Exercise Grows New Brain Cells

I know, I know, yes I know: I need to get back to the gym.

This article just added another reason to get moving again. Not only to be bathing suit ready or to get that strong open feeling that comes after a workout. Not to fit better into jeans or even to satisfy my kids love for playing at "Kids Club."

To build new brain cells. Yep, I need them as much as the next gal...

I'll have to let you know if the inspiration pays off...

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

My baby is 6! Well, almost. Today we celebrated her 6th birthday with 30 kids dancing the hula, jumping in a bounce house, hunting for seashells and smashing a pinata. Here are a few photos of the fun!

Mind Reading Toys

What will they think of next? I have to admit, this sounds pretty interesting... making it fun to practice how focusing thoughts results in favorable outcomes...

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/04/29/691072-new-toys-read-brain-waves

My Worldview in 10 Minutes

This is one of the most succinct articulations of my worldview and personal philosophy available on the web. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. It's just over 10 minutes long, so if you don't have time now, save it and get back to me!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u21-Bx7bCEg

Life Goes On

Well, it ended like the entire season played out... for Tony Soprano, life goes on and we do not now know what is next. Even the way it ended -- as if the cable box went out (or the "lights" went out) -- emphasized that life is full of twists and turns, you get what you get and you focus on what's important in the meantime. But still, it's just slice of life, which still goes on even if no one is paying attention.

I like to think that everything was fine at dinner, "Don't stop believing..." However, perhaps the "Members Only" guy in the restraunt pulled the trigger and Tony never heard it when it happened, as Bobby described on the row boat a few episodes ago.

But what happened isn't the important thing; or better said, not knowing what happened is the important thing. As with all of the series, answers are not easy to come by and that is what made it great.

Graduation Surprise!

What a big week -- The Ducks won the Stanley Cup and my daughter graduated from Kindergarten!

And what better way to celebrate than by combining the two! Today Ducks' captain, Scott Niedermayer, brought the Stanley Cup to my daughter's school to celebrate the big win.

The playoffs have offered so much opportunity to reinforce lessons and ideas about hard work, winning, team spirit and good sportsmanship. What better way to cap it off. Scott answered questions from the students and took time with the kids (and parents) for photos! I couldn't help but snap a few!

The End is Near!

I have no idea why I enjoy "The Sopranos" so much! It really makes no sense when I refuse to have network news on in my home because it is too violent, that I love that show and haven't missed an episode in all the seasons it has aired. It is literally the only television show I've watched since my daughter was born nearly 6 years ago.

I guess I love that Tony is just a regular guy. With a good heart. Interesting values, of course, but at his core, just a regular guy doing his best. I can tell you that if Phil would have been in more episodes, I would have likely turned it off.

But now the end is near. The last episode is next week! The season has flown by. I will miss the anticipation of a new season and new episode and I'll make a point to give a new show a try. I must admit, watching the show together with John was what really made it worth it... I need another show to enjoy together with him!

If you have a favorite suggestion of a show that might hold my attention like The Sopranos did, please let me know!

Summertime!

The unofficial beginning of summer is here! Hooray!!!

Our family spent the weekend at the beach burying the kids in the sand, making sand-men, hunting seashells. The kids met other kid campers and loved the freedom of being able to run to the next-door camper to play.

The weather was warm and sometimes cloudy. Perfect weather for combining outside beach play with cozy indoor cards and books! A perfect, lazy weekend to begin the perfect lazy (at least a little lazy, I hope!) summer.

Go Ducks!

Tonight, my husband and I had the opportunity to join the Niedermayer family at the Ducks' playoff game. What energy! The Ducks won the game and the whole experience was fantastic. John and I even had the chance to sit on the ice, right next to the Duck's bench. The power and focus and speed are so much more intense close up!!

It is interesting to be that close to the action. It certainly gave me a whole new perspective of how strategy meets nitty gritty and body checks. Scott Niedermayer put it in perspective in a recent article. He "gets it." Scott describes his experiences in a way that show that when you're in alignment, good flows. Even in hockey. Amazing.

