Sorry about the soap box incident... CHOOSE Happiness

Mark this day down – it’s the second time I’ve made an “outline” for what I want to write. Okay fine – I had a few extra minutes at work today that I could jot down my ideas. Just to make sure I didn’t forget any awesomeness from the last week! Now where should I start…

Let’s begin with book club/Banned Books Week – two of my most FAVORITE things. I love Banned Books Week because it reminds me about how I should have faith in (most) people. Some people are anti-imagination which irritates me – but for the most part, people are great. They know a good book when they read one and love to pass it along to others. Other people however – well, they just suck. I wish I had my notes sitting in front of me from the statistics of banned/challenged books in the last 10 years. The numbers were OUTRAGEOUS. Some books I could MAYBE understand, because they are EXTREMELY graphic. HOWEVER. When you challenge/ban something as AMAZING and well-written as I Know Why  the Caged Bird Sings, The Catcher in the Rye, or Charlotte’s Web – now you’ve got some issues. Why would you want someone to read something “blasphemous” like Charlotte’s Web? Or maybe the better question should be – why WOULDN’T you want your child to read something with great examples of friendship and trust? Because you’re an ass hole – that’s why. Imagination is a GOOD thing. People who had ass hole parents who wouldn’t let them read Charlotte’s Web because animals were talking are now the ass holes that are trying to get books like Harry Potter banned because you couldn’t possibly IMAGINE a world where witchcraft exists. Maybe it doesn’t exist – but open your eyes and your MIND and just think about it. And don’t be a dick.

Let me step off my soap box and get back to my other favorite thing – book club. This month was a little bit different than before – we met at Plain Talk Books and Coffee (one of my favorite book stores) for our meeting and sat outside on their patio. We met across the street at The Rooftop for some dinner and drink before we headed over to Plain Talk for one of the BEST meetings we’ve had. AWESOME discussion, people, and food. I had so much fun. I think (I hope) everyone else who attended had a great time too. On pace with BBW (Banned Books Week – not Buffalo Wild Wings, although that sounds awesome right about now…) we decided that our next book be one from the banned/challenged list. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the winner for October’s book club – and possibly a movie night with The Scarlet Letter and Easy A to follow…

I stepped out of my Power Life Yoga comfort zone, and attended an hour and a half class at Harmony Yoga and Wellness in the Drake neighborhood. I was a little skeptical at first – an hour and a half class at a studio I wasn’t familiar with… however I got to enjoy a brunette yoga date while I was there. It’s contagious I tell you. Once you start doing yoga and fall in love with it, tell your friends – it’s a catchy thing. Something great to share for sure. Anyway – that class was HARD. It wasn’t the flow I’m used to, a lot more balance work, and poses I’d never even heard of. But it was a great change – I wasn’t a huge fan of the shavasana, mostly because the sounds during our relaxation period sounded like tornado sirens and it made it hard for me to relax. But I liked the change of scenery and will probably head back over to Harmony for a restorative session in the future.

I went for a run yesterday morning. That was one of the worst ideas I’ve had in a while. Keep in mind – the last time I ran (not on the elliptical) was the Dam to Dam. Which was June 1^st. What in the actual bleep. Something crawled up my ass and I was all like “I’m going to be super productive today. First I’m going to Gray’s Lake to run, then I’m going to yoga at 11:30, then I’m going to clean and do laundry and then I’ll make some dinner and go to bed early.” Yeah. About that. Who did I really think I was – that’s way too much to do on the Sabbath day. I mean – I don’t really celebrate or follow through with Sabbath-ing, Sunday usually is my day to get stuff done. So I started some laundry and headed out to Gray’s Lake for a run. It felt good. When I started. And then I realized the coffee and oatmeal I’d eaten at 8:00 wasn’t sitting too well. So I quickened my pace to get my run done, and the wind picked up. I could hear my labored breathing over Pitch Perfect blaring through my headphones. My intention was to run two laps. One lap happened. My foot hurt, my stomach bothered me, and it was windy. All excuses, I know. But a poor excuse is better than no excuse right? My mom always told me that. So I’m sure it’s true. But I did it. It may not have been pretty, but it happened. And then I see on Facebook that one of my friends “took a wrong turn and ended up running 20 miles!” and another one is damn near to her marathon. I feel like a pansy. Two miles is plenty for me. It’s better than nothing.

