I grew up playing video games on the original Nintendo console and I loved the fact that when I was losing or the game wasn't going the way that I wanted it to I could just reset the game and start over. So what if we could implement that same practice in our lives? The moment things began to go astray or became to complicated we could just reset and start over.
Unfortunately I don't know of any technology that allows us to truly reset our lives and start over at the beginning, but I think we naturally reset throughout our lives. The people that we are right now are far away from the people that we thought we would be when we were children and the people that we will be in the future won't be the people that we in-vision in this moment. The reason why is because we constantly reset our lives. Sometimes we do this consciously but most of time it happens unconsciously.
I've been traveling down a path now for the past 7 years that has lead me on a serious of crazy adventures. Some incredibly fulfilling and others extremely devastating. After every experience I learned something that helped me move on to another crazy situation but the chaos never stopped. Towards the end there were moments of fulfillment but mostly just devastation. Then one day I woke up and realized that I was tried of the chaos. While the past 7 years of my life would be something I would never erase, I had out grown it. I had walked down the same road over and over again. I knew what was waiting for me at each intersection and I didn't desire it anymore. Every ounce of my soul yearned to be somewhere else...anywhere else but where I was and that's when it happened...I got the answers that I had been waiting for; the conformation that I no longer had to travel this road anymore, the realization that I had seen everything that I could possibly see and now it was time to explore a new one. Despite everything, a part of me is saddened to leave the path that has been my home for so long, but I believe fully that one day I will turn onto this road again and be amazed at the transformation that has taken place. Until then I look forward to the new road I will be traveling on along with the new adventures that will sweep me away.
Everyone will reset the path they walk more then once in life and it will be scary, VERY SCARY, but remember that you wouldn't reset if it wasn't absolutely necessary for you to do so. The reason why one must go down a new path is because the path they were on wasn't where they needed to be. So when that day comes and you reset take the lessons that you've learned and set out on a new adventure with faith in your heart and peace in your soul. Know that you are right where you were meant to be and everything else will flow naturally.
Today marks my reset day. The ending of one beautiful, crazy journey and the start of another.
With Faith, Love & Peace!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Music Therapy
I usually don't write about music because my knowledge on the subject is very lacking. Not to mention that I have grown up listening to several different types of music that I've never really had one genre that was my favorite. I have recently come to realize that at different points in my life I've used different genres of music to help me cope with the struggles of life. Each genre presents its own unique qualities that make each particular situation a little more calm. In the unsteady path of life music has been my walking cane that has given me balance when I needed it the most.
I spent a good bit of last night driving around DC listening to Kanye. Something about the situation just clicked. Seeing DC at night light (although I've seen it many times) and blaring My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy just made me so calm. I drove all over DC until the album was done and on the way home I just felt at peace. I've never really done that before and it was shocking to me to realize how peaceful just stepping away from a situation can be. When I left my apartment I was angry and all I wanted to do was yell on the top of my lungs but instead I just blared some music and drove around the city and by the time I got home I was peaceful. I was able to have a conversation and not get worked up. It was as if all the rage just left me. I've never felt that clear in my life. Felt like there was nothing there...just peace resonating and bouncing around the walls...an unbreakable peace!
I'm sure there are better ways of finding that peace or sense of clarity then blaring Kanye and driving through DC but until I find a better way I think that is going to be on the top of my list. Sometimes we all just need a little music to just step back and look at things differently. The next time your feeling overwhelmed, struggling, or in a conflict take a step back. Leave the situation and just blare some music...I grantee that you will see things a whole lot differently.
I spent a good bit of last night driving around DC listening to Kanye. Something about the situation just clicked. Seeing DC at night light (although I've seen it many times) and blaring My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy just made me so calm. I drove all over DC until the album was done and on the way home I just felt at peace. I've never really done that before and it was shocking to me to realize how peaceful just stepping away from a situation can be. When I left my apartment I was angry and all I wanted to do was yell on the top of my lungs but instead I just blared some music and drove around the city and by the time I got home I was peaceful. I was able to have a conversation and not get worked up. It was as if all the rage just left me. I've never felt that clear in my life. Felt like there was nothing there...just peace resonating and bouncing around the walls...an unbreakable peace!
I'm sure there are better ways of finding that peace or sense of clarity then blaring Kanye and driving through DC but until I find a better way I think that is going to be on the top of my list. Sometimes we all just need a little music to just step back and look at things differently. The next time your feeling overwhelmed, struggling, or in a conflict take a step back. Leave the situation and just blare some music...I grantee that you will see things a whole lot differently.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgivng Day
Originally I wanted to write a post on Thanksgiving Day talking about the importance of friends and family in our lives and how grateful we should all be to have people to spend the holidays with since there are many people that will be spending the holidays alone...I guess that post was never meant to be. Instead I wanted to share with you two stories, both of which are true, that took place over the thanksgiving day weekend.
