Silence

Sometimes silence is good:
meditation
someone else is mad and yelling
your spouse or child makes a mistake
when volunteers are asked for
after lots of visitors
unearth a lie
don't need to talk so much
outside alone
I don't want to watch the train this close up
sleeping (exception: sounds of crickets and frogs through my open window in the summertime)


Sometimes silence is not good:
personal space is being violated
manners are needed
Mozart
safety
who did it? (not me, of course)
speak your piece(peace) - hello, 5th Chakra
ask for help, already!
not a doormat
there was a children in the room, now she is gone, where is she? in the bathroom covered with shampoo

This is what happens...

when you have 2 older brothers.
Is it just me, or does it look like she's enjoying this? Mama, please don't let your daughters grow up to be headbangers.

7 Random Things About Me

Courtesy of Laura over at Reflections on Yoga, random things about me.

There are some rules on this if you have a blog, are tagged or want to do this post:

- Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. (If you can remember who tagged you that is...)
- Share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
- Tag people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
- Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

drum roll please...

1. I am a total sci-fi fan. I'm somewhat of an anomaly among my friends (aside from my neighbor/friend Steve). One of my favorite movies of all time is Stargate and I used to watch Star Trek pretty regularly. I loved the book Dune.
2. OK, Laura, talk about a closet rocker. I've seen KISS in concert 5 times and Metallica 7 times. My concert list also includes: Godsmack, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, White Zombie, Beastie Boys, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots and Static X.
In college a friend and I tried to see a concert each month for a year. I think we made it through Veruca Salt, Beastie Boys and Blind Melon before running out of funds.
3. I know how to clean a fish. (no, not bathing - gutting and filleting). I grew up on a lake and my dad taught me how to fish at an early age. I can drive a boat, change tackle, bait it (anything but grubs), clean it and cook it. Funny thing is, I honestly don't really like to eat it.
4. In school I played piano, flute and bassoon (because no one else would)
5. I love opera, mostly from the classical period (Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is my fave).
6. I was once "Miss Northern Lake Superior". Yes, I competed in beauty, er, Scholarship pageants when I was in High School. Looking back it's kind of crazy and yet I did learn some things. Like, after being on stage in front of 100's of people in a swimsuit and heels I don't need to be afraid of anything!
7. I used to be a brown belt in TaeKwonDo (2 belts away from black) I've joined again along with my boys but I've started back at a white belt.

The birds at dawn

Earlier this spring I wrote about my babies - 3 baby robins in a nest under my deck. Karen wanted to know how they are doing. They were born 5/5-5/7 and this picture was taken on 5/11. I think they all left the nest about a week later. We still see them hopping around our yard.
Then we got new babies:
A house sparrow nest, we believe, in our tree by the garage. The mother would dive bomb anyone going by it. Out of 5 eggs she ended up with 3 babies. We found one on the sidewalk one morning and another morning the nest was just empty. Vanished without a trace. Very sad. At least we still have the robins. This is from a nest in our neighbors tree. You could just walk up to them, just slightly higher than my head. Love them birdies!

Gardening, Yoga and Golf

It's golf season! (at least here in Minnesota where it got down to 43 degrees last night) My husband and I are starting our second year of a couples golf league. I started last year after a 10+ year absence in playing. It was so much fun! It's great to share a hobby with your spouse that you both really enjoy. Plus it was nice knowing that I had a regular commitment to a night out sans kids every other week.
What has been amazing to me is the difference in how I played last year vs. last time I played. I attribute it all to my yoga practice. The difference? I'm so much more calm and centered. I can concentrate on the ball and move with more intention. I'm more flexible, of course, and stronger. Yet probably the biggest difference is in letting go. It does not matter if I hit a bad shot, I don't feel embarrassed if I miss it completely and I don't really care who's watching. It is just a game after all and aren't games meant to be fun? So I just enjoy the company, the evening out and the fresh air. That's what's really important to me.
So what does this have to do with gardening? I also enjoy gardening and growing my own vegetables. The past weekend I rented a tiller in order to expand my garden. WOW, am I sore! Like a boot camp for the upper body. That AND coming off a little illness AND the fact that I haven't even been to the driving range yet this year and this league night should be interesting.
Here's what I'll be doing the next couple of days: going to the chiropractor, getting caught up on my sleep (no more sick baby??) and lots of YOGA
gentle twists (sukhasana with a twist)
shoulder openers like gomukhasana (cow's face pose)
and backbends like Cobra (love that pose!)
LOTS of shoulder rolls
Lunges, Trikonasana (triangle) and Parsvo Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
Here's a great Yoga Journal article (among others) about yoga and golf. Look out Annika, here I come?

I asked for it

I asked for strength
and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom
and God gave me problems to learn to solve.
I asked for prosperity
and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.
I asked for courage
and God gave me dangers to overcome.
I asked for love
and God gave me people to help.
I asked for favours
and God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted.
I received everything I needed.

From a Sufi poem, attributed to Hazrat Inayat Khan, referenced in the book The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist.

The List for mental health

I'm having a challenging week. There's a lot going on and I'll just say it's busy. I'm trying not to judge it and say bad or crappy, because of course it just is. So I'm focusing on being in the moment, doing what's right in front of me and also doing little things that help me feel good.
I was reminded yesterday by my friends that it is helpful to keep a list of things - written down - that I can do when I have these times. It's great to write them down because often when you are in the throngs of chaos (or work, or sleep deprivation...) you may not even have the wherewithal to think about it. Here is the list we came up with:

• Eat good food (as Laura says "If you can't get good sleep, eat well, if you can't eat well, get good sleep"
• Exercise, go for a walk, or as Beth suggested "just do one yoga pose"
• Drink more water
• Take your vitamins
• Get fresh air and spend time in nature. Let me add, sit in the sunshine. Even 5 minutes helps.
• Talk with friends :-)
  

The other thing I discovered yesterday was that my house was in complete disarray. Due to volume of work, kids and "stuff" I had let a lot go in terms of housekeeping. So I did the dishes, cleaned the counters, cleaned a toilet, folded laundry and vacuumed. It's amazing what a little housekeeping does for my mental state. And so I'll add to the list:

• Clean or organize a room, closet or drawer. Get rid of a little clutter.

What else would be on your list?