I subscribe to My Yoga Online and was rolling through some different articles on the website. One specifically caught my eye – mostly because of the wording: “9 Ways to Choose Happiness.” Different ways to CHOOSE happiness. It seems like such an easy thing. But if you think about it, how many UNhappy people do you see walking around this place? MILLIONS. And it’s all because they simply don’t CHOOSE to be happy. There are so many people who have bad things happen to them, and still choose to be happy. It may be hard to do at first, but come on – wouldn’t you rather be happy than a grumpy bitch? I sure would. If you’d like to read the article, here’s the link. It’s a great article – and couldn’t we all use a little more happiness in our lives?

http://www.myyogaonline.com/healthy-living/personal-development/9-ways-to-choose-happiness

I’m borrowing this week’s quote from Miss Marathon 2013. Such a bad ass – going from not running more than necessary (during soccer games) to running a half marathon on a whim (or from a book club choice – read Wild by Cheryl Strayed, you won’t regret it. Maybe it will make you run a marathon) to training and running a full marathon less than a year later. I’m impressed. Going from running up and down a soccer field to running 26.2 miles. It’s definitely not for me – but damn. Go girl. She shared a quote from Carl Sagan the other day that’s not unique to her situation, but definitely paves the way for anyone working toward a goal. Or maybe you don’t even know what you’re working toward.

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

Maybe you don’t know what you want, or what you want to do with your life. I don’t. I say that every day. I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up. But until I know, I’m just going to live in the moment. Something is waiting for me to become known. I can’t wait until I figure out what that is.

Spend some time tonight and just be. You’ll be glad you did.

Namaste,

S

Wanderlust

I was doing so well with my weekly or bi-weekly posts – and then I fell off the face of the blog-world. I’ve definitely been keeping busy, but I’ve also spent some time alone. Sometimes that’s all you need. Sometimes you need a little alone time to clear your head and get back into life. It’s been an interesting few weeks – with lots of different things happening. Celebrating life, mourning death, and living in the moment. So many different emotions, but such a good feeling in the end.

I found my inner “hippie” a couple weeks ago at a yoga practice. This was different from my normal practice – seeing as it was out in the country on an organic farm. It was a small group of yogis, but I felt very comfortable there. After hanging around for an hour or so, we began our practice. I ended up with a few bug bites, but I also ended with a clear and open mind. It was pretty nice to be out of “town” where I could see the stars, hear nature everywhere, and just BE. After we said our “Namaste” we enjoyed some organically grown food and some wine from the local winery. I’ve always loved the busyness of the city, but it’s kind of nice to be out where no one else is. Close enough where I can easily get to people, but far enough away that I don’t get bothered by them. The whole time I was out on the farm, I felt like Jennifer Aniston from Wanderlust. (If you haven’t seen the movie – you should. It’s pretty hilarious. Plus – Paul Rudd is in it and who doesn’t love Paul Rudd?) Anyway – we show up and there’s incense burning around the outside of the house, there’s a hammock in the yard, and a man with dreadlocks greeting us with a huge smile and a hug. I felt so out of my element – it was great. The people there were so REAL – I hope that’s something that will rub off on me. The realness of the place and the people, I want to be that REAL.

And after great, calming nights like that of yoga, I have the occasional practice where I feel like I’m dying. That happened last Friday. It was a free class at a studio I hadn’t yet been to. I thought I would try it out – there’s no harm in that right? Plus I have a Groupon for 10 sessions that I hadn’t used yet, so maybe I should try one out for free before I use those. Well let’s just talk about how it was hot when we walked in, and once the class was fairly full – the heat lamps were turned off. It was SO HOT in there from body heat alone. We went through an awesome flow – hit so many poses – and attempted a Side Crow. Not quite as successful as my regular Crow, but it was a good try. (Side note: whenever I say Crow it makes me think of the Brandon Lee and I get a little freaked out. That movie is kinda freaky.) It was nice to switch up my practice a little bit, and I definitely got my ass kicked. Once we were done, there was a free keg of 312 (awesome) and some great conversation with a different dynamic of people than I’m used to at PLY. It’s good for me. Broadening my horizons is ALWAYS a good thing.

To follow that kick ass workout, we headed to Exile Brewing to drink FOR FREE with my German beer mug. Fantastic. Those bad boys are aggressive – the mug not the beer – and I loved trying the new Oktoberfest. (Speaking of which – Oktoberfest is just around the corner… so excited.) And in typical German beer fashion, I came home and fell asleep – on my couch. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning with the TV still on – I have been trying to finish up Nip/Tuck. I crawled back into bed for another few hours and then headed to the Farmer’s Market in the morning for a burrito and some Java Joe’s Coffee. Weekends like that are some of my favorite.

I made a trip to Ames on a party bus for the Iowa/Iowa State game – boo Hawks – and spent some time with my favorite people. As it turns out – I’m not as good at tailgating as I used to be. Or maybe I’m better at it – you choose. I’ve celebrated love with friends getting married, friends getting new jobs, and just friendship in general. I’m in a good place with most things and am content with what that means.