Thanksgiving Day was wonderful this year. I got to spend the day with my dear friend and her daughters and nice. We started the morning off each sharing what we were thankful for this holiday season and simply enjoyed our selves. Since neither one of us felt like cooking, or rather I say felt like doing dishes, we decided to partake in the festivities at Golden Corral...just wait, the story get better. So we get there around 4 and there is a line almost outside the door! Apparently Golden Corral was the place to be. We finally get seated and grabed our plates and split up to get food. I'm waiting in line at the salad bar area and in front of me is this older Indian man that I don't know. A little boy comes running up to the line and jumps right in front of me. I don't say anything cause it's the holidays and it's really not going to kill me to wait a few extra seconds to get some salad on my plate. His sister, seeing him do this, immediately comes up to him and says, "Don't you see that they are together?". The little boy looks at me and then at the Indian man in front of him and apologizes for cutting in line.... I started laughing loudly, I'm sure the people thought I was crazy. I told the kids that I wasn't with the man and that it was okay that they cut in line. They both blushed and went about their business. Apparently even in the 21st century all Indian people are related, LOL.
The next story takes place the next day:
After being at work for most of the day on black Friday, I meet up with my friend and her family since they were also at the mall to kill some time and get a bite to eat. We went to Guess since a member of the group wanted to get something. We were all hovered over her at the register and she was showing us what she was thinking of purchasing. As we are discussing this, the associate asks us to move out of the way because someone was trying and pass through. I turn my head around to look and see who's path we were blocking because I hadn't noticed anyone come around us... Turns out the person the associate was talking about was me. LOL. Since my skin color didn't match that of those that I was with this man assumed that we were not together and that I was trying to get through. LOL... I can't help but laugh every time I re-tell this story. The whole 20 minutes that we were in there we kept cracking jokes about it and I'm sure the man felt bad, but our jokes weren't meant to judge him. I was simply to laugh at the society that we live in (at least that was my purpose). Apparently we can only be friends with people that have the same skin color as ourselves.
My thanksgiving was seriously entertaining and really made me realize how ignorant some people still are. I just hope that those of us that know better help others that are blinded see things a little differently. You have to be the change that you want to see because only through your actions will the world really change; wanting change is simply not enough.
Thanksgiving Day was wonderful this year. I got to spend the day with my dear friend and her daughters and nice. We started the morning off each sharing what we were thankful for this holiday season and simply enjoyed our selves. Since neither one of us felt like cooking, or rather I say felt like doing dishes, we decided to partake in the festivities at Golden Corral...just wait, the story get better. So we get there around 4 and there is a line almost outside the door! Apparently Golden Corral was the place to be. We finally get seated and grabed our plates and split up to get food. I'm waiting in line at the salad bar area and in front of me is this older Indian man that I don't know. A little boy comes running up to the line and jumps right in front of me. I don't say anything cause it's the holidays and it's really not going to kill me to wait a few extra seconds to get some salad on my plate. His sister, seeing him do this, immediately comes up to him and says, "Don't you see that they are together?". The little boy looks at me and then at the Indian man in front of him and apologizes for cutting in line.... I started laughing loudly, I'm sure the people thought I was crazy. I told the kids that I wasn't with the man and that it was okay that they cut in line. They both blushed and went about their business. Apparently even in the 21st century all Indian people are related, LOL.
The next story takes place the next day:
After being at work for most of the day on black Friday, I meet up with my friend and her family since they were also at the mall to kill some time and get a bite to eat. We went to Guess since a member of the group wanted to get something. We were all hovered over her at the register and she was showing us what she was thinking of purchasing. As we are discussing this, the associate asks us to move out of the way because someone was trying and pass through. I turn my head around to look and see who's path we were blocking because I hadn't noticed anyone come around us... Turns out the person the associate was talking about was me. LOL. Since my skin color didn't match that of those that I was with this man assumed that we were not together and that I was trying to get through. LOL... I can't help but laugh every time I re-tell this story. The whole 20 minutes that we were in there we kept cracking jokes about it and I'm sure the man felt bad, but our jokes weren't meant to judge him. I was simply to laugh at the society that we live in (at least that was my purpose). Apparently we can only be friends with people that have the same skin color as ourselves.
My thanksgiving was seriously entertaining and really made me realize how ignorant some people still are. I just hope that those of us that know better help others that are blinded see things a little differently. You have to be the change that you want to see because only through your actions will the world really change; wanting change is simply not enough.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Story...
