Create with Kim!

After yesterday’s Wishcasting Wednesday post I was able to get the courage to register for my race. Then I felt a click! I felt rooted.

I’ve been letting the wrong people have power in my life–The naysayers who question and judge what I am about.

I much rather be in the company of people who smile and say DO IT! I love positive people.

I spent today getting rooted.

1. Proper rest, 9+ hours.
2. Attended a gentle and restorative yoga class.
3. Shopped at a resale store for beauty & colorful clothing.
4. Purchased a red shirt–root chakra color :-)
5. Roasted potatoes, golden beets and carrots.
6. Spent the day in quiet stillness, homemaking.
7. Worked on the next full-moon vision board by paging thru magazines and gathering images that inspired me.

I am prepared to make the changes in my life for me to succeed in a life of health, wealth, and beauty.

The roasted veggies started with six small golden beets which I peeled and quartered. 4 Medium sized red potatoes. A heaping handful of baby carrots. 1 onion. Minced garlic and ginger. And fresh snipped flat-leaf parsley. I tossed it all in extra virgin olive oil and roasted slow in a 350 degree oven. I should have broiled them a bit at the end to brown them up some, but they were delicious and needed no salt. The ginger was zippy and the minced garlic crunchy goodness.

When you travel far from yourself, what brings you home? How do you keep your living authentic? And when you journey away from your soul how do you step back and regroup?

I’ve been working at moving back toward myself.

Yoga brings me to the now and I root myself to the earth and breathe. I become aware of the sensations in my body, where I am holding tension and fear. Here I can coax myself to let go.

Sometimes our gaze on the world can be rushed, skewed, fractured, but we must still ourselves to look.

There is always hope between light and shadow. Or as yoga teaches us in that small pause of breathe between inhale and exhale.

Thru the looking glass…lately I’ve been trying new angles of looking at my life. I want to push my art to a new level and get back to the “zone.” Years ago, an accident and illness had me close my new massage practice. My life was in upheaval, but I fell into love with a man who let me blossom over and over again as I tried new facets of myself. Some of the new facets showed me difficult mirror images that had me changing it up with tears and frustration.

I went to the beach tonight with a purple corduroy blanket a yellow ceramic coffee mug and a yoga magazine. I moved thru asanas, meditated, waded out into the cool of Lake Superior and journeyed out to the black rocks of McCarty’s Cove as the sunset to my Qigong and Tai Chi practice. Pink sky. Reflections. Violet on the water. Meditations. Breath.

And Answers.

They come, too.

Open to the expansiveness of your life. Look for new angles, open pathways for your eyes, widen your awareness of what is and can be. Dream! Live a life of passion and hope.

I woke with the most awful headache today, and in the past it would have me calling to cancel all appointments and I’d end up diving back into a dark room. But today I am opening, unfolding, releasing and carrying forth to yoga, and to my shift at Zero Degrees Art Gallery.

This new way of walking in my life is a learning process but I find new contours to explore. Contours are soft edges in myself. I leap out of “box-thought” and think of softness and follow the desire to touch things. When a small child reaches out to a flower petal they do so with curiosity and hope. So do I when I find a new contour within myself. Instead of fear, anxiety, or dread, I reach forward. I might find a thorn, but I might find a furry underside that makes me giggle. I never know unless I try.

Perhaps, I should have chosen a flower image. (smile)

Too rushed! I feel panic most days. I want, so badly, to slow down. But I’ve let my choices get too confused and I am forgetting that we are entering a time of release and rest. I need to touch this season and watch it fall, watch it release, watch the fragility of leaves as they crumble.

I’ve certainly been fragile. My neck so sore. I’ve a great need for naps (and I do not let my head rest). I want to color with markers at a picnic table and write with pen on brown paper lyrics, and symbols, let out the mysteries that angels whisper in my ear.

How are you moving with the seasons? And is there a new choice to make? Perhaps you’re letting go?

