-image-Thinking About Stillness

March 29, 2007 | A Pick Me Up, Just Me

Did I tell you I tried Yoga? I can’t remember if I did or not. Wakizashi got me a DVD, Yoga 101, which has eight twenty minute classes on it. It’s good, I’d expected Yoga to be complicated and all over my head, but the teacher’s good.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Yoga. Yoga, to me, always seemed to conjure up those extremists. You know, the kind of people the rest of the world rolls their eyes at, and hard-core Christians warn you about. In my own hard-core Christian days I was anti-yoga (for reasons we won’t get into here), later I was neither here nor there: I didn’t really know anything about Yoga so I didn’t bother to form an opinion.

Of course, I knew that I sucked at meditation. The whole silence your mind… may I just say that those are very bad directions? In fact, I was reading a book the other day that was talking about the meditation process (which is odd because it was a book about Grace so who knew!), the author explained that beginning meditators find it difficult to silence their minds and talked about how that’s something we grow into. So, I’m wondering, why don’t they teach you the “growing into it” stages of meditation instead of leaving a trail of meditating failures behind them. If I’d only known that it was unreasonable for me to expect inner silence the first time or so around!

I don’t think that I think of meditation the way others do. I don’t automatically think of the stereotypical Buddhist monk or Yoga practitioner Ohming their way through the day. (To be honest, all things considered, I still gaze a little skeptically at the whole “Ohm” and mantra thing.) To me meditation, first and foremost means to think about, to dissect, and ponder something - literally “to chew”. Which is really what it means. But I am beginning to learn about, and appreciate the quiet, still kind of meditating. Although, I do sometimes worry to myself about the stereotype that label brings with it. Which is too bad, because meditating (both types), like prayer, is non-denominational - something all of us need to include in our lives (if we can only figure out how to sit still).

The me inside my head, the silent observer, sometimes watches me as I learn, think, and experiment with the ideas and wonders… where did this girl come from? This meditation and journal advocating woman. To be honest, sometimes that me observes that I may, myself, be turning into that very same “extremist” and then what will I do?

I was talking to a friend this week and she told me that she can’t sit still, can’t quiet her mind. And those words, caused a kind of swift rewind and silent review of myself in my head. I remember being just like that. So how did I turn out like this? What happened to the me I once knew? I liked Yoga. I really liked Yoga. I’m slowly folding it into my weekly/daily ritual.

I don’t know too much about the philosophy or the theology in Yoga (and, I’m not too interested, I already have enough of a theology of my own), but I love the way my body feels after a workout. I like the peace it gives my day, and the stretch. The next day I always discover that it’s much more of a workout than I could have imagined at the time (I wasn’t aware I had muscles in all those places), but I’m loving it. I’m learning what an impact little things like Yoga and meditation (the quiet and the thinking kind) have on my day to day life; and I’m wondering: Why did it take me so long to discover it? To try it?

-image-Odd…

March 28, 2007 | E.R. News & Such

I had to remove today’s post because it seems to be breaking the blog. I’m not sure how or why it’s breaking the blog, and frankly, I’m too tired to care tonight.

Tomorrow I will restore to you my wonderful post. Because I know you’ll all suffer some terrible withdrawl without your daily dose of Megan.

-image-Learning About Rest

March 27, 2007 | Get Inspired!, A Pick Me Up

I love Spring. I could eat Spring, I could devour it. I love the smell, the sound, the feel. Sigh…

Today I’m Grateful for Spring.

Simple things should make us happy.

Speaking of simple. I’m really feeling pointed toward simplicity, or maybe stillness, in my life lately. I think I mentioned yesterday that I realized I needed to start taking some quiet time during my work hours to focus on work things. (It seems like such a novel concept). I’ve really been drawn towards things that talk about the value of stillness for the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago my friend invited me to a Women’s Health presentation she was hosting. Really, it was a Shaklee party; normally I hate those party things, but I felt it wasn’t right to skip out on my friend, so I went. It turns out that I’m glad I did. The Shaklee lady (her name was Martha), didn’t press for selling, she really did just do a presentation on women’s health - it was very informative.