It's been a while since I have written a personal entry but I jut felt like I need to share this story...
I was at work (AE) yesterday in the fitting rooms helping people and processing the go backs, when in comes this little Indian girl wanting to try on a pair of jeans. She must have been about 12 years old; she was so very sweet. Well after letting her into the room her brother, who must have been only a few years older then her, came into the fitting room wanting to know what she was trying on. She opened the door to show him the jeans that she had picked out, which I must say looked great on her, anyhow the brothers immediate reaction was, "Those look like dude's jeans". I couldn't help but to laugh. But this is not what bothered me. After arguing back and forth about if they were "dude's jeans" the brother told his sister that she was not allowed to get the jeans because he had final say in the matter and his say was NO! I stopped what I was doing and just looked at them. I can only imagine what my face looked like to them, because I was very upset. To make matters worst their mother came in and without even asking the daughter what she thought turned to the brother and said, "What do you think", he immediately voiced his dislike for the pair of jeans and stated that he did not approve of her buying them. So the mother, again without even talking with her daughter, said that they would not be getting the jeans and that she should change cause they were getting late. At this point I was furious. I went over there and talked with the mother and told her about the quality of the jeans, and popularity of the style the daughter had on and after much convincing I got her to agree to get her daughter the pair of jeans. After getting changed back into her own clothes the daughter comes up to me and says, "Thank you so much!"
The Indian culture is wonderful. It's filled with a great amount of history and is very rich in its traditions however, there are aspects to it that don't always sit well with me. I'm not saying all Indian families function this way, but coming from a family that does I could really understand where the poor girl was coming from. I don't care what religious background you are coming from, but no older sibling should have that much power over their younger siblings. It's the 21s century for crying out loud.... why are people still trying to make women inferior!?! I was so outraged that the mother didn't even care what the daughters opinion was. I was even more outraged that they daughter just stood there silently not saying anything, although I can't blame her because many many years ago I used to be that little girl. As she was leaving I wanted to tell her to stand up for her self, to not let her brother have that much control over her life and to most importantly explain to her parents that she is no different then her brother and should therefore be treated equally. Unfortunately, it was not my place to say those things to her. Who was I to her? Just the lady that let her into a fitting room, but I feel like somewhere deep down she understood all those things without me having to say them to her. I'm not sure how it impacted her life but I know for me it was something I needed to experience. It was like watching my past unfold in front of me and it was so very humbling to know that my tiny gesture may have changed the course of this young girls path.
Always Stand up for yourself and what you believe in. Don't let anyone tell you other wise. Make the decisions that you feel are best for you, even if you fall at least you want blame anyone for the decision and you will never have to question yourself about it.
LIVE YOUR LIFE!
I was at work (AE) yesterday in the fitting rooms helping people and processing the go backs, when in comes this little Indian girl wanting to try on a pair of jeans. She must have been about 12 years old; she was so very sweet. Well after letting her into the room her brother, who must have been only a few years older then her, came into the fitting room wanting to know what she was trying on. She opened the door to show him the jeans that she had picked out, which I must say looked great on her, anyhow the brothers immediate reaction was, "Those look like dude's jeans". I couldn't help but to laugh. But this is not what bothered me. After arguing back and forth about if they were "dude's jeans" the brother told his sister that she was not allowed to get the jeans because he had final say in the matter and his say was NO! I stopped what I was doing and just looked at them. I can only imagine what my face looked like to them, because I was very upset. To make matters worst their mother came in and without even asking the daughter what she thought turned to the brother and said, "What do you think", he immediately voiced his dislike for the pair of jeans and stated that he did not approve of her buying them. So the mother, again without even talking with her daughter, said that they would not be getting the jeans and that she should change cause they were getting late. At this point I was furious. I went over there and talked with the mother and told her about the quality of the jeans, and popularity of the style the daughter had on and after much convincing I got her to agree to get her daughter the pair of jeans. After getting changed back into her own clothes the daughter comes up to me and says, "Thank you so much!"
The Indian culture is wonderful. It's filled with a great amount of history and is very rich in its traditions however, there are aspects to it that don't always sit well with me. I'm not saying all Indian families function this way, but coming from a family that does I could really understand where the poor girl was coming from. I don't care what religious background you are coming from, but no older sibling should have that much power over their younger siblings. It's the 21s century for crying out loud.... why are people still trying to make women inferior!?! I was so outraged that the mother didn't even care what the daughters opinion was. I was even more outraged that they daughter just stood there silently not saying anything, although I can't blame her because many many years ago I used to be that little girl. As she was leaving I wanted to tell her to stand up for her self, to not let her brother have that much control over her life and to most importantly explain to her parents that she is no different then her brother and should therefore be treated equally. Unfortunately, it was not my place to say those things to her. Who was I to her? Just the lady that let her into a fitting room, but I feel like somewhere deep down she understood all those things without me having to say them to her. I'm not sure how it impacted her life but I know for me it was something I needed to experience. It was like watching my past unfold in front of me and it was so very humbling to know that my tiny gesture may have changed the course of this young girls path.
