May 17, 2013

Meditation is Hard — But Getting Softer

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happy happy

I have dabbled in meditation here and there over the years but it wasn't until this past February that I found myself sitting in the local buddhist temple, which is a strikingly peaceful oasis to sit and soak in the silence.  And to begin my foray back into mediation.  These Buddhist Monks hail from Sri Lanka and I can't pronounce any of their names except I have recently learned that the equivalent of "Father Sujatha" is "Bhante Sujatha" so I find it's safest to call each of them "Bhante." A few months ago it was all I needed to sit in the beautiful temple to attempt to quiet my … [Read more...]

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May 16, 2013

Going Green, Take Two

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I've been waving to the sunsets for decades now; here's me in Big Sur in 1998

When I think back to the last half of 2012, it occurs to me that I was in a rather suspended mode and did not make many waves as I waited for yet another holiday season to roll on by.  I knew something was up with my mom, but I was not allowed to get too close, so I numbed it out of my mind.  I remember walking out of my office and I could feel my feet walking down the sidewalk, but it felt like my head was staying in the same place.  I was trapped in a tunnel.  It's all rather surreal when I think back, because it was literally right after the holidays ended that my mom went south, after … [Read more...]

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May 9, 2013

Spring has grown legs, finally!

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larkabouts magnnolia

May has finally warmed things up in the Midwest after a never-ending winter, and now the buds, blossoms and green fields are singing everywhere --  I have even spotted a real live elbow or two (a sure sign of spring) while out and about.  I am on Month Two Point Five of my "time out" from the city and I continue to make good on the promise to myself that I would not get bored. Outside of work and school, I intend to find new people, places and things and interesting things to do.  People live here for a reason, right? I'll be honest; Northern Illinois bores me to absolute tears.  I know … [Read more...]

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Apr 27, 2013

The Bounce Back!

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Lake Tahoe

I have never ever been afraid to be out in the world, that was until my mother passed away.  I felt trapped and scared and believe me, that was death to me.  I had a dream that powerful blue waters spoke to me and so I went to them.  I went to the blue green waters and purple green mountains of Lake Tahoe and became alive again! I challenged my heart to give out on me. I begged it to stop dead in it's tracks because it appeared to have been taunting me.  I climbed that mountain and my heart did not stop! Thank you World.   … [Read more...]

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Apr 14, 2013

Woodstock, I never knew you, but I like you

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Yoga Lounge Woodstock

I have been back in Woodstock, Illinois only a short time now, but I will say this; the town has made some welcomed advances that really seem to perk up the town and yank it out of the past.  It can only cling to the fact that the movie Groundhog Day was filmed here for so long, and I'm glad to see that new businesses have sprung up, with more good ones to come (and not one big-name-chain store, that I'm aware of, thankfully). Starting first with the Woodstock Square; I now go here often, whereas in the past, I would only go for Starbucks -- and that was a rarity because I have never been … [Read more...]

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