Love, humor and pictures over the holidays

In true holiday spirit I have come to share... some photos anyway. I can't explain how fabulous it has been to have a digital camera. As always, I'm late to pick up a trend, but I'm overjoyed at the ease at which I can photograph and post. Some of you I'm sure have moved on to more advanced, fancier things, but I am just happy with this little bit of enlightenment!

These first two pictures are from Dec. 2, 2006 -when James took me to a fabulous Persian restaurant for dinner for my birthday. I was informed that this event could not take place on my actual birthday due to the distance it was from home. And sure enough by the time we had driven up the BQE and were heading off on the Long Island Expressway, I was adequately convinced. Apparently Patough - the restaurant in question - is in Queens, but it was a good 45mins out so I am not totally buying that! Regardless, we ate or ordered for 6 despite the obvious presence of only two of us and had 2 nights worth of left overs!

Some of you may not know this adorable cat below and if not: welcome to Bugsy! We adopted her after a very rough start to her existence at the Barn on Strohmaier farm in VT. She was only 2 weeks old when her mom and siblings snuck into the night and left her to wander around till death came a-knocking. Thanks to Sonny she was brought to the house, very skinny and with one eye literally bulging out. The vet gave her antibiotics, Gigi, James and I (who were visiting at the time) fed her with an eye dropper, and after 4 days it was impossible to say goodbye. No cuter creature exists at this point. She has since lost the horrendous pop eye, but kept the name Bugsy. And now she's HUGE! So here she is just a week or so ago, trying hard to concentration on the television. Of course with one eye who's to blame her! (Notice how she likes to show her good side!) James on the other hand seems to be concentrating equally hard though I clearly see two eyeballs in his head. Hmm, time for glasses anyone?


And last but not least, a last minute visit from Jess brings out the 16 year old in us! We had a most pleasant brunch at Loulou in Fort Greene, followed by a pick up at Juniors of a yummy strawberry cheesecake (for later, please note!) And then a walk around DUMBO beginning at Jacques Torres for the most incredible Hot Chocolate, and wandering over to the water for sunset views of the city. All in all a well spent afternoon!

The art of starting over, among other things..

I read an article this week in the new Yoga Journal about the practice of starting over. (see Feb 2007 edition pg.88 if you want to read the whole thing) Anyway, the idea felt real to me especially lately with my work and my health. To quote a line: "Starting-over practice switches your focus away from your limits and redirects it toward your strengths". Sounds good to me. I have been feeling frustrated with my wrist the past week as it seems to only want to get worse. I have to keep telling myself that it is my teacher, especially in my own yoga practice which feels limited right now, but also in my work as yoga teacher and massage therapist. Everything I do seems to require the use of two healthy hands, and what does one do when that's not the case? Find alternatives, start over. Think fresh. I am trying.

In the meanwhile I have some new ideas to play around with. One is considering learning to do massage work with my feet (sounds unappealing to some, but there are techniques out there!), and another is to get more serious about finding the actual problem. I am a bit cynical about Dr's and there abilities, often feeling like the information given is nothing that I haven't already guessed, read about myself, or know better. It feels disappointing to not be able to put my trust into someone in that role and believe that they can make a difference. But perhaps like our spiritual paths it is leading me to the answer that only I can heal myself. Only I can know myself. Don't you sometimes just want to be FIXED though? Like a car at a garage - though come to think of it I have as little faith in shady mechanics as I do in doctors these day - but you get the gist. I guess the bottom line is that life is work.

It's that day after feeling..

I am cold and I pretty much hate being cold. I think it was all part of the universe's birthday present to me: winter. And here I thought I was handling last week so well! Well no wonder if it really was in the 60's! That's all gone now and we're in serious winter business now.

I'm not certain if it's the shift in weather, old age creeping up one year at a time, or a matter of overstaying my welcome, but I feel done with New York. Obviously I can't just run away this moment - I have responsibilities and things to consider and take care of - but it does sound quite appealing. Yesterday I was talking with my mom about how things come to be in our lives, and how big changes manifest. It's all quite interesting. Once you have actually determined that you have had enough of a given circumstance, you then have to prove to the universe that you are indeed ready and willing to move forward and aren't somehow still attached to the way things are...And if that's not enough, then you have to wait for it all to unfold. Waiting. I know I have never overflowed with patience, but surely all the practice I keep getting has gotten me somewhere! Yet I have itchy palms and want to know what's next and when (and maybe even how, though I won't say that aloud). I think it's true when they say (who are "they" again?) that if we aren't moving forward we must be moving backwards. There is no stillness even if sometimes things feel positively STAGNANT. Something is brewing and things are sliding into place out there to allow for the new ideas and dreams to begin to be realized.

So many thoughts and words right now...but perhaps now is a good time to be off and stimulate my triple heater meridian to warm up, and think up some grand new life goals...like brand new, but grander! I like that.

Starting out somewhere...

In a world ever increasing in the number and complexity of gadgets and electronic "stuff", I have been resistant (to say the least) to join the masses. I guess it could be considered laziness, but I almost feel like even if I were to try and keep up with the latest and greatest inventions, I would still be behind. And then I ask myself if all the time spent behind these machines is what life is about?

But in a bid to put it out there and be open-minded and so as not to be left behind in the world, here I am...blogging.

I have just returned from almost two months away from my work, my husband, my yoga practice and my sweet cat, and I find myself disoriented. Understatement perhaps, but I like the word. My experience was fulfilling and refreshing to a deeper part of me that has been dormant for the past 3 years. You see I know now as clearly as I have ever known, that I NEED to travel. It's not really a luxury, I have concluded, but an actual need. I love the smell that hits you as you enter a new country. I love hearing a new accent or language. I love being surrounded but stuff I don't see all the time. And mostly, for this trip, I loved being with people I adore. I have an amazing ability to make brilliant friendships with people who are like myself or worse when it comes to country hopping. I currently have 2 sisters in England, one in Boston, cousins in South Africa, and friends scatter farther and wider than I would like. Why can't we all pick the same place to be? But as I know full well, we are all on our own paths to great things, and I wouldn't love these people as much as I do if they weren't the adventurous, crazy people they are. So it leaves only one solution - lots of travel.

What struck me most coming back was how stiff I was. I have returned to a state I like to call Blobville - the feeling I have when I haven't done yoga for over a week. Of course add 6 weeks to that and it's positively disgusting. It's strange for me the ebb and flow my own practice takes. There are times when I can't get enough and I have gone to 3 classes a day, 5 days a week. But lately I have been less inclined. In part I feel it was the apathy that had hit, but perhaps if I dig deeper it will reveal more. And as a yoga teacher it seems to be such a faux pas to make such a confession, but since yoga is more than asanas, for me I guess it is part of my practice. Now I'm back to teaching, back to practicing and all I can think about is massage work...And so I guess that's why I like balance work, because life is one big balancing act. Trying to figure out how much of each element to include on a given day to stay fulfilled and happy.

Time will surely reveal more...