Always Stand up for yourself and what you believe in. Don't let anyone tell you other wise. Make the decisions that you feel are best for you, even if you fall at least you want blame anyone for the decision and you will never have to question yourself about it.
LIVE YOUR LIFE!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Psychic Immune System
Our physical immune system protects us from pathogens while our psychic, or spiritual, immune system protects us from negativity. The difference between the two is that our physical immune system can work on its own. We don't need to tell our cells that we have been infected; most of the time they know before we are even aware that there is a foreign element present. However, our spiritual immune system requires a great deal of presence. It's only when we dive into ourselves and become present are we able to strengthen our psychic immune system and let it not be affected by negativity.
Eckhart Tolle describes this in The Power of Now, "[The] psychic immune system...protects you from the negative mental-emotional force field of others, which are highly contagious. Inhabiting the body protects you not by putting up a shield, but by raising the frequency vibration of your total energy field, so that anything that vibrates at a lower frequency, such as fear, anger, depression, and so on, now exists in what is virtually a different order of reality." (pg.124)
I'm sure that many of you can relate to this. How many times have you had a conversation with someone and all of a sudden just ended up in a bad mood even though when you started the conversation you were pleasant? Or have you noticed that when you were in a bad mood it affected the mood of someone close to you? The energies that we emit from our within affect not only ourselves but also the people around us, especially the people that are close to us. In this day and age it so easy to get bogged down by the constant negativity that lingers around us as a collective people. With everything going on in the world from violence to politics to finance and everything in between the levels of anger and depression have risen to an unbelievable high. The more people that feel this way the more it affects us all! Taking a step back and looking within is such a small step that can open a new world of possibilities. When we are centered within yourself then it becomes easy to not let the negativity of the world affect us. You will begin to see the brighter side of things. Conversations with people that once made you angry will not affect you anymore. I'm not saying that there won't be things that upset you, but you will express them better so as to not feed the negativity anymore. If we all did this the collective negativity wouldn't exist and therefore no one could affect us but ourselves. We would be in full control because there would be no negativity to draw us away from our consciousness.
In you interactions with people, especially those that you know trigger a negative response, be very present. Don't let their negativity affect you. By dismissing the negativity you not only help your self but, also help them! Be the best that you can be and see how easy it is not let the collective negativity bring you down!
With Joy & Peace
Eckhart Tolle describes this in The Power of Now, "[The] psychic immune system...protects you from the negative mental-emotional force field of others, which are highly contagious. Inhabiting the body protects you not by putting up a shield, but by raising the frequency vibration of your total energy field, so that anything that vibrates at a lower frequency, such as fear, anger, depression, and so on, now exists in what is virtually a different order of reality." (pg.124)
I'm sure that many of you can relate to this. How many times have you had a conversation with someone and all of a sudden just ended up in a bad mood even though when you started the conversation you were pleasant? Or have you noticed that when you were in a bad mood it affected the mood of someone close to you? The energies that we emit from our within affect not only ourselves but also the people around us, especially the people that are close to us. In this day and age it so easy to get bogged down by the constant negativity that lingers around us as a collective people. With everything going on in the world from violence to politics to finance and everything in between the levels of anger and depression have risen to an unbelievable high. The more people that feel this way the more it affects us all! Taking a step back and looking within is such a small step that can open a new world of possibilities. When we are centered within yourself then it becomes easy to not let the negativity of the world affect us. You will begin to see the brighter side of things. Conversations with people that once made you angry will not affect you anymore. I'm not saying that there won't be things that upset you, but you will express them better so as to not feed the negativity anymore. If we all did this the collective negativity wouldn't exist and therefore no one could affect us but ourselves. We would be in full control because there would be no negativity to draw us away from our consciousness.
In you interactions with people, especially those that you know trigger a negative response, be very present. Don't let their negativity affect you. By dismissing the negativity you not only help your self but, also help them! Be the best that you can be and see how easy it is not let the collective negativity bring you down!
With Joy & Peace
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Way of the Cross
In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle talks about the religious view of suffering as a means of finding God;
"The way of the cross is a complete reversal. It means that the worst things in your life, your cross, turns into the best thing that ever happened to you, by forcing you into surrender, into 'death,' forcing you to become as nothing, to become as God-because God, too, is no-thing." (Tolle pg.225)
This is a very powerful message! The idea that your suffering your pain can become your salvation. That in your moment of despair you will find God and be at peace. But do you have to suffer at all? To have to wait till your moment of despair to find God and be at peace?....NO!
