Happy Rosh Hashanah!

I don't usually write two blogs in one day, but had to make an exception today because of Rosh Hashanah and I really want to celebrate it. It's the first day of the High Holidays (or HiHos as Sam claims it is called for short). I just spent an hour with a Jewish swami talking about it and I don't remember as much as I want to, but I do know you ask for entry into the Book of Life. We ate apples with honey to signify a "sweet year" and blew a shofar (ram's horn). The parts of the holiday include asking for forgiveness for transgressions, prayer, and charity.

Ever since my philosophy of religion class in college I've been enamoured by the Jewish faith. It intrigues me and seems to be more of a philosophy I could be a part of instead of a strict dogma, which has turned me off in the past.

Today I'm grateful for honey, iron pills, and my last piece of dark chocolate waiting upstairs.

Just "beet" it

Just hit my two week anniversary at Yogaville. For honesty's sake I feel as though it has been two years. However, I had a small victory yesterday in the kitchen to share. Lucille (who now kisses me on the cheek!) asked me to do beets. I took one in my hand and a knife and suddenly it was peeled. Not kidding you, I began singing "Beat It" by Michael Jackson (I have the dance memorized as well) before someone told me to quiet down. It was a proud moment and very representative of my time here.

I haven't really committed myself to being here fully until recently. Just like my experience with the beet. I wasn't completely committed to getting the job done. My opportunity for growth and health is incredible and I have somehow, somewhat avoided it until recently. I want to have a spiritual practice that calls to my soul and allows me to be in a place where I can serve humanity (not by cleaning). From here on out my time here will be focused and intentional. My morning practices won't be a disturbance of my sleep and crossing off my assignment, but rather another opportunity to connect with Spirit and in that - myself.

The main virtue I want to focus on is self-discipline (no more sugar unless it's at lunch and if so I will only have one serving).

Today I'm grateful for Sam, garlic and olive oil sauce, and not doing dishes.

Oddities of an ashram

Despite the very scheduled days at the ashram, I'm beginning to see that "normalcy" doesn't exist. Allow me to elaborate on one of my oddest days to date, just in time for my two week anniversary and my mother arriving any moment:

I awake at 3 a.m. to people having sex in the room above me ("bare" in mind almost everyone here is not permitted to date or celibate). I go to my first shift in the kitchen where I work with my roommate, a man who lives in a "cosmic tent," and Lucille (a large African-American women with an accent I can't understand who calls me sugar and stupid in the same sentence). I chop fresh kale and veggies for several hours and then enjoy a conversation about tuning forks and the sounds the universe makes.

Fast forward several hours to lunch where I eat a lovely meal with my pretend husband and a woman in her 50s who talks to me about men and menstruation. After lunch we sneak in a gluten-free carrot cake (it's fasting day) and watch Sam's acting appearance on "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol." After I tire of making fun of him 17 times for his roll and shoot maneuver we watch someone's video of stunt school. Inevitably even more roll and shoot maneuvers to mock, thank goodness.

I go to meditation and yoga again and have a deep relaxation session where everyone in the class falls asleep except me. Now the day gets interesting...I eat dinner with the Aruveydic doctor even after he tells me my place is in the kitchen and he wants to attend my wedding. I head off to scripture class on the Gita where we talk about anger.

Sam and I talk for a few hours and leave the classroom to see a fellow classmate with his shirt off. Then he immediately jumps on one of those workout machines where it looks like you're humping the handlebars. (I believe they were popular in the 80s.) We stay there is shock for several moments before going upstairs. I climb into bed in time to hear the neighbors above going at it.

The oddities of the ashram can't be beaten. Hari Om (they say that here for everything, in this case it means - all is perfect, the Sanskrit symbol accompanies this post).

Today I'm grateful for kiwi, my Ugg boots, and my mom coming today.

P.B. with a side of J!

Pat Benatar with a side of jam (the rocking guitar, not fruity kind)! I found pictures from last month's Pat Benatar concert. The concert is still ringing in my ears, literally and figuratively. I can't stop making P.B. references...it's getting ridiculous.

