the dynamic yogini, Kathryn Budig (think Toe Socks "naked" ads) -- she WAS wearing clothes during our practice. And MC Yogi and his wife Amanda Giacomini. There were a couple of local yogis, Simon Park and Jeanie Manchester. ALL of my classes were fabulous!!

The restaurants in Boulder are fabulous. I loved all of the healthy options and the culture and freedom of the community was apparent as I walked down the streets of the Pearl Street Mall.

My sister, Lavender Luz, and I attended Thursday sessions and then went to the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder (see picture).

Hula Hooping in Boulder...very yoga!

There were SO many vendors on the lawn with a variety of products and offerings. I took advantage of watching partner asanas (poses) and trying a hula hoop, which is an activity I loved as a kid.

Why do we forget to do fun things like hula hoop and handstands as we get older?

The one part of the Hanuman Festival you may have heard about was the porta-potty-peeper. Check out this Denver news story. By the way, the Peeping Tom has been apprehended. AND I did NOT use any of the porta-potties during my four days at the Festival. And...the Peeper was caught this past week. What a "poop-head," literally!

All I can say is "EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

The other PERFECT thing that happened is that I gained a deeper understanding of my yoga practice and lots of tips, poses and sequencing that I can use while teaching students.

One last yoga-related Perfect Moment that happened in the past two weeks was that I received my 200-RYT certification from Yoga Alliance. I guess that I'm now on my way to earning my 500-RYT. Yeah!

As I type this, it brings back so many great, perfect memories. I am so grateful to be able to attend this yoga festival. A special thank you to my husband and family for giving me this wonderful gift! 

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to WriteMindOpenHeart.com by clicking here.