"Best Day Yet"

     This blog title comes from a story by David Goldberg, wherein a friend of his family, when asked how he was doing, consistently said, "Best day yet!" That phrase struck a very harmonious cord with me, and I've been using it repeatedly in my head and out loud for over a week now.
     One result I see is that even if a day is fairly "ordinary," including such basic human tasks as grocery shopping, laundry, tidying, etc., with "best day yet," I have a greater appreciation of being able to do those "ordinary" things.
     There is also the aspect that as life continues to get better and better for me, every additional day on Planet Earth is a huge blessing. Granted, my life has its down times, too, and overall, eventually, I am grateful to be here to experience even those.
     I just finished leading a hugely successful Forrest Yoga retreat weekend at a retreat house about three hours from Wichita. Driving home, I was feeling "best day yet" all over my spirit and body. And believe it or not, "best day yet" got even better. There is great power in using that simple phrase.
    What happened? I had entered a contest and won... tickets to this Saturday's KC Royals game, transportation via the Royals Fan Express bus, Royals shirts and hats for two. This baseball nut is squealing excited.
     Where will "best day yet" take me next!?!?!?
               Leta

Perfectionism rears its ugly head

     Being a person who likes active meditation (as in, I don't do well sitting still for many minutes), I decided that an adult coloring book would be the perfect means to still my mind and take pleasure in one of my favorite things in life, color. There is a great selection of these books out there now--it's "all the rage."
     I was drawn to the one titled "Secret Garden," and I spent some time this morning going through my coloring supplies from my stamping and card-making stock.
     As soon as I pulled the cap off a pen and approached the paper, perfectionism reared its ugly head. What will I do if I mess up? Leave the page a mess? Are these markers fine-pointed enough for these tiny spaces? Why didn't I get something with bigger spaces? And I kid you not, there are youtube videos showing you how to color in this book! Good freakin' heavens!
     I see that this was the perfect purchase for me, and I am undaunted by my "inner roommate" ragging at me. I shall have great fun putting color to paper... lines, what lines!?!?!
     Colorfully perfect,
             Leta

Tribute to Bev Wake

     Bev Wake passed into her next life experience on August 9. I've known Bev for many years as my favorite yoga instructor at the YMCA. Not very many weeks ago, she was diagnosed with cancer, and her beautiful light was extinguished all too soon.
     Bev's yoga teaching was inspiring to me, and I credit her classes with generating in me the desire to become a yoga instructor also. I have completed nearly 700 hours of teaching thus far, so Bev's life really has had a very profound effect on mine, for which I am eternally grateful.
     I was able to express my appreciation in a card to her after I learned of her illness. Due to my own yoga class teaching schedule, my contact with Bev had lessened quite a bit over the past year.
     This all leads me to a suggestion (of course!)... if someone has been important to your life's path and enjoyment, let them know. It's a win-win for all.
     Joyful for Bev, though missing her light,
                 Leta

No worries on vacation, to be continued

     I'm joyously back home, after a vacation including 20 days, 10 states, and 3,696 miles driving.
     I'm not much of a worrier most of the time, and my worries hit an all-time low as I was lying in the pool and walking on the beach at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I spent a week there in a huge house beside the ocean with 19 assorted friends and relatives. We had outstanding weather. It was great. Though I would have preferred to stay there much longer, I did leave with a very peaceful feeling that all is well, and there's nothing for me to worry about.
     In one of my daily readings this morning, I hit this line, "Worry is praying for what we don't want." (David Goldberg) Well, there's some incentive not to worry!
     I can feel in my body, still, that feeling of calm, relaxation, "everything's fine." It feels good to recall this feeling, and I plan to revisit it often to keep the great feelings of vacation flowing through my "regular" life. It also helps to re-visualize the full moon rising over the ocean, another treat from the trip.
     "Don't worry, be happy,"
             Leta

 to the beach... 

Speaking of Brave... Change

     I'm experimenting with changes in how and what I eat. This is very brave for me, because I'm a recovering food addict and messing with my food is pretty terrifying at a very deep level for me. I've come from a place where food was totally my best friend, and using it enabled me to survive a chaotic childhood. Note that "using food" is not the same as eating for sustenance.
     Getting to this point has been a long journey for me, supplemented enormously by my yoga practice and teaching. I am becoming increasingly willing to make dietary improvements, not because I SHOULD, but because it's the loving thing to do for myself.
     Then there's the rebellious part of me. I will NOT give up __________! I've given up so much already, why do I have to give up something else?!?!?!? I don't know if I can live without ________. Why be on the planet if you can't enjoy one of life's major pleasures--food that tastes good!?!?
     So you can see, bravery and fortitude are called for. We shall see how it works out. Baby steps. All I have to lose is the ache in my left hip, and hopefully some pounds.
     Drinking lots more water,
            Leta

Oneness

     These words are from the pen of Ron Fox:

"Too often we mar our relationships by seeing separation. We isolate ourselves. We build prisons around our hearts. The basic message Jesus was trying to teach was about our oneness, not just with Spirit but with one another. He challenged us to see divinity in all people. He taught us to treat all people with love, honor, and respect."

     How unfortunate is it that much of the perceived separation we experience nowadays is encouraged by religious beliefs?
          Leta

Success and Peace

These words are from Mark Nepo's work, The Book of Awakening:

Much of our anxiety and inner turmoil comes from living in a global culture whose values drive us from the essence of what matters. At the heart of this is the conflict between the outer definition of success and the inner value of peace.
Unfortunately, we are encouraged, even trained, to get attention when the renewing secret of life is to give attention...
The longer we try to get attention instead of giving it, the deeper our unhappiness...
It leaves us with these choices: fame or peace, be a celebrity or celebrate being, work all our days to be seen or devote ourselves to seeing, build our identity on the attention we can get or find our place in the beauty of things by the attention we can give.

     While I like to consider these points by Nepo, I don't necessarily think success and peace are mutually exclusive. What if we can simply be happy with whatever our lot in life is? That's wildly successful as far as I am concerned.
     I love Dr. Chris Michaels' definition of success: 1. Have fun.  2. Learn something  3. Help someone along the way. That's an easy-to-do success, and I can be very peaceful and happy with that.
     Simplify, simplify,
          Leta