And while I have decided to forego the yoga teacher training (for now), I will be all-supporting for someone else going through it for the next two months. One night a week, and one full Saturday full of yoga and learning – I’m really excited for the end result. Finding something that opens you up and frees your mind is something that I hope everyone finds.

“Dare to be free, dare to go as far as your thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life.”
–        Swami Vivekananda

Dare to do what you want to do, even if it’s something you never thought you’d do. Try something new – because you never know, it could change your life.

Be who you are and just do you. Because as Abraham Hicks says: “People will love you. People will hate you. And none of it will have anything to do with you.” So do you, be you, and ignore anyone who can’t handle that.

Be you.

S

Cheesecake and Contentment - A Recipe for Success

As I begin week four of my new job, I can’t help but smile. I got a great workout in this morning, it felt like fall when I walked outside, and I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks (they’re back!) on my way in. I went to bed with my laundry put away, the floor vacuumed, and the scent of freshly blown out candles wafting around my apartment. I’d been enjoying my last couple weeks since my last post, with lots of yoga, delicious food, and time with friends. As I ease into September, it finally feels like I know what I’m doing. 2012 sucked, 2013 has been decent, and I’m really looking forward to what 2014 brings.

Like I said before – I’ve spent a lot of time in yoga the past few weeks. I’ve enjoyed classes at Gray’s Lake and I’ve sweat it out in Lululemon’s Showroom. But mostly, I’ve fallen in love with the classes, people, and ideals at Power Life Yoga. So much so – that I’ve worked out a work trade with them. Three hours of work at week, and free yoga classes to follow. It’s been such an amazing experience for me that I’ve also thought about teacher training. I’m still throwing it around my mind… because I may almost rather enjoy the classes without having to worry about what to teach next. I’ve got some time to figure it out though. No matter what I decide though, I’ll be forever a yogi.

I celebrated Restaurant Week in Des Moines with some of my favorites – with a trip to Fleming’s. Oh em gee. So delicious. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d want to be there at LEAST once a month. The atmosphere is awesome and the wine is even AWESOMER (yeah – awesomer for sure). Their cheesecake is seriously amazing too. So for sure – go get some of that. It’s a very close tie in cheesecake between Fleming’s and Sakari. Interesting choice between places eh? Then this past week, I got invited to help celebrate promotions with some friends and they decided to go to 801 Grand Steakhouse. And when I say oh em gee about Fleming’s, I REALLY mean OH EM GEE about 801. I had some yummy Moscato (because you can’t go wrong there) and tried some Carpaccio – I didn’t know what it was till I tried it. Super tasty though – I’ll eat that again. Then I had a giant Caesar salad which I accidentally said “sure” when they asked if I wanted sardines on it. So those little guys got pushed off to the side. But THEN I got to the rest of the meal. Garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and pistachio encrusted lamb chops. Wow wow wow. My mouth is watering again just THINKING about the deliciousness of this meal. And to top off the meal, I shared a slice of cheesecake with raspberries drizzled all over it. I can’t even handle how yummy it all was. After eating that entire meal all I wanted to do was sleep. And so I did. I was so full. But it was SO worth it.

I just realized how much I just wrote about food. I love food. So much.

And maybe one of the best parts about this past week – FOOTBALL!! Saturday was the season opener for state schools and it was fantastic reading everyone’s statuses and seeing their tailgating pictures. I was so jealous. I miss college. And all I have to show for it is a degree I don’t use and student loans I’ll be paying off till I retire. But it was so fun. And congrats Panthers on your win – I’d rather you win than two weeks from now during the Iowa/Iowa State game and the stupid Hawkeyes pull a win out their asses. Because then those fools will not shut UP about it. Such poor winners. But even worse losers. All right – enough with that… I know Cyclone fans can be real dicks too. Just not quite as bad J

I had a little epiphany while practicing a week or so ago. We were in savasana (corpse pose) at the end of class one Saturday morning, and our instructor kept talking about santosha. Santosha means “contentment” and “satisfaction.” Basically – doing whatever you need to be content in life. It really settled deep within my mind. Perfection is so completely unattainable – but contentment can happen so easily. You don’t have to lead a PERFECT life. You can be satisfied and content with what you have.

Which leads me to my next thought: church. I went to church growing up, but then never really made it back. I don’t necessarily say I’m a non-religious person, but more spiritual. I don’t go to church, but I think I have found my “church.” Yoga has helped clear my mind, bring new meaning to things I haven’t thought about before, and opened my eyes. I come out of class with a more focused look at what’s happening in my life and where I want to go from here. What I want to do next. I love that feeling.

“Be daring. Be different. Be impractical. Be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

– Cecil Beaton

I’ve found my church. My sanctuary may not have a cross or a preacher, but I do come out of it feeling the same way. I’ve got a clear focus, an open mind, and a feeling in my heart that I’m doing life RIGHT.

Namaste.

S