Really though, I can't help it...I'm "all fired up." (insert fake laughter here)

I went with Shannon and Erin and had an awesome time. The opener was even good, even though her voice was slightly more high-pitched than mine (if that is possible). Just what I needed to forget that last week with my final paycheck and finding out my current beau was married. What can I say, "love is a battlefield?" (And look at me now...doing yoga and scrubbing toilets, it only goes up from here.) ;)

I do play a rad air guitar if I might add, rest of the band pictured above as well. I still listen to Pat as much as humanly possible when I'm running with my iPod. Even yesterday on my way to meditate, she helps me stay focused...on rock!

Today I'm grateful for Pat Benetar, Shannon and Erin, blasting music.

How hip is the script(ure)?

Now going on my second week at Yogaville (cringe, cringe) and I'm able to step back from working, and frantically remembering where I'm supposed to be when, and actually enjoy being here (which I believe has been the intent all along). Right now my favorite activity (haven't gotten into the chanting although that appears to be a favorite here behind meditating - go figure) is attending the scripture classes three times a week.

All the folks in my program (including myself) get together with a swami and discuss ancient, sacred texts and philosophies. It's like getting my philosophy minor all over again! Yesterday in class we discussed the Sutras and the concept of giving versus non-stealing. The swami mentioned in particular the story of St. Francis and how he gave to his community, it was a beautiful story and in his honor I am sharing the Prayer of Saint Francis (that and my brain is too peaceful to even come up with something bratty to make fun of - I did get up for the 6:20 meditation this morning and still have not woken up):

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Absolutely beautiful, isn't it? Yes, I thought so too.

Today I'm grateful for sweet potato pudding, hats for bad hair days, and wearing sweatpants all day, everyday I'm here.

Behold the beet!

I have a new nemesis...behold the beet! Don't let its innocent look fool you - this vegetable has a thick skin, really. I have many a blisters the past few days from peeling and slices these little boogers. My experience at the ashram continues, the work is picking up and my meditation and yoga practices have increased drastically. We spend several shifts per week preparing food for meals and it includes hours and hours of slicing, dicing, and nicing (I just needed something else to rhyme here).

I hardly look like the same woman as before I left - my hands are weathered (full of blisters and a dog bite that occured yesterday), my hair unkept (per usual), and my heart soaring (okay, not quite yet, but I'm told it will happen).

Today I'm grateful for homemade gingerbread, Roastaroma tea, and a shower!!!

Arrg me matey!

Arggh me matey, it's I Barnacle Breath Helga! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day and I'm struggling with how to celebrate whilest at an ashram..."Ahoy, walk the plank you scoundrel" doesn't go over so well during silent meditations (go figure). Thar be no talkin' a cat whilest we raise! Instead I will share a great knowledge of pirate name creation. Avast ye, below thar name generator!
http://gangstaname.com/pirate_name.php
Today I'm grateful for booty, fine lasses, and whiskey (okay, not really but it felt appropriate given the holiday).

One truth, many paths

I have been at the ashram now for five days and I haven't much to say (mostly my brain is just going nutso, yes nutso) besides that I'm working incredibly hard to earn my keep and meeting some incredible people. So far my closest friends are a medical student from India (whom I called an arrogant jerkface the first day we met and now we are BFFs), a Jewish man from New York whom I want to marry, and my roommate (a recovering niccotine addict from Maryland). I have found my peeps.

Swami Satchidananda is the Indian guru who founded this place and he was one of the first to bring hatha (Integral) yoga to the United States. If I didn't already have enough hippie tendencies I'm learning more daily and am amazed at how well I fit in. ;)

 

Satchidananda was the man who spoke at Woodstock in 1969 about peace (apparently this peace also included not having cell phone services, I miss my Blackjack!). His teachings are based on all religions finding peace together - really beautiful. The slogan (if ashrams have slogans) is One truth, many paths. The key things here are to serve others and be peaceful, oh yeah...and love. ;) I'm working really hard scrubbing floors, sweeping, and washing dishes. I'm apparently a Cinderella trapped in an ashram. From this day forward I'm eternally grateful to the woman who cleans my parents' house and my apartment (when I still had it). (I realize this last sentence sounds incredibly bratty, but I don't know how to explain my gratitude for not doing this work often.)

Today I'm grateful for fish, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets (can you tell I'm struggling with the no meat thing??).

Couldn't the yoga place be more flexible??

