Monthly Archives: April 2016

Life IS. Not fair.

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I like to see the good in this world and focus my attention here. I choose to celebrate life daily, finding a nugget of happiness even  on the less than perfect days.

And even on the almost perfectly imperfect days, while I’m celebrating a moment of joy, I am aware that others are suffering.

Like today.

Today I was filled with joy, anticipating Christian putting on his first tuxedo as he was going to prom tonight. I was admiring my baby and how he has grown up into a tall, kind and handsome young man. I enjoyed watching my husband help him with his shirt buttons and cuff links. I loved watching his transformation in front of my eyes.

  
And while I was enjoying my moment of joy, I was thinking of Chase and his family and feeling their sadness. It’s been a year and a half since he passed away and it just doesn’t feel fair.  Life just is. Yin and yang. Joy and sadness, swirled.

*big sigh*

As we were getting ready, I happened to glance at Facebook and learned that my friend’s daughter passed away from a horrible disease, cystic fibrosis. I felt for their family and the pain they are experiencing today and that will continue. I was crying tears of happiness and sadness at the same time.

I think we are all connected and that their children, are our children. And their pain, is our pain.  And the other mamas, are part of me too.

As I was feeling joy and celebrating my son tonight, I was also feeling sadness for their loss. Yin and yang. Life is. Not fair. It just is. 

nAMaste, BeLOVErs – wherever you are in this moment of life. 

Rest in peace, Hunter.

Love Your Neighbor

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Today I loved my brave neighbor.

She was walking by my house when no one was home and noticed some strange behavior. Some guy was knocking at my door and lingering. She sent me a text to see if I was expecting anyone. At the same time as I was replying to her text, I was checking our dropcam and could see the guy at my door.

I absolutely love that people are watching out for me and my family. When I replied that I wasn’t expecting anyone, she walked back to see if he was still there and as she walked back the guy had jumped over my fence.

By this time, my husband was calling the police. She was brave and approached the guy standing in the street to ask what they were doing. 

While I was on the phone listening to her confront the strangers, I had the police on the other phone telling me that the police were on their way, and I sat shaking and nervous and feeling helpless with that sick feeling in my stomach. I heard dogs barking and was thankful that another neighbor was walking by with her dogs and that my friend was not alone. 

Eventually we learned that the men actually were legitimate workers and were subcontractors for PG&E. The police told me that it was legal for them to jump over my fence. I disagree with this rule and feel it is unsafe for everyone. I think we should have been told beforehand that they needed access to our property before they chose to create chaos and anxiety.

In the end, all was good. The workers worked. The police policed and the neighbors neighbored.  I am thankful for our community, and especially for my neighbor and our supportive public safety officers.

Life is good.

Being Alone

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I almost didn’t go hiking today because my friends weren’t available and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go by myself. I started talking myself out of hiking as soon as I learned they were unavailable.  I told myself stories like it would be better if I got more work done instead and that I could catch up. I could just exercise in the garage. I could skip exercising all together.  I could make other plans. I could yada yada yada.  I was just looking for a way out, an excuse, to not go alone and time was wasting away.  What should I do?

I decided to go, while I was talking on the phone with my sister and told her about my predicament. She was my little cheerleader, who got me over my irrational fear that I couldn’t/shouldn’t go alone.  She gave me that little kick I needed and I got myself in the car while she was still on the phone with me.  I was so happy that I did.

 I enjoyed the cool breeze flowing through the shady areas and the moments in the hot sun. I loved the beautiful light shining through the gaps, hearing the sound of the water, and seeing all the little animals and kids out exploring nature too.
 I actually loved the experience of being alone and seeing and hearing things from a different perspective. I was aware of all the people on the trail who were together. I was aware of all the sounds the animals make. I was aware of how fast I was moving and loved it. After I got to the top, I decided to run down the hill,  which is something I never do. It made an old experience new again and it felt invigorating.

 I love this tree and I know I’ve shared it before, but seeing this tree reminds me of my sister and the time we took pictures in front of it in tree pose together.  This tree makes me smile and think of her and today I was thankful that she pushed me out the door, by myself to enjoy nature, alone.

What do you enjoy doing alone? What are you afraid of doing alone? Hmm…I’m curious.

nAMaste and sending healing vibes to my friends who couldn’t be with me today.

xo

Do It Anyway

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Today was a gorgeous day. The sunlight was amazing and lasted late into the warm night.

Charlie wanted to go back outside one more time before it was too dark. I resisted at first, saying he needed to finish his homework. He promised he would and begged for ten more minutes with the cool breeze on his face.

I had just mentioned how I loved the feel of the cool breeze coming in from the kitchen window and he used my words. How could I resist?

I told him okay, he could go out again, if he’d come back and study a bit more. He then asked me if I wanted to come outside with him, and of course, my thoughts were no way! I was done. It was almost 8pm and I was ready to be resting on the couch. He asked me again, saying he wanted to play with me. How could I resist?

I have all these wise women who have taught me along the way that the time we have with our kids is actually short and that we will miss them wanting us one day. I believe in their wisdom, so I said yes. I went outside, anyway, despite my reservations and different expectations.  I enjoyed shooting baskets with him and seeing how good he is at long shots. I loved how he shared the ball with me. I loved the neighbor’s dog who came up on the driveway to greet us. I did it anyway and was happy I did. I always am and never regret doing the work once I do it and actually dive in.
What are you resisting and would you be happier if you did it anyway?  I’m curious.

Happy Doing!

Love Is

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Love is all around us.

Where did you see love today?

Where did you feel love?

How did you give love?

My husband chose to go for an evening walk with me after work today and I stopped when I saw love on this tree.

My daughter showered me with love when she chose to sort and fold the laundry, while I was out on my date with her daddy.

I loved Charlie today when I took him to get vaccine shots. I made him happy when he asked me to take him for sushi as his reward, instead of ice cream as I had planned. 

Today flowed and I loved it, even for a Monday.

How was you (Mon)day, honey?

🙂

Thinking

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How do you teach thinking and deciding skills?

I was helping Charlie with his math today and he wanted to rush and get the problems done so he could do his other homework. He didn’t want to think, and just wanted to do with out the thinking part to get it over with. I was trying to teach him that the thinking part was more important than the doing part and that if he could figure out the thinking, he could easily do the doing over and over again. This was hard for him to understand and he struggled to rush through. I told him you can’t rush thinking and went back to repeating myself over and over again.

I made him talk to me and explain his thoughts and the steps he would take to solve his problem before putting his pencil to his paper. This was uncomfortable to him. I learned by watching his frustration and realized that teaching him to slow down and to think before doing was very challenging.

In the end, he got it. He stopped struggling and fighting me and got the hang of it.  I told him that if he could figure out the thinking part, it was like knowing how to do a magic trick.  I explained that math problems were like mysteries that had patterns that he had to uncover and apply to solve. He finally got it and I loved watching him learn the process of thinking and then doing. I hope we can continue learning and practicing and thinking together. This thinking thing is pretty cool!

How do you teach thinking skills?

Palo Alto Stroll

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Juliana and I enjoyed getting out of the house for a little bit today. We walked down University Avenue in Palo Alto as we had a return to make. It was a gorgeous day and we were happy to be outside and to shop together.  

The way I got dressed up was to put on a little mascara, along with my yoga pants and T-shirt. Super casual is how I role, oh and no shower and I forgot earrings! This is my imperfect normal. Last minute planning and I loved it.  I’ve learned that I don’t really care what I’m doing, as long as I’m sharing time with loved ones. 

Today was good, just being together with Juliana and enjoying our time together. 

Life is good. How was your day?