Please share…

I hopped on a Midnight Blue bike wearing a Red bike helmet. My backpack cradling my camera and a soft shirt. I went down Craig Street to Founder’s Landing and rode past Pink and White Roses, and Purple blooming milkweed. The Thai Bistro’s window had glowing sun. I dedicated my yoga today to Opening, and Openings. When we Open to the possibilities we relase our fears of Lions. We let go of pain.

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(Photography by Mike Hainstock)

My life has taken me to the wilds of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My fave part of living way up north is you can take a quick two-day trip and be in the midst of a green, green dream! I’ve been doing a little bog-walking, tai chi, yoga on observation decks, and have traveled the shores of Lake Superior.

This past weekend Mike and I traveled to Autrain and camped at Autrain Lake Campgrounds in the Hiawatha National Forest. I took in my first campfire of the season and sampled my first Gluten-Free beer by New Grist. It wasn’t bad, a fine light summery beer crafted for taste.

The bog walk was part of the Songbird Trail at the Autrain Lake Campground–but the trail does not go thru te bog. I ventured out carefully to take macro-captures of pitcher plants. Falling thru a bog is not fun and walking on bogs can damage the ecosystem.

This campground was well-less than an hour from my home! But I felt like I had entered a green, green, dream. It was a magical close to my 21.5.800 commitment! But the dream continues in July with new commitments (stay-tuned).

(roughly written)

I am in the midst of dishes, laundry and packing for an overnight camping trip in our new/used 8-foot pop-up camper. It was raining this morning, but I am hoping for good weather tomorrow. I have a 3-day weekend that starts tonight (Friday) after my 3-11pm shift. I plan to hit the Marquette Farmer & Artist’s Market and pick up some Vegan Gluten-free bread from Sinfully Seductive Sweets.

So I am finding myself all in list mode, plan mode, and Capricorn all biz-E-ness modes and the last thing on my mind is opening to a stream of consciousness writing drift.

For those of you in creative-mode, I will insert a photo.

I always pack too much, now we have a smaller camper and a smaller vehicle, and really, the important thing to me is dry clothes, memory cards and batteries. Oops hold on must load the battery charger. Be right back. (Reminder to self pack less!)

I’m back. Another set of batteries are charging for the camera.

And I am thinking I ought to do some yoga. Be right back!

Okay changed loads of laundry, took compost out to big bin, and packed shoes. Hope you are enjoying the randomly chosen photos from this week.

Yesterday, yes let’s back track now, I went for a run. It was my first run since June 3 and the 5K race that I miraculously came in third, seventh overall. It was a trail run on the south Marquette bike trails on National Trails Day.

Since this fall, my body does not do well with impact. The symptoms started sketchy at first back in September, maybe even August. I would go for a run and spend hours on the floor with fists shoved into my gut. Part of this was gastric and part was spasm.

Now, if I run on too hard of surface, too fast, or on a downhill I end up with terrible pain in my right side. A spasm that feels like it is bruised intestines and part a reacting psoas and illopsoas muscle. Needless to say I am cautious. I always fear running before a work shift. I like a good 12 hours from end of run to the next time I have anything planned just in case. And I like to have the money in the bank to see chiropractor, massage therapist and or physical therapist—just in case. But I LOVE to run!!

I had some creepy tightness last night as I attended the Healer’s Coffee at L’ Attitude in Marquette, but ti eased and today I am just dealing with neck and shoulder stiffness. I am pleased.

I ran 40-45 minutes at Lil Presque and Songbird Trails for what felt like 4 miles. But since my average seems slower than that these days it was probably only 3.5 miles. I did a fair share of cool down and I was a very relaxed gal yesterday.

I am on the mend. My intestines seem to handle impact better whether from exercise, or when I get gas attacks—the next day I do not feel so bruised.

I know most of this post fits into the RunningMarquette.com or Enjoy Life Free blogs but I am meeting my commitment and making multiple posts all over the Internet is not possible today as I have to pack. Go to bank. Hit the co-op. Fold more laundry. Pack my dinner for work.

So at roughly 568 words, I am outta here. I will be doing Yoga in the woods tomorrow! I will have Mike take photos, too! Look for updates on Blog late Sunday night or Monday.

