Day 87: My Period

Okay. This one might be a little personal, but its my blog! I can totally get personal. And I imagine that people have written about way worse things on the internet.

Yes, I am thankful for my period (which I did start today, btw). I didn't always feel this way. Hated it, really, for the first 10 years or so of having it. But over the last few years something changed.  I started to see it as the cleansing process that it is. There's a refreshing quality to the monthly shedding.  Like the change from summer to fall, I see it has a mark of another turn of the wheel, another rotation in the cycle. It's not the earth's cycle or the clock's cycle, it's MY cycle.

And it's the affirmation that I am, indeed, not pregnant, which is probably the source of the joy most women feel when I see their period has arrived. That's something that I am thankful for right now too.

Day 86: Choice

With this national day of choice and decision, I am going to honor choice. Not only am I thankful being able to cast my vote for president and other offices and ammendments, but I am thankful for the thousands of choices I get each day.

Other fellow Librans may be thrown off by a gratitude for choice, especially those educated in French Existentialism, believing that it is our endless choices that condemns us, but I will argue that it is also what frees us. At least, it is what frees me.

So today I am grateful for all the choices I have made, sound and dumb, that have brought me here to this moment, right now. When I think about it, it's a pretty good moment, this one. I am willing to bet the next is just as uniquely great also.

Day 85: Salads!

I love salads.  When I get myself to make them, I am always so thankful I did. It is like I am eating life in a bowl. I feel my best when salads are a main part of my diet. 

This doesn't always happen but I can say in the past 24 hours I have eaten three salads.  I ate them alongside latkas I made with russet potato, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini and onion. It was a veggie fest!

At least it makes up for the 6 cookies I've had in the past 24 hours too...

Days 80-84: A Growing Business

Something has happened over the past few weeks: I've had a lot more work than I am used to. Between completing this manuscript, seeing

slightly over

my weekly goal of clients the past few weeks, preparing two workshops, and all the normal stuff I need to take care of, it seems like I am working all the time!

This is a good thing, a very good thing, but if I don't watch myself, it is a bit tiring as well. All minor complaints aside, it is exactly where I want to be. Building a business is a challenging task. I am educating myself on practically every aspect of business owning all on my own. I get a little help here and there but for the most part, it is all up to me.

I am learning big lessons in time management. Part of the reason I have neglected my gratitude posts the past few days is that I didn't find the right way to fit it in my busy days. This is the wrong way to think about it.

It seems interesting to me that I have not done any extra advertising or marketing, but I have gotten busier. I believe that having and expressing more gratitude has something to do with it.

So my new mantra is "Gratitude will get me through." So far it has, and I bet it would for you too.

Day 79: Date Night

So things have gotten busier for me. Good, but how do I keep up? One area that has taken a hit is spending time with my boyfriend. A year ago, we spent several night a week together and even substantial time most weekends. I now consider that luxurious. Between seeing more clients in the evening (my client's most coveted times) or trying to make it to a yoga class at least one night a week, I've had less and less time to devote to my relationship.

Our solution: Date Nights. Usually nothing special, we make some dinner at home and do some good ol' couch cuddling and I am in heaven. I have come to cherish these times.  Instead of just assuming we'd be seeing each other most nights and then get disappointed when it doesn't work out for days, we decide earlier in the week which night works the best for both of us. Like an upcoming vacation, I look forward to those nights all week.

I'm not opposed to spontaneity, but for the essential things in life, I can't rely on the stars lining up all on their own. They did the big part of bringing this great love into my life, but I must do the work to keep the fires burning.

Day 78: Morning Yoga

One critical and ongoing assignment of my yoga teacher training is  to create and maintain my own personal practice. That means practicing yoga by myself at home with no teacher, no studio, to one keeping me accountable except myself. Luckily, I have been meeting with an experienced yoga teacher who has been guiding me through the process of creating a manageable home practice (and not feeling bad about the days when it doesn't happen).

I have done okay with integrating yoga into my nightly routine fairly regularly, but it is the morning practice I often miss. This is generally because I wake up and immediately want to start working on the things I need to get done in the morning. You know, bathing, eating breakfast, and getting to work like any productive American should. But I also know that taking those first few minutes in the morning for myself will help me truly productive in all that I do during the day.

The last time I met with

Ruben Vasquez

, my teacher, he showed me a very simple sequence that can be done in just a few minutes. Ruben

wrote about this sequence on his blog

and even made a video. Maybe this is something you can add to your practice too.

For the past 10 days or so, I have incorporated this sequence into the start of my day and feel a little more grounded and present. It doesn't take long, and I am finding more and more that I am adding some other postures to the sequence and even sometimes a full sun salutation.

Finally on the path to a morning practice! One day at a time...

Days 76 & 77: Good Times and Good Friends

I took my

friend's biking accident

as a sign that I needed to go visit him.  It turns out I haven't been to Gainesville in over six years. A crime when I consider that two of my best friends live there.

So this past weekend I drove up to this town, with my two dogs and massage table.  I had wanted to work on my friends because it is the best I can do in a time of stress. We talked, made great food, and had some healing sessions. Healing for me too.

I've known these friends since elementary and middle school. There is something so comforting about knowing someone so long. I think to myself, "Well, they must like me or else we wouldn't have been friends this long..." and they do. They do.

Day 75: A Beautiful Day

It has been pretty dreary the past few days that I am ecstatic to see blue skies again. There is nothing I love more than green trees with the bright blue sky behind it. Below is the view from my room at the office that I am getting to enjoy while doing computer work.

In fact, I love sites like this so much, I even wrote a poem about it years ago. It will be appearing in my upcoming chapbook,

As Light Ascends

, from

Beauty is Beauty Press

. Here's a preview:

Messages from the Sky

There is something to say

The view from my office window today

...makes work seem less like work somehow

about the contrast of colors

that occurs with sky and trees–

how that buoyant blue

is somehow made brighter

behind branches bursting

with green so graciously. 

Same with the shadowed

egg-shell shade of clouds

that slides with ease of water,

and the airplane in the distance,

disguised as a diamond

perched among peach petals

gently cascading on some

celestial scenery.

Above these sky-scenes

Heaven is sure to prove its transparency;

but from this terrestrial position

the impression is a perpetual fluctuation

between Eden and perfection.

Day 74: Following Dreams

So, it is kinda a dream of mine to do a TEDtalk. I have been inspired by many of these substance-filled free online videos, and think that I might have a things or two to add to the TED tradition. When I received word that USF is hosting a TEDx (independently organized TED event) and accepting applications, I knew I had to go for it.

To apply, I must explain in 200 words or less my "big idea" and how it relates to theme of the conference, which is "the edge of the future," create an outline of the 3-4 points I want to cover, and send a link to a 2-3 minute video of me talking about my "big idea."

So here's my video. Wish me luck!

Day 73: Sushi

Tonight I had sushi for probably the fifth time within the past month. Now, two of those were Publix sushi, which isn't quite as indulgent as going out for sushi, but still. That's a lot of going out for me.

Sushi is one of those things that I love to indulge in. I love the freshness, the variety, the textures and flavors. Its always its own unique experience, especially with great company, conversation, and connection.

But sushi is also something that I've decided to enjoy it while I can, because I'm not so convinced that sushi as we know it will always be readily available or affordable.

In light of the

last post

, I would also say that all things in life need to be enjoyed while they can, decadent dining included.