Friday, May 28, 2010

precious, my precious.



I'm the queen of long showers. I love standing under hot water and letting it wash away the day. On the flip side, I turn off the tap in between rinses while I brush my teeth. I recognize and understand the concept of water conservation, but with tap water in my daily life I don't earnestly practice it. I'm not a mega water waster...but I could be more mindful.

With spring water, that I've collected from the source - this is a different story. Driving for hours to collect a few gallons of pure unadulterated living water - suddenly all my sips and uses are considered - no water goes to waste. Spillage is unacceptable. Every drop counts. Water is sacred again.

When I take ownership of the water I consume, I feel accountable for all the actions that follow. And there is a simplicity of fetching my own water, and then conserving it - all my food and drink choices become deliberate - no knee jerk reaction meals or beverages are created where water is spilled down the drain because something didn't work out or I changed my mind.

Seriously, presence is necessary when handling spring water collected from the source.

And....I savor water more. Drinking water has become a ritual. Pouring, enjoying and feeling gratitude. I feel gratitude that I'm able to drink this amazing water, that I have the resources and knowledge to acquire it, and for the pure, hydrating nourishment it gives my body.

Clearly, it's worth all the effort.


Thursday, May 13, 2010

what happy people do


Some people are naturally happy. Others learn as they live and become masters with time. It makes me wonder:
What are the defining qualities of the peeps in the happy zone?

First, they're constantly striving for new levels of excellence, based on their unique talents & potential. Striving to be all that you can be (in a purpose driven, meaningful way) engages different parts of your brain and gets you dialed into regular doses of happy juice and keeps you healthy too.
Lesson here: Know & realize your golden self.

Second, they live their life by design. Take stock of how you spend your days by tracking your daily activity. How much of that daily activity is spent doing stuff that's unsatisfying....or loathsome? If you can transfer even an hour a day of doing stuff you don't like (commuting) to doing stuff you do like (playing with friends) happiness will naturally take over your life.
Lesson here: Make deliberate changes to do more stuff you love, less stuff you don't. Intention is everything. The power is in your actions.

Third, they avoid "if only..." syndrome. "If only I get that sweet job or dream guy or lose 15 pounds THEN I will be SOOO happy." Not really. It's easy to misjudge your contentment when you focus in on a single aspect of your life instead of how things are in general. Also, note the natural dimming effect that comes with something wonderful entering into your life. Guaranteed the new dream car that is bringing you so much joy this year won't be as exciting in the years to come.
Lesson here: Let creativity reign supreme; explore ways to constantly bring awesomeness into your life - whether it's trying something new or putting a new twist on something you're already into. Practice gratitude for your life as it is - then keep it fresh.

Forth, they put best friends first - recognizing that life is too short to dedicate quality time to their B-list, or those that don't bring joy to their lives.
Lesson here: Hang out with people you like the most. They're called BFF's for a reason.

And...happy people allow themselves to be happy. None of that "feeling guilty for feeling happy" bullshit that seems prevalent. The best way to practice being happy for yourself is to practice being happy for others when they're experiencing the sort of thing you're looking for. "oh wow. she's pretty, athletic, has the best taste in music, kick-ass friends, coolest boyfriend, travels whenever she wants AND helps build homes for humanity? Cool. GOOD FOR HER. That's awesome."
Lesson here: Strive for happiness while being open to helping others; know that the pursuit of happiness if one of your rights as a human being. Appreciate the happiness of others.

There you go. The Cliff's Notes of being happy.

Monday, May 10, 2010

circle slashes & mega hearts


After a long day of shopping one über wintry Boxing Day my friends and I found ourselves discussing what we'd like more of and less of - in terms of the man pool available to us. We came up with a list of deal breakers and clinchers - signals our male counterparts give us to let us know instantaneously if we're compatible or not. Extensive testing (aka dating) has been done to come up with this list.

Deal Breakers - not because we're judgmental but because we have standards. How else would we know what we want if we're not aware of what we don't want?

(in random order)
1. Has truck nuts attached to his tow hitch.
2. Sports a Calvin & Hobbs pissing decal or a Kappa sticker on his vehicle.
3. Collar up, spikey hair.
4. Wears a track suit.
5. Creed & Nickleback are on his favorites list.
6. Cheap.
7. Stupid Deadbeat.
8. Likes meat salad.
9. Selfish asshole (doesn't go downtown, par example).
10. Regularly wears convertible pants @ inappropriate venues & events.

Clinchers - you had me at hello and then...
1. Independent thinker.
2. Pays attention to the details.
3. Romantic, thoughtful.
4. Fit, strong like Ox.
5. Witty.
6. Intuitive.
7. Confident.
8. Passionate.
9. Sexual healer.
10. Loaded.
11. Has exquisite taste.
12. Makes medicinal elixirs in the morning and/or brings coffee for in bed enjoyment.
13. Skilled masseuse.

Of course, the Clinchers cannot be paired with any of the Deal Breakers - this creates a glitch in the system, rendering any hint of compatibility completely temporary.

Interestingly, the deal breakers are more telling of non-compatibility than the clinchers are of compatibility so it's not a concrete science or anything. But hey, it's fun making lists.

Friday, May 7, 2010

rollercoaster dream


Yesterday morning i was dreaming that I was looking at facebook. (I know).
I was clicking through my friend Colin's pictures, and in one picture he was seated in a roller-coaster about to plunge down. The curious part of the photo was the non-expression on his face. He could have been sitting in a waiting room or on a bus, instead of at that turning point of OMG that comes with roller-coaster rides. Then, I'm in the roller-coaster too. Typically, I'm not one for rides at all....but this time I close my eyes, surrender and feel the exhilaration. It felt incredible being turned and twisted around in space.
The ride ended, and Colin and I were walking through a neighborhood where he recognized many of his friends. The first friends we past were arguing over a baseball glove. "Those two have been arguing over that glove for as long as I can remember", Colin says to me. We passed a couple more such scenes, including one with a soccer ball.
Just like that we're in some sort of cul-de-sac and danger looms. We know to run, but my legs aren't going so fast - partly due to the fact that I was wearing fashionable, non-athletic calf-hugging boots. Colin graps my hand, and pulls me along. My legs begin to float up behind me and like a balloon (but more aerodynamic) I follow Colin and we run/fly to safety.

Then my alarm went off.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

cinco de mayo nap index


the nap index is high today. I would love to snuggle up at home and just nod off to outside sounds. Maybe it's the fresh May snow or the gloomy skies or that Mercury is in retrograde or that the moon is in its third quarter-whatever is going on in the space of things I feel destined to take a nap today.
When the nap index is high and I seize the opportunity I have the best dreams. By best I mean vivid, random, adventurous and memorable. It's as though this nap allows a midday purge from the obscure recesses of my mind; the creative rivers of my brain to merge together with this space into a neat alpha-delta style dance.
Tapping into this reminds me of the things that make me happy.
Of course today I could shake things up and wear a sombrero while I siesta.