Welcome Dory!

We took the leap, and have added a new addition to our family! Dory, a sweet kitten joined us last week and she fits right in, as you can see.

Perspectives

I took some time away from blogging to regain a bit of (expanded) perspective. I realize that have the tendency for tunnel vision. : ) I'm making the effort now to deliberately seek out multiple perspectives so that I can see more of the horizon, so to speak. Partial view is OK sometimes, but I'm ready for the panorama!

I came across this quote that puts my tunnel vision into perspective so that I can laugh at how stuck I have been being:

Somebody was saying to Picasso that he ought to make pictures of things that way they are—objective pictures. He mumbled he wasn’t quite sure what that would be. The person who was bullying him produced a photograph of his wife from his wallet and said, “There, you see, that is a picture of how she really is.” Picasso looked at it and said, “She is rather small, isn’t she? And flat?” –G. Bateson

Save the World!

It seems that I cannot get too far into anything without someone trying to recruit me to save the world. Even my new magazine subscription. The interesting thing is that to convince me, they go so deeply into the description of what is so terrible that needs fixing that there is no vision of what they are wanting to accomplish or create other than: Not this.

Don't get me wrong: There are certainly things that I would change about the world to make it a better place for everyone. But it is my commitment to put my energy and focus into a positive vision of the future, not into fighting against the "bad stuff." I would be much more inspired to join in if people took the extra step of articulating or painting a picture of the ideal outcome they are creating.

I guess it is the "news" philosophy: Drama sells. Well, as more and more people pay attention to the discipline of living consciously, I am optimistic that we will find that vision wins over drama any day of the week.

The takeaway for me: I'm committed to finding communities that I align with and can fully embrace, contribute to and put my energy into. My daughter's school is one of those places. I'm eager to find more, even if it takes wading through the contrast to get to the vision.

What is Enlightenment?

As I get connected to more and more resources and communities that integrate the thinking that I am exploring personally, I ran into this magazine at my local health food store. What is Enlightenment does a terrific job of exploring topics in the spiritual, cultural and philosophical areas and how they impact politics, business, science, the arts, and the environment.

I subscribed. Not only that, but I also joined the Zaadz community for online discussion. I must say, I feel an almost physical sensation of being puuuulllllleeeeed out of my private little world where I have explored only personally for many years and I am both excited and feeling quietly cautious about going public and connecting with like-minded people around the world!

We'll see...

Trust Yourself

Today, while much of the country was enjoying freezing winter weather, we dressed the kids in their bathing suits and headed to the beach. It was a beautiful almost-spring day.

When we got there, the surf had created a big drop -- 5 feet or so-- between the sandy sand and the shoreline. I started to warn the kids not to get too close to the edge when John stopped me. "Where better can the kids learn about climbing and jumping and test their boundaries than in the soft sand at the beach? They can learn to trust themselves."

Lesson learned. Again. I feel like I'm learning that lesson all over the place these days. As I continue my new year promises, particularly the Light Body course, I've definitely had many questions and have been guided to many new things to explore. Part of me really wishes I had some sort of guide to follow, but in an area that is totally personal, there is no such thing. Of course there are lots of things that claim to be that, but those don't work for me. "Go inside and listen to your guidance" is all the meaningful direction I get.

I'm learning to trust myself. Sometimes it is liberating. Sometimes it is a little scary. Sometimes I feel like I'm really doing great. Other times, I feel myself falling back on my busy life to avoid newness for a while. I know it is all OK and I'm really enjoying the journey.

I'll link to some of the resources and new discoveries I've been finding in future posts. I'm not sure where they all fit. Some I'll explore more deeply than others. But it is all part of the web and a format like this helps me keep those links alive.

Thinking About Thinking

I've enjoyed reading Ken Wilber for the last 10 years. I like the intellectual challenge and many of the topics are along the same lines of things I'm exploring for myself. I especially like his exploration of spirituality lately from a rational approach. Sometimes a mommy needs a good brain workout and an abstract here fills the bill.