For most us that are unaware or rather I say unconscious of the Now, the way of the cross will be the only chance for salvation. In their final moments they will come to find peace as their physical form dies. All the years of anger, resentment and pain that they carried would not exist because in their despair their pain would have forced them into the Now where they would find peace and in turn God. This however, does not have to be the case for all of humanity. We do not have to wait for our moments of despair to be at peace.
By surrendering ourselves into the present, the Now, we strengthen our bond with ourselves and we find peace and in turn God. Surrendering doesn't mean to throw your hands up in the air and just let things happen to you. It means allowing what is present in your life situation to be. To not label it as good or bad, but to embrace it as part of your life situation at this moment. If you feel sorrow then be present to that feeling. Understand where it comes from and why it is there. It is in being aware in the Now that we let go of our pain and find peace. Our life situations are constantly changing and knowing this allows us to not let every emotion, every thought, every "bad" situation prevent us from peace!
Embrace the moment Live in it! For only then will you be able to see how small it is in comparison to you. Let your cross be every moment of your life situation and let peace resonate from your core!
With Love & Peace
"The way of the cross is a complete reversal. It means that the worst things in your life, your cross, turns into the best thing that ever happened to you, by forcing you into surrender, into 'death,' forcing you to become as nothing, to become as God-because God, too, is no-thing." (Tolle pg.225)
This is a very powerful message! The idea that your suffering your pain can become your salvation. That in your moment of despair you will find God and be at peace. But do you have to suffer at all? To have to wait till your moment of despair to find God and be at peace?....NO!
For most us that are unaware or rather I say unconscious of the Now, the way of the cross will be the only chance for salvation. In their final moments they will come to find peace as their physical form dies. All the years of anger, resentment and pain that they carried would not exist because in their despair their pain would have forced them into the Now where they would find peace and in turn God. This however, does not have to be the case for all of humanity. We do not have to wait for our moments of despair to be at peace.
By surrendering ourselves into the present, the Now, we strengthen our bond with ourselves and we find peace and in turn God. Surrendering doesn't mean to throw your hands up in the air and just let things happen to you. It means allowing what is present in your life situation to be. To not label it as good or bad, but to embrace it as part of your life situation at this moment. If you feel sorrow then be present to that feeling. Understand where it comes from and why it is there. It is in being aware in the Now that we let go of our pain and find peace. Our life situations are constantly changing and knowing this allows us to not let every emotion, every thought, every "bad" situation prevent us from peace!
Embrace the moment Live in it! For only then will you be able to see how small it is in comparison to you. Let your cross be every moment of your life situation and let peace resonate from your core!
With Love & Peace
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Fearless
Dictionary.com defines fear as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain etc. either real or imagined. Therefore, by definition being fearless means to be without fear, or devoid of the feelings of distress.
The majority of fear that we feel is not associate to some form of pending danger, but rather an illusion of danger. I'll give you and example. I love my parents and my family very much and they mean a lot to me, but the majority of the decisions that I have made in my life have been in fear of them. Fear that I would hurt them, fear that they would not want to be a part of my life anymore, fear that I would be alone in this world....all of which are simple illusions that my mind created. While it is possibly true that my parents/family wouldn't support my every decision it does not mean that they should have control over them either! If they decided that they didn't want to be a part of my life because of a decision that I made, does that mean that I should stop living my life?
The answer is very obvious, NO! But for anyone that had grown up in an Indian household they know that the answer is not that simple. It's taken me almost 25 years to realize how simple it all really is...My life, is and always will be, MY LIFE. Living in fear of hurting those that I love and care about so much has only prevented me from living. Prevented me from being at peace with my self and prevented me from being happy. Ultimately my fear has kept me from living all these year and now, as I get close to my 25th birthday I realize how foolish it has been to hang on to this fear.
So, to all of you out there I say shed your fears. All of them! Do things that you have always been afraid of. Try foods that you haven't before. Go skydiving, or do anything else that you have always wanted to do but just been too afraid to. The outcome of these things may not be exactly what you thought but whatever comes of them it will be liberating to know that there is no more fear and subsequently no feelings of distress or pain. Take your life back from fear and see how much better it can be.
Living Fearless!
The majority of fear that we feel is not associate to some form of pending danger, but rather an illusion of danger. I'll give you and example. I love my parents and my family very much and they mean a lot to me, but the majority of the decisions that I have made in my life have been in fear of them. Fear that I would hurt them, fear that they would not want to be a part of my life anymore, fear that I would be alone in this world....all of which are simple illusions that my mind created. While it is possibly true that my parents/family wouldn't support my every decision it does not mean that they should have control over them either! If they decided that they didn't want to be a part of my life because of a decision that I made, does that mean that I should stop living my life?
