Oh Monday. Have you ever had a terrible case of the “Mondays”? I woke up feeling exactly that way and just not motivated to get out of bed and do anything. It would have been a great day to just lay around and not do much of anything, which is not an option for me considering I have a practice that needs to be tended to. So I got up anyways, geared up for the cold and snow, and headed out to walk Choco this morning. There are a lot of activities that we do completely unconsciously and that could easily be one of them. He and I walk around a loop in my neighborhood that is 1/2 mile, just enough time to get the muscles stretched and moving and go to the bathroom. In that time, I chose to focus on gratitude and being grateful that I could even get up and out of bed, that I had clothes to keep me warm, that I had two feet and legs that work, that I had a roof over my head and a great job to go to everyday (and of course, the chocolate dog). Just that, combined with the fresh, crisp morning air, got me moving. There is no possible way that a life, driven and directed by gratitude, could get off path. Gratitude is powerful fuel and used in constructive ways can get you to any place you want to go. Enjoy your Monday!
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CHOCO’S FIRST DAY AT WORK
I finally dared myself this morning to take Choco into work with me. I have been wanting to do this since I got him but he really needed time to settle in to being here in Fenton, and at home and all so I haven’t wanted to rock the boat much. So this morning, instead of our regular walk, I let him run and catch a frisbee and get some of his kicks out. Then he ate and jumped into the car when I was ready to go. This dog loves car rides more than life itself. He doesn’t care where we are going, just so long as he gets to ride in the car. So we grabbed a towel (he uses those for a bed) and a bone, and off we went. He is just hanging out in my office and only is allowed to come out when invited…not everyone loves dogs ya know. So he will remain back here with me and he is pretty content to do so, so far anyways. Loving having him here. He is going to be a great addition to the Cafe of LIFE crew!!!
IT IS FRIGID OUT THERE!!!
It’s Wednesday again! I love Wednesdays because it is the day just before Thursday and everyone knows how much I love Thursdays!!! This is my early morning, and though I am never crazy about getting up as early as Wednesday requires me to, it is nice to get up and moving….except for this morning. I mean 6:00 my alarm goes off and one of the first things I do is check the weather and begin preparing what I am going to wear for the day. -4degrees!!!! Now as many of you know, I lived in Alaska for 3.5 years. It was a wonderful place and I really look forward to going back to visit at some point soon. There was a time while I was there that it was -40degrees for an entire month, without a break. Everything is relative, so at the time I could make that ok because other parts of the state were -100 degrees!!! That is crazy cold!! So on mornings like this, people say to me…”well you should be used to this, you lived in Alaska”. Ok, I understand their logic however I left there 8 years ago, and lived in the south for 4 years too. So any of the thick blood that was developed when I was up there was thinnned out when I was in the south. Also, my theory is that we are given only so much heat-making power for our bodies in a lifetime and I shivered while living there for almost the entire time and used all of those heat reserves up. So this morning, at 6am and -4 degrees…the puppy was not going to get his walk. I did let him out to go to the bathroom, just so you know, but then right back inside we went.
DANCING….
So I attended a really cool event last night. My best friend is an amazing person, and amazing at what she does. Recently she set up the major sponsor’s display for the “Dancing With The Stars” Tour that is happening right now. The Tour has 38 dates all over the country in a 2 month time period. Anyways because she set up the display, she was given a few tickets to the Detroit event which happened last night. Yesterday was a busy day with snowboarding in the morning, kayak practice in the afternoon but what is one more event when I had been running all day anyways. So I made my way down to Joe Louis Arena for a 7:30pm show last night. By intermission I was completely awe struck and inspired at the same time. The dancers did an amazing job of putting on this show. Whoever created and directed the show really knows how to work the crowd. These dancers are such incredible athletes. They all put out so much energy that evening and to think they are doing 38 shows in about 60 days and all of them at that level of energy is totally amazing. I asked my friend if after she saw some of the rehearsals, if she went back to her hotel room to see what moves she could come up with on her own (because that is exactly what I would have done). She said no, however I do not completely believe her as it is human nature to just WANT TO DANCE!
A NIGHT
Many evenings after work, I spend over at the yoga studio in Holly (thanks Kathryn for creating such an amazing space and for making it so close and accessible). The nights I attend yoga I get home at 8:30 so in essense, if I choose to got to yoga in the evening, the night is basically over. I get out of work at 6:30 every night so I have very limited time to make much happen. This evening I thought I would go to yoga and then come home and eat and clean my house, do laundry, unpack my suitcases (yes I have already been home 5, almost 6, days) and get things straightened up around here. Some of you know that I just got a 2 year old chocolate lab a month ago. He is such a blast and how could you possibly not fall in love with him with a face like that. So he was looking at me with his eyes and bringing toys to me (which a luggage tag was his toy of choice this evening) so I layed down on the floor next to him and he wanted to wrestle. 1 hour later I realized I hadnt gotten anything done and now it was too late to start. I did manage to eat, however my house is still a mess, there are still piles of laundry, and no vacuuming has been done and it was all so worth it. I was never a dog person before a month ago. I wanted a change in my life and people thought I was nuts. Choco brings so much joy to my days. We argue a lot, I always win, but in the end of the day, he is way more important than dealing with laundry detergent and vacuum bags…at least for today anyways.
