Vote. Be informed. Read. Improve yourself.

It's Voting Day today in Ontario. I have been asking everyone I know about the new political system that we are voting on, and I have found that surprisingly most people are either uninformed or against the idea because it is new. I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, but it makes me sad to know that people will be voting against the new system because they simply do not have a clear idea of what they are voting on.

On a different note, I have been diving into non fiction literature. I had found myself disillusioned with fiction. I was getting nothing out of it. Hence, I was not reading. Since picking up "Hip Tranquil Chick" I have a list of about a dozen books that I would like to read. I guess self improvement, and personal expansion seems more productive to me than spending time reading purely for the purpose of escaping reality.

Have a wonderful day :)

Post Holiday Weekend Update

Happy Thanksgiving Canada! I have just completed my families first Thanksgiving without my beloved Nana, who passed away about a month ago. The table seemed empty somehow without her immense personality there to fill it. More through circumstance than planning a space was left empty at the dinner table, ironically where she most likely would have sat right between my Pippy and I. I noticed and felt her absence. I know most of us did.

My husband and son have stayed behind with the family for a few days, while I had to return to Toronto to work today. I will be sans family tonight after school. I think I am going to take in a yoga class and then come home to relax, regroup and write in my journal.

I hit the consignment store just before we left, and found this lovely pink lace tunic top with brushed gold hoop earrings and a pretty gold and pink necklace. I was dressed to my own satisfaction this holiday, and it only cost me 10$!

Picked up a new book; "Girl Seeks Bliss" By Nicole Beland. Quite good so far. She is reviewing Buddhism right now and hitting my own leanings quite squarely on the head. I have gotten a few book suggestions from this first chapter which I will be checking out after this book is completed. I am clearly on a new path, or rather more solidly and commitedly choosing to follow a path that I have been toying with for a number of years.

Yay Me!

Yoga Thoughts

These thoughts were reverently stolen from Kimberly Wilson's "Hip Tranquil Chick" Blog. I was browsing through her archives last night and came across this. After I went to bed I found myself musing on a few of them. I went back this morning and copied them over. Very deep stuff.


- meditation, psychology, and yoga are 3 pieces of the well-being pyramid
- areas of closure are teased open with yin practice
- if you observe it, you are not fully lead by it (you become more mindful)
- restlessness is not your basic nature.
- meditation helps balance out the frenetic energy.
- our demons are fed by our resistance to them.
- no moment in life is trivial -- pay attention to subtleties.
- what you tell yourself becomes the experience.

These musings are attributed to Sarah Powers.
I can't wait to explore them at more length, when there's time.

Happy Saturday!

Friday Musings

I have been spending time every morning listening to podcasts on the bus. I have discovered that this is a time in my day when I am accomplishing nothing but moving from one point to another. What a perfect opportunity to expand my mind. This morning it was some seriously deep Buddhist Metaphysics from the Zencast library. Along the lines of what we perceive isn't actually there. As viewers we impose meaning and label upon objects, rather than them imposing their meaning onto us as viewers. Therefore, our perceptions are unique to us and are vehicles to the creation of suffering, which is the first Noble Truth. I had to back up and replay four or more parts of this podcast, just to get the subtle meanings straight. Yesterday it was Catching Suffering before it Begins. The message here was that our suffering is born of our own attachments and inner chatter. Our monkey mind, willing to jump at a moments notice, brings us to anxiety and suffering without our conscious will. If we are aware of it, and draw it back to the moment, we can begin to reduce our suffering. I think I am starting to see a pattern here. I think this week was about mindfulness.

How wonderful to start my day by focusing my mind and reminding myself to stay present and mindful throughout my day.

Now if only I could teach my grade ones this.......

TGIF!

What a week! Yesterday was about the scariest day I have had in quite a long time. Somewhere between home and work yesterday morning I lost my glasses. I have a fabulous pair of Rx Sunglasses that I switch to on my way to work. When I got to my desk, I reached for my daily glasses only to find out that they weren't where I thought they were. 1 sprint in heels to retrace my steps to the bus stop later, I still had no idea where they were. I was terrified. I am useless without my glasses. What was I going to do? The bell was going to ring in mere minutes and I had no idea how I was going to get through attendance, let alone the rest of my day.

Thankfully I am blessed to be part of a staff of wonderful human beings. I had many offers of rides, supervision for my class, and assistance in my search. I called in a replacement for the day and hightailed it out the door in search of my spectacles. I have yet to find them. I believe they are lost. I have a new pair coming next week.

This experience really served to punctuate for me how reliant I am on my glasses. I was embarrassed, convinced that I had been careless or that it would be perceived that way. I was scared that I would not be able to do my job properly without them. It brought up quite a few strong emotions. I was surprised. Regardless, I breathed through most of them and stayed fairly balanced and calm. There was a time when I would have totally panicked and dissolved into uselessness almost immediately. I managed to keep it together, take care of my responsibilities and attempt to track down my missing item. Not bad for a Hip Tranquil Chick in training!

My wish for the future is that October will bring some calm and some peace.

Quick and Dirty

Just a quick note for a new day. I woke this morning with my mind already going on how to change my life. I am quite excited about this. My BFF and I are going shopping at Ikea for a couple hours. I can't wait!

Enter; the Hip Tranquil Chick!

I purchased a new book today, after surfing amazon.ca with my tea. I am not sure how I came across it, or what lead me to it, but I am thrilled with my purchase. It is exactly what I need!

The book is called "Hip Tranquil Chick: A Guide to Life On and Off the Yoga Mat" written by Kimberly Wilson. It explores all the things I have been ruminating about of late; creating a personal yoga practice that suits my lifestyle, dressing to reflect who I am, creating a vision for who I would like to be and consciously making choices to fulfill that vision, and being hip and tranquil the whole time! I dove right into it when I came home. I think I might have found my new bible....

One of the first things I did after opening this book was run to get a highlighter, pencil and journal to write in. (You know I am serious when..) I started my examining the "if only's"

- if only I were less fat
- if only I had more money
- more time
- better communication with my partner
- more time
- a more tranquil child
- more like minded friends
- more freedom
- more time....

and then I continued on to identifying my values. These things are supposed to help me create a vision statement for who I want to be. (I haven't created that yet, but I will)

I flipped to the back of the book and read about wardrobing.... lots of ideas for how to spruce up my wardrobe, which has been needing it and organize my life, which has also been needing it.

I am pumped about this book. I haven't been this excited about ANYTHING in a long time.

We'll see where it goes :) I will be back soon ...