The answer is very obvious, NO! But for anyone that had grown up in an Indian household they know that the answer is not that simple. It's taken me almost 25 years to realize how simple it all really is...My life, is and always will be, MY LIFE. Living in fear of hurting those that I love and care about so much has only prevented me from living. Prevented me from being at peace with my self and prevented me from being happy. Ultimately my fear has kept me from living all these year and now, as I get close to my 25th birthday I realize how foolish it has been to hang on to this fear.
So, to all of you out there I say shed your fears. All of them! Do things that you have always been afraid of. Try foods that you haven't before. Go skydiving, or do anything else that you have always wanted to do but just been too afraid to. The outcome of these things may not be exactly what you thought but whatever comes of them it will be liberating to know that there is no more fear and subsequently no feelings of distress or pain. Take your life back from fear and see how much better it can be.
Living Fearless!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Simplicity
Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about all the things that you possess and all the things that you spend your money on and wonder what the point of it all is?
Lately I've been doing a lot of this. I find that we, as humans, spend so much time and money investing in things that promise to bring us joy. All we have to do is turn on the TV or listen to the radio and we are immediately bombarded with advertisements for the newest phone, car, internet service, video game, clothes etc. The advertisements themselves might not necessary persuade us into buying these things that we don't necessarily need, but that combined with seeing other people walking around with these fancy objects makes me feel like we are missing out on something. For example, when the smartphones began to come out only a very few people had them. It was mostly high-end professional that got them as company phones and then we were fascinated with how they function and the glitz and glamor behind them. Now there are a small majority of people that don't own a smartphone and if you are part of that small majority you are immediately judged as inferior or even laughed at for possessing "old" technology.
My question to you then is, what do these things do for us? How does having the latest shoes, the newest model of a cell phone, the newest/biggest TV improve our lives? What enlightenment do these object posses?
I look around the house at the things that I own and I can't say that any of them add value to my life. Sure I am thankful for them and blessed that I have them, but could I live with out them? Yes! That ultimately is the truth of life, and the idea of living simply. The things that I own that are of the most value to me are things that were given to me as gifts from those that I love and most of those are thoughtful, hand-made or even enlightening gifts that bring a sense of joy and peace in my life.
To live simply is not to devoid your self of material things, but it is to not be wasteful. Don't buy the $150 shoe when you can buy a similar pair for $35. Don't spend time, money and energy investing into things that don't bring with them inner peace and happiness. Ultimately the objects will fade away but your inner peace will always be there even if there are no objects around! So take the challenge, for the next month be watchful of the things that you do and see if you can live simply.
With peace & happiness
Lately I've been doing a lot of this. I find that we, as humans, spend so much time and money investing in things that promise to bring us joy. All we have to do is turn on the TV or listen to the radio and we are immediately bombarded with advertisements for the newest phone, car, internet service, video game, clothes etc. The advertisements themselves might not necessary persuade us into buying these things that we don't necessarily need, but that combined with seeing other people walking around with these fancy objects makes me feel like we are missing out on something. For example, when the smartphones began to come out only a very few people had them. It was mostly high-end professional that got them as company phones and then we were fascinated with how they function and the glitz and glamor behind them. Now there are a small majority of people that don't own a smartphone and if you are part of that small majority you are immediately judged as inferior or even laughed at for possessing "old" technology.
My question to you then is, what do these things do for us? How does having the latest shoes, the newest model of a cell phone, the newest/biggest TV improve our lives? What enlightenment do these object posses?
I look around the house at the things that I own and I can't say that any of them add value to my life. Sure I am thankful for them and blessed that I have them, but could I live with out them? Yes! That ultimately is the truth of life, and the idea of living simply. The things that I own that are of the most value to me are things that were given to me as gifts from those that I love and most of those are thoughtful, hand-made or even enlightening gifts that bring a sense of joy and peace in my life.
To live simply is not to devoid your self of material things, but it is to not be wasteful. Don't buy the $150 shoe when you can buy a similar pair for $35. Don't spend time, money and energy investing into things that don't bring with them inner peace and happiness. Ultimately the objects will fade away but your inner peace will always be there even if there are no objects around! So take the challenge, for the next month be watchful of the things that you do and see if you can live simply.