RADICAL FORGIVENESS
I know I have mentioned it before, however one of the greatest parts of every other week is the Cafe of LIFE Book Club meeting. This club began almost a year ago and we have a wonderful group of committed individuals that show up and share each meeting. We have read so many wonderful books so far and each seems to be adding to the last.
Our new book, and our meetings begin tomorrow, is “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping. We took the month of December, well besides our celebration during the first week, because we figured it was a strange time to begin a new book. Now that 2009 is rolling, we begin our new journey with it. It is the greatest part of my every other week, it really is. And if you ever want to know more about how to get involved, please feel free to ask!
A NEW BOOK IN THE NEW YEAR
As many of you know, I am one of the organizers of the Cafe of LIFE Book Club. We have a phenomenal group of women who sit down every other week together and study books that add to our lives. We have done a number of books with titles such as “Eat, Pray, Love”, “A New Earth”, and “Loving What Is”. We ended our year with a celebration of the year and it was amazing to look back on what we had accomplished together as a group in one short year! Years are short anymore. Time just goes by really fast! Anyways with the New Year here now, we are beginning a new book starting Thursday January 8th. Our new title is “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping. Sounds like an amazing title and I’m sure the book will be equally as amazing. We have a few new people who plan on joining us this time around and we welcome anyone who would like to add studying with a book club to their life. Let me put it this way, I guarantee this will become on of the greatest and most looked forward to hour and a half of your week. Come join us! If you have any questions, direct them my way and WELCOME TO 2009!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Happy New Year to all of you. 2009 is destined to bring a lot of changes, good or bad is to be determined still. It is wonderful to celebrate and bring in the new year and even better that it is a chance to start off with a clean slate. It is a wonderful time to check back in with yourself and your life and see what things are serving you and what aren’t and take a moment to express gratitude for all that you have. I had a wonderful celebration with some friends down in Atlanta, Georgia where I spent the week. Choco and I drove down there on Saturday December 27th and just got home yesterday. It was a nice change in scenery and I do have to say that having a dog in warmer temperatures was a treat. Anytime we go for a walk here in Michigan, I have to be so layered and bundled up to even be able to step outside. Down there it was nice to throw on sneakers and a t-shirt or light sweatshirt and hit the sidewalk. Choco loved the urban lifestyle and I wanted to share a picture of him enjoying the champagne toast at midnight on New Years. It’s time to get 2009 started!
HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEK
So the Christmas holiday is upon us and it is an interesting and different energy this year about the holidays than I remember in the past few years. Everyone is keeping spending down to a minimum and saying that spending time with the family will be the best part of the holiday. Isn’t that what it is really all about. I mean, when did the Christmas holiday get to be so much about gifts and less about quality time spent with loved ones. I love Thanksgiving for that reason, just food and family and stories and celebration. It will be nice to get back to the simplicity that is Christmas. On the other hand, I love giving gifts. I love shopping for them and the actual giving part is the best, seeing my family and friends faces light up because I really put some time and effort into the choosing and buying aspect. I usually travel far and wide in search of the perfect gift for each person and spend a lot of time doing it. This year I decided that I was going to make everything happen here in Fenton. Not only will I be supporting our local economy, I will also be making things incredibly simple for myself. After all, I live in Fenton, MI and there is limited shopping here. I have 4 more gifts to buy and I am not sure what to get these particular people and I think that I may actually end up having to head out of town…on CHRISTMAS EVE!!! of all days. Oh well, I always have a way of making it all happen. If you are reading this, I hope that you find a lot of joy this Christmas week and through New Years and the beginning of 2009. Much Love.
One of My Favorite Moments
One of the greatest things about my work is being able to serve pregnant women as well as after the baby is born. There have been some really incredible women delivering babies lately and their stories are wonderful and amazing experiences that I hope to share with you at some point in the near future. I usually have anywhere between 10 and 15 women at any given time at all different stages of pregnancy. I hold all of them in my heart during this time however right now there is one that I am holding a special space close to my heart for. I recieved a phone call two weeks ago from a very frantic practice member that went in for a routine pregnancy check-up and they admitted her to hospital bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy which is at the very least 6 weeks. Now this particular woman does her absolute best to approach life vitalistically, and looks to do as many things naturally as possible. That was her plan for this pregnancy. Complications in the past has lead her to this bed rest period which is, in her case, probably the safest thing that she could be doing. So I have been able to visit and adjust her in the hospital for the past two weeks and have really enjoyed our visits. I have no idea if I am actually allowed to be adjusting in a hospital setting and I am sure that there would be ramifications if they found out…so I sneak it, so to speak. It is important for me to allow her to be at her best and whatever that takes I am going to do. I have been fortunate to have other things pulling me to Ann Arbor the past couple weeks but I will be there regardless. It is about service for me. This all is just about serving others. What else is there to do in life but to serve????