Guiding the Next Generation

My daughter's school had a very interesting meeting today -- they asked parents to come together to discuss how to formalize a "human potential" or "human development" curriculum at the school.

That was one meeting I wasn't about to miss! Already, I love her school and the environment it provides for my sweet kindergartner. What an opportunity to help shape the future of her and my son's education in this way!

It was an interesting discussion, thinking through what a "human development" centered curriculum might look like. Conversation included topics like attending to the whole child, fostering self actualization, promoting social responsibility, wellness, individuality and leadership. Even visualization came up as a possible area to look at. Already many of these pieces are in place, but once a formal framework is created, it will be easier to see where gaps may exist and then where to improve.

I came away energized and eager to continue the process! It is clear to me that somewhere in this realm of human potential is where I want to end up spending more of my time.

Going on a Sentimental Journey...

Today we celebrated my grandma's 90th birthday. What a wonderful day! Family from all over California came -- some who I have not seen for over 20 years.

I have been looking forward to this gathering for months now. I know it meant so much to Grandma. What surprised me is how much it meant to me! Having my husband and children connect with family and our heritage, watching the kids play on the balcony with cousins -- some they know well and some who they just met for the first time, watching my dad give a toast to his mom, seeing cousins who have pulled through the toughest of times and emerge strong and happy, meeting new spouses and babies... I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

In preparation for the day, I created a DVD with photos from our family's past. It was surprising to me how little I knew about my own grandma. But I found the secret to getting to know her -- just ask her about a photo! She sure opens up as she recalls the people, places and happenings in her life. I also learned that I actually enjoy Lawrence Welk music -- ha! I must REALLY be getting old!!!

The Spa

Today was spa day. I ventured out and tried a new spa for me, The Spa and Fitness Club at South Coast.

This article summed it up. While the atmosphere didn't lend itself to lingering, overall, the spa experience was wonderful and the massage treatment (80 minute combo) was pure bliss. Kathie was absolutely fabulous, both skilled and intuitive and that truly made the day worth it.

I'm more of a lingerer when I want to do the spa on a day off. This spa isn't built for that. The small space, chattering clientele along with the television(!), newspaper and phone in the lounge made it feel more like home than an escape from the world.

The spa offers memberships and I can clearly see that if you want to use it more like a gym - quick in and out trips - it would be wonderful.

Shift

I'm on vacation this week so had a bit of time to browse for good stuff. I just found this 17 second timer and was reminded once again how quickly 17 seconds flies by!

Why 17 seconds? Because if we focus our thoughts or attention on something for as little as 17 seconds, our vibration will shift to begin to match it. You can actually feel the shift in many cases. It is the first "ignition point" of our thought. In just 68 seconds, according to Abraham, you've launched a full-blown creation.

Now, you can take that to both the positive, deliberate thought and to thinking by default, too. How long do I dwell on something when it makes me mad? How long do commercials try to focus my attention on a feeling to make me what to buy? It reminded me why our family does not watch the news. How long could you stare at the newscast of things you don't want? Or let your kids do that?

It made me appreciate even more the resources such as Hay House Radio and the meditation recordings that Summer McStravick of Flowdreaming puts together and the variety of resources by Orin and Daben. There are so many ways to keep our thoughts focused in the direction we want and so many resources to help us practice. I'm always looking for more positive resources, so if you know of any, please comment!

So the trick is, find things that feel good and savor them! And when you find things that do not feel good, shift your focus as fast as you can!

Welcome Year of the (Fire) Pig!

Happy Chinese New Year! Today begins the red pig year. Year of the fire pig.

From what I know (very little) about the Chinese Zodiac, they are just for fun even to the Chinese. But it is a nice way to guestimate out how old someone is without asking their age!

My husband, son and I area all Monkeys while my daughter is a Snake. What's more, my dh and I are Earth Monkeys and my ds is a Wood Monkey. Sweet girl is Metal Snake. What does it all mean? Maybe that tonight would be a good night for take-out!