With peace & happiness
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Basil Fried Rice
As I am sure you have figured out by now, I like to occupy my time with many different things. Another one of things that I love to do is COOK!!! It's super relaxing for me and really quite fun :)
This is one of my favorite dishes to make. It's inspired by this restaurant in Atlanta that my family and I used to go that had a delicious Basil Fried Rice. Unfortunately the restaurant shut down a few years ago and so this is my attempt to recreate my favorite dish.
What you will Need:
This will usually feed about 2-3 adults depending on if this is going to be a main dish or if you are going to be serving it with something. I also like to add Tofu to this dish, but you can add whatever meat the you prefer. If you are going to be using tofu, make sure you marinate the tofu over night to get the best flavor possible.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do. If you have any question just let me know!
photo courtesy of Emmanuel Thelamour.
This is one of my favorite dishes to make. It's inspired by this restaurant in Atlanta that my family and I used to go that had a delicious Basil Fried Rice. Unfortunately the restaurant shut down a few years ago and so this is my attempt to recreate my favorite dish.
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large head of fresh broccoli florets partially steamed
- 1 green pepper sliced (can use other colors if you prefer or a variety/ mix of peppers to give more color)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 can baby corn
- 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped (remove the seeds if you don't want it too spicy)
- 10-12 Basil leaves
- 1 bunch of green onions for garnish
- Ground Red Pepper (to taste)
- 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 Tbsp Vegetable oil
- Cook the rice with about 1-2 Tbsp of soy sauce, 4-5 basil leaves and some ground red peppers. I use a rice cooker, but you can do it on the stove top if you prefer.
- Using a wok on high heat, quickly stir-fry all the vegetables. (use as much oil as needed). I like to do them separately, but if you have a larger wok you can throw in all the veggies at the same time.
- Once all the veggies are stir-fried add a little bit of oil, basil and soy sauce in the wok and allow to sizzle a few seconds and then add in the veggies.
- Add as much ground red pepper as you need to achieve your desired spice level.
- Add in the cooked rice and stir-fry a few more minutes
- Garnish with some chopped green onions and serve hot.
This will usually feed about 2-3 adults depending on if this is going to be a main dish or if you are going to be serving it with something. I also like to add Tofu to this dish, but you can add whatever meat the you prefer. If you are going to be using tofu, make sure you marinate the tofu over night to get the best flavor possible.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do. If you have any question just let me know!
photo courtesy of Emmanuel Thelamour.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Being Present
I've started to read a new book that has become an integral part of my life. It's become an addiction that I am very proud of. The book is entitled The Power or Now: A guide to spiritual enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle.
Unfortunately my new addiction means many blog posts on my spiritual journey. I don't expect you to follow my journey, I just wish to inspire someone to take the journey for them selves!
"I'll be happy when..." I am certain that all of us have made this statement at some point in our lives. Reflecting on the future as a place where "happiness" will be found. I'll give you a personal example. When I moved up here it was partly to go to school, but it was predominately to achieve some greater happiness that I felt like I was missing in Ga. I thought that being away, rather running away, from my past to a new place would bring me happiness. I had built up my future to be so much. I made it seem like I would be on top of the world here in Md and that I would find some magical key that would unlock my eternal happiness. Unfortunately that was not the truth.
I'm not saying I am unhappy in my present state, I am however saying that my skewed perception of life in Md is quite different then the reality of life here. I realized after moving up here that I'm not really a northern girl. I enjoy the south. I enjoy the warm weather and mostly I enjoy being close to my family and friends and seeing them for every holiday big or small. I never realized how lonely it gets not having family/friends to celebrate your birthday with or to just randomly go out to dinner with. Again, I'm not saying that I don't have friends here or that I feel alone, just saying that there is a difference in what I viewed as my future and what actually is my present.
Which brings me to my main point. We spend so much time focusing on our past or in-visioning a better future that we stop living in the present, The Now. We are so wrapped up in our past that we fool ourselves into thinking that we will have a better future and in this way we forget the present completely. As Tolle ask in his book, "In this very moment what problems do you have?". The difficulties of our lives are those that we create for our selves by constantly searching in the past and wanting a better future. By being present and experiencing the Now we eliminate the pain and find true eternal happiness and peace within our selves:
"Past and future obviously have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past and future only pale reflections of the light, power and reality of the eternal present. Their reality is 'borrowed' from the Now." (Tolle p.50)
Take a moment to stop what your doing and look around. Observe everything around you. Think of all the wonderful things that you have in your life at this very moment and I assure you a smile will come across your face. God has blessed us all with more then we could have ever imagined, it's just that sometimes we get so caught up in some idealized future that we forget that presently we already have everything that we need.
With love and peace.
Unfortunately my new addiction means many blog posts on my spiritual journey. I don't expect you to follow my journey, I just wish to inspire someone to take the journey for them selves!