21.5.800 Day 16

I told the story of my son coming into this world. How he and I were fighters long before he became a mixed martial art fighter. I share how we were homeless both before and after his birth. How angels surrounded us and kept us together thru a long battle. My son now fights with Michael the Archangel tattooed to his side.”

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I listen to the little voices in my head say that today your coffee needs a little ground cinnamon. The voice also reminds me to take batteries and camera to yoga class. Where I met my body on the mat and it told me many things.

It is difficult to remember to water the indoor plants when it looks like Seattle in Marquette and the rain came down heavy in sheets.

A fellow yogini told me the morning dawned with orange sky everywhere and that her dog is on robin-time. I woke to Mike closing a widow that was raining in the bedroom with winds challenging the movement of trees. They too found where their bodies were restricting and holding.

Sometimes our bodies deal with storms.

I shake my head in down dog trying to let go of tension. I arch to the left in gate pose. I thread the needle. Listening to what my body tells me.

I woke with spasm and fear in my colon and core. Thought I cannot possibly go to yoga. I thought the storm just proves the point. I cannot ride my bike. My car is on empty.

Mike said, but you seem to enjoy yoga.

So I was at Mukta.

I told the story of my son coming into this world. How he and I were fighters long before he became a mixed martial art fighter. I share how we were homeless both before and after his birth. How angels surrounded us and kept us together thru a long battle. My son now fights with Michael the Archangel tattooed to his side.

Our lives are full of miracles.

Healing occurs in the breath of a hummingbird at a red glass feeder.

I ought to thin the radish seedlings but I have a cloudy head full of storm-weather this afternoon.

I’m letting cinnamon work on me, internal.

I’m letting lavender work on me, external.

I’m letting the angels work on me, ethereal.

I want to seek a deep cave with room for art and remembrance and not rush this day.

This day I brought a life into the world.

We all have a part in creation.

How we chose to breathe.

Today I chose the yoga mat and cinnamon, to water the plants, to capture light and remember.

Word Count: 384

Summer Solstice and the sun rose at 5:56 am (it will set at 9:45). I met the sun on the Lake Superior shoreline between Picnic Rocks and McCarty’s Cove and joined my yoga community for a circle-led session of yoga on the beach.

The night before I set out my new bike helmet, a backpack with red flasher attached just in case the predawn was too dark. It ended up I did not need the light to be safe on the bike. The day was born bright and beautiful.

I was surprised I was up with the alarm clock at 5:45 and on my Bike by 6 am. It was easy. I had set the intention that this is how I wanted to enter the second half of my year. This is how I wanted to honor the summer before me. This is how I wanted to live my life, heal, and love.

I opened my lungs to the fragrance of morning on the lakeshore. White and pink roses in bloom all along my ride on the bike path. I rooted my feet in the sands of Superior. I down-dogged and I saluted the sun. As I lay in savasana I opened my eyes to a blue sky with wispy white clouds as Mary said we should look at the art in the sky.

I could not sleep last night the moon bright and waxing gibbous at 75%. The air was crisp and cool with the bright night.  Restless dreams included me going to a yoga school where people did amazing poses and even I attempted to float in air.

I keep thinking the world is at my feet. I am open to the riches of the universe. I am thinking of fruit, fruition, bringing my wildest dreams into being.

I am picturing my elephant self and a basket of fruit. I am dreaming of one-dollar pineapples. Free mangoes for everyone. Spicy chuntey. Mint and Lime. A community meal with music and laughter.

I water the vegetable garden and the petunia plants outfront. I am observing the garden and growth. I see where I have yet to thin seedlings. I think of my tight neck and shoulders and recognize the holding pattern as one tied to fear.

I’m breathing and letting tapas into my body. Tapas is an enthusiasm and fire , a discipline and a letting go. Simplicity. Being Present. Embracing the daily life of yoga.

Today I need to trust that I am right where I need to be. That life is unfolding on a course that embraces the whole of my spirit, and yours, too.

There is no need to swat at my fear as if I am shooing away an annoying fly. No fearing the mosquito that buzzes my ear all night. I can feel the itch and move forward. I can let go the bite of fear and heal.

Word Count: 485