I learnt the most interesting thing that night. She was talking about how when we go into menopause our body tells our adrenal glands to start making the hormones our ovaries used to produce. It seems, that tired adrenal glands won’t take over the job though, which is a primary cause of some of the more popular menopause symptoms. I have therefore determined that learning to maintain stress at my age (30) might make a difference in my peace or misery during menopause (because your adrenal glands also make stress hormones and it’s a stressful life that tires them out). (It’s also interesting to point out that the medical communiting is a reactive force - they are focused on healing disease - I’d really rather prevent it myself.)

But, I don’t think it was just that. It’s also all the finger pointing that God’s been doing in the direction of developing our inner lives first. A week or so ago I asked him the question I know all of you are going to ask: But, how do we do that? And since then I’ve been inundated with information, and thoughts on stillness, and times of devotion/meditation/ or quiet. I’m still trying to assimilate all of it.

Here I had planned to write a few posts on the aspects of wealth, but instead I’ve been absorbed into stillness, and information and thoughts are just piling up in me. (This isn’t a bad thing, by the way.) I know that I want to get back to the topic of wealth, but I’m being diverted. I can’t decide if it’s because I’m in desperate need of rest myself, or if it’s because you are too (and maybe the truth is somewhere in between). And maybe, just maybe, stillness is the beginning of wealth.

-image-What To Do?

March 26, 2007 | A Kick in the Butt, Just Me

I’m not allowed to work. Work hours are now from 9:30-4:30 - that’s the bargain. I’m not supposed to be working. The problem is, I’m not really sure what to do instead!

All I normally do is work (I’ve now realized), so I’m overwhelmed with what my non-work options are (note that I’ve resorted to talking it out and letting that do double duty - i.e. working).

I never realized how much of my energy was directed towards work till now. Work ends and I wander aimlessly. It occurs to me to do this or that and then I realize - I can’t do either of them because they are work! Work, everything I would normally do with my “free” time is work.

I’ve been forced to get fiction out of the library to occupy my time. (I know, you feel great pity for me.) Honestly, I have no idea what to do with myself (I suppose I could be painting, but we won’t get into that at the moment).

I have to say, I have sudden admiration for Wakizashi, who has always managed to turn his work brain off (but now I think I understand why he likes the TV so much). You’d think I lacked in a hobby. Really, I know that it’s just a shift in my thinking that’s needed. I’ve never really had to learn this kind of seperation and balance before (although, I am starting to think that even us “housewives” should be practicing this kind of division of time).

My current problem is good. It’s a good thing to be learning. I’m just not used to the odd feeling of… having time.

The only downside is that I used to do most of my blogging (at least the thinking that led to my blogging) in my morning and evening time (hence the working when I shouldn’t be tonight) and I’m not yet used to shifting that, or fitting that, in to my Work Day. It’s coming. Actually, just this morning it occured to me, for the very first time, that all the thinking and still things that I’ve done in the mornings and evenings focusing on my work, I still need to be doing those things - just within work time. I suppose, learning the work isn’t all doing is another mindshift I’m going to have to face.

I better go, if I work too much longer Wakizashi will refuse to wash dishes for me. And you all now how important not having to wash dishes is to me! I’ll come back tomorrow - during work hours.

-image-Friday Felicitations

March 23, 2007 | Felicitations

Is it Friday already? When did that happen? Can someone explain to me where the rest of my week went?

I don’t think I can remember what happened this week! I do have one accomplishment, I was so proud of myself. For weeks now I’ve been procrastinating and procrastinating on one particular project. Every time I’ve worked on it I’ve pushed it to the very last minute - I’ve been driving Wakizashi crazy (he’s had to stay late to print it out for me a few times). This week, not only did I get the work written in time, I had it typed and emailed a full twenty-four hours earlier! Not only that, but I also did next week’s, I’m officially done the project completely.

Now that deserves a pat on the back!

Oh, and I just have to say that Suzanne has been working on a project for me which she completed. I am absolutely in love with it (I can hardly wait to show it to all of you), I could just kiss her!

I also wanted to give a big thumbs up to Cynthia who’s been having a long week, but despite that has really made me proud to know her. You go girl!

One last nod for Debbie, Diana, and Karen for being brave and sharing their work on the Inks group!

My week wasn’t all that eventful, but that’s ok. I’m just happy to see (and feel) Spring! Have a lovely weekend all.