"I'll be happy when..." I am certain that all of us have made this statement at some point in our lives. Reflecting on the future as a place where "happiness" will be found. I'll give you a personal example. When I moved up here it was partly to go to school, but it was predominately to achieve some greater happiness that I felt like I was missing in Ga. I thought that being away, rather running away, from my past to a new place would bring me happiness. I had built up my future to be so much. I made it seem like I would be on top of the world here in Md and that I would find some magical key that would unlock my eternal happiness. Unfortunately that was not the truth.
I'm not saying I am unhappy in my present state, I am however saying that my skewed perception of life in Md is quite different then the reality of life here. I realized after moving up here that I'm not really a northern girl. I enjoy the south. I enjoy the warm weather and mostly I enjoy being close to my family and friends and seeing them for every holiday big or small. I never realized how lonely it gets not having family/friends to celebrate your birthday with or to just randomly go out to dinner with. Again, I'm not saying that I don't have friends here or that I feel alone, just saying that there is a difference in what I viewed as my future and what actually is my present.
Which brings me to my main point. We spend so much time focusing on our past or in-visioning a better future that we stop living in the present, The Now. We are so wrapped up in our past that we fool ourselves into thinking that we will have a better future and in this way we forget the present completely. As Tolle ask in his book, "In this very moment what problems do you have?". The difficulties of our lives are those that we create for our selves by constantly searching in the past and wanting a better future. By being present and experiencing the Now we eliminate the pain and find true eternal happiness and peace within our selves:
"Past and future obviously have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past and future only pale reflections of the light, power and reality of the eternal present. Their reality is 'borrowed' from the Now." (Tolle p.50)
Take a moment to stop what your doing and look around. Observe everything around you. Think of all the wonderful things that you have in your life at this very moment and I assure you a smile will come across your face. God has blessed us all with more then we could have ever imagined, it's just that sometimes we get so caught up in some idealized future that we forget that presently we already have everything that we need.
With love and peace.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Crazy, Stupid Love
It has been some time since I last wrote an entry. I don't quite remember why it was that I stopped writing but for my first entry back what better way to start off then talking about love.
I just watched this movie tonight and I have to say that it was a lot more then I anticipated it to be. It was funny at times, and yet heart warming at other. It is a stereotypical chick flick but I think that is what makes it worth watching.
The movie talks about love and the sometimes crazy and stupid things that we do for love. What makes it so great is that everyone has been there in their lives and therefore can relate to some, if not all aspects of the film. Witch makes it a feel-good film at the end of the day.
The message that I loved the most about the film was the notion of not giving up on love. I know that we have all experienced it and seen it in our own lives. Life, society whatever you want to call it teaches us to give up on love. Just like the kid in the movie I used to think that Love was going to be a given in my life. That I would grow up and fall in love and get married have children and live in a beautiful home with my husband. The thing that I didn't realize when I was a child is that not all of it is a given. Love, in and off itself, is a given. We all find love in our lives. But the rest of it is not...the marriage, the home, the children....all of that comes with time and effort and a great deal of understanding and growing with that love and that is where we all mess up. We find our one true love, our soulmate, and then we just let them walk out of our lives for the stupidest reasons. The movies helps bring back those childish emotions of love.
While it may be hard and discouraging at times; be the person that you are. Love the way that you know you would want to be loved. Most importantly though, don't give up on your childish dreams of love because I promise you they will come true...
With Faith in my heart.
I just watched this movie tonight and I have to say that it was a lot more then I anticipated it to be. It was funny at times, and yet heart warming at other. It is a stereotypical chick flick but I think that is what makes it worth watching.
The movie talks about love and the sometimes crazy and stupid things that we do for love. What makes it so great is that everyone has been there in their lives and therefore can relate to some, if not all aspects of the film. Witch makes it a feel-good film at the end of the day.
The message that I loved the most about the film was the notion of not giving up on love. I know that we have all experienced it and seen it in our own lives. Life, society whatever you want to call it teaches us to give up on love. Just like the kid in the movie I used to think that Love was going to be a given in my life. That I would grow up and fall in love and get married have children and live in a beautiful home with my husband. The thing that I didn't realize when I was a child is that not all of it is a given. Love, in and off itself, is a given. We all find love in our lives. But the rest of it is not...the marriage, the home, the children....all of that comes with time and effort and a great deal of understanding and growing with that love and that is where we all mess up. We find our one true love, our soulmate, and then we just let them walk out of our lives for the stupidest reasons. The movies helps bring back those childish emotions of love.
While it may be hard and discouraging at times; be the person that you are. Love the way that you know you would want to be loved. Most importantly though, don't give up on your childish dreams of love because I promise you they will come true...
With Faith in my heart.
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