I leave today for Yogaville (I continue to give them zero points for name originality) ashram, pictures above. Nervous and excited at the same time. On one hand I'm somewhat frustrated because I wasn't able to go the week I wanted to go and have concerns about the no meat thing. (Last time I went vegetarian I became incredibly anemic and fainted in the shower and had a vicious concussion.) On the other I'm incredibly excited about spending four weeks without a lot of distractions and enjoying my own company.

As good ol' O.W. (Oscar Wilde that is) once said "Loving yourself is the beginning of a life-long romance." More self-lovin' isn't the only thing I'll be receiving from my mental detox. The amount you love yourself is really only reflection of how much you love others. I want to love myself so much that love for others just pours out of me and floods.

Now let's get back to my concerns...another one being the whole 5 a.m. wake-up thing. When the swami called to say I was accepted into the program she noted all of my references voiced concerns about me getting up so early. How well people know me, and what honest references I have! I'm hoping upon arrival and several morning wake ups at 5 a.m. they will see the need for me to have more sleep. My bitter hatred for the world or inability to control my appendages will most likely be a key indicator.

Another "rule" is not wearing tight clothing. Even yoga pants are tight, how do people avoid this one besides owning an entire wardrobe of mumus?? I have packed sweatpants and large tshirts, this will also be a fairly good disguise for hiding extra food under my shirt and possibly meat contraband.

Now for pros: more time to myself for reading, writing, brainstorming, running, hiking and journaling (the Dear Diary, it's me Margaret kind). Yes, as suspected these far outweigh waking up early (maybe), no meat, and tight clothing stipulations. Excitement is a brewin'!

I am curious what kind of "flexibility" exists in an environment with such appearing rigidity and schedule. Who knows, maybe some of the flexibility will rub off on me? Just don't take away my 15-minute increment schedule and I will be fine.

Today I'm grateful for Eckhardt Tolle, Community for Spiritual Living, and the basement inhabitants (aka a bazillion spiders).

MexiKen = Mario Lopez

I have recently become aware of just how hot Mario Lopez is, pictured left running with shirt off. During the "Saved By the Bell" days I was far too distracted my Mark-Paul to notice late bloomer Mario (plus, I still cringe just thinking about the pleated pants - I know you know what I'm talking about). He reminds me of a Hispanic Ken Doll (hence, MexiKen - thank you Dalia) because of his perfectly sculpted abs and pure handsomeness.

Where has he been all my life? I'll tell you...Dancing with the Stars, hosting Miss America and Miss Universe, Extra, America's Best Dance Crew, my dreams, and the list goes on and on...Most recently I saw him on Sunset Tan (my first and last time seeing it, I swear - I wanted to know who the "Olly Girls" were). The man is everywhere and I feel so honored to have grown up with his success.

The other SBTB characters haven't been around as much (can we say Dustin's sex tape and that's it). Although when I was talking to Kimmie today she swears Mark-Paul has a new TV show and Tory is on a Progressive commercial (I asked her if it sounded as though she was wearing a leather jacket - her signature).

Of the whole bunch Mr. Lopez took us by storm - he had to make up for the rest of the crew...I still talk about Jessie Spano's run-in with drugs (most classic episode, EVER).

Today I'm grateful for Idoru sales, Dr. Cynthia, and my kickboxing bag.

Life's purpose

Today I finished up a statement about the purpose of my life. (I know, I know a bit heavy for a Monday.) I beat another record at Mr. Bigg's on DDR (as if that doesn't give me an incredible reason for being alive!) and then began pondering how much fun I was having and what I really wanted my life to be about (besides setting DDR records on every continent). Last month I did a seminar and during the final session we completed a purpose for our life. Confession...I didn't really finish it.

People spend their whole lives searching and looking for a purpose or meaning. Doesn't really make sense when I started thinking about it. I quit my job and everyone kept saying I was leaving to "discover myself." (As if I didn't already exist!?) I'm here and I have a reason for being here. It may change or adapt, but I have a purpose. Why not create one and then live my life according to it? Something that inspires me and guides every decision I make.

Many famous people had purposes they declared and then had amazing things happen. Alexander Graham Bell said his purpose was to allow deaf people a way to communicate. He experimented with hearing devices and then invented the telephone. Gandhi said his purpose was to seek truth (satya). He later pioneered SatyaGraha, which was civil disobedience based on nonviolence.

So, here it goes...I'm declaring my purpose (drumroll please).

