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.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
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!
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