The purpose my life is for is to have the world know itself as one. The values at the heart of who I am are love, compassion, acceptance, and joy. What I can be counted on for is to focus on similarities instead of differences, to value everyone, recognize the value every individual brings to this world, and to love and nuture them as a sacred part of me.

Whew! I can't believe it, there it is...my purpose.

Today I'm grateful for Mr. Biggs, Z, and mango lassi I had with dinner last night at India Palace.

Ain't life grand?

Today is Grandparents' Day. I sent my grandparents an Ecard and am taking note that next year it will be via a form of communication that they can relate to more. I do adore them and don't seem them very often, but there's something really special about the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Pretty much I'm just relieved that no matter what phase of life I'm in I will get a holiday. It boils down to that I love holidays, particularly unpopular ones. Last year two of the most fun days of 2007 were Talk Like a Pirate Day (I wore an eye patch and brought a plastic parrot to work) and Caramel Apple Day (I bought and ate two nutty, caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory).

Join me next month when I celebrate National Mole Day by having a dermatologist appointment on October 11 or National Evaluate Your Life Day on October 19 when I have another quarter-life crisis. ;)

Today I'm grateful for Sundays, my new journal and grandparents (of course)!

Four-hour Farrar

I am reading Tim Prentiss' 4-Hour Work Week (is there something seriously wrong with me that I'm uber annoyed that they didn't spell out "4?"). He had me at "MTV breakdancer in Taiwan." Really, the list of awesome things Tim has done (I assume we will be on first name basis b/c I'm determined to meet him) sends shivers up my spine. He lives the life I dreamed of in my office whiles staring at one of my motivational poster before quiting my job.

The job market of today varies dramatically from that of our parents and grandparents. Working a 9 to 5 (which I don't believe exists anyway) isn't the only option and certainly isn't one I want to continue being a part of. I worked at least 40 hours a week for 4 years and realize I was living around 2 percent of life in leisure or vacation.

It's human being, not human working or human doing. I'm ready to enjoy my life and spend money on things that matter. As much as I love my new H&M clothes, I have no experiential gain or anything added to my life. I'm committing the next several months to this new philosophy. I'm creative and intelligent enough to have my money work for me, instead of the other way around.

I quit my job to have a life of adventure for a few months and then return...why limit myself? Why does adventure stop once I get a job again? Why do I even have to get a job again? Just call me Four-hour Farrar, and Tim Prentiss-worshiper.

Today I'm grateful for queso dip, laptops, and the Office Depot where I bought my book.

"Stripping" in the City of Sin

Indeed I'm a "Stripper" in Las Vegas this week. Why the quotation marks and capitalization you ask? I have hung out on the "Strip," which makes me a Stripper and "Strip" is a proper noun. (I just coined this new meaning of the term and couldn't be more proud, other than the adorable new shirt I bought at H&M yesterday, on the Strip of course.)

I am currently staying in Las Vegas with a friend and taking a mini vacay. I'm the type of lady of leisure who needs vacations on her vacations, what can I say? The days have been quite lovely temperatures and I went through a sweat drenching run through the desert yesterday. My favorite part has been the sunsets - they're miraculous! I never noticed them in the past because I was too busy "Stripping" to look at the sky - heaven forbid!

The non-Strip part of Vegas is rather friendly and easy on the eyes (including all the eye candy I saw at the gym). Oddly enough, turns out Stripping is not my favorite past time in Sin City, instead I prefer shopping or running...what happened to me?

Today I'm grateful for pedicures, EFT, and hot showers.

Recycle you(r) piece of trash! (and tshirt for sale!)

This morning I watched my friend throw three aluminum cans and a plastic water bottle into the trash...while I wept silently at the kitchen table. Yes, I realize not everything that gets put into the recycle bin is appropriately disposed of; however, I think it's important to take small steps to be earth conscious and recycling is a great way to start. We live on a beautiful, lovely planet and I can't understand not wanting to preserve it.

So, I did what comes naturally to me when I feel upset about a social cause - I want to buy a t-shirt. In this case I decided to design one (my second t-shirt design of many I see in the future)!

Above is it, I may add a "r" after "you" so it doesn't sound quite so harsh. My desire isn't to call people names, but I do think it's a sassy approach to being green. I need to order a minimum of six before they will print them. Let me know if you're interested!

Today I'm grateful for books, gyms, and trampolines.