Lorelie and her Verbal Remedies for your soul! Inspiration, support and laughter to live your life as who you really are. Be who you are. It is so much more than enough.
OMG. A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak at TEDx Asheville. I nominated myself months ago, hoping and also frightened to be chosen. I’m going to speak about The Earth Pledge of Allegiance. Honored doesn’t truly describe the feeling I have. It is more than that. It is a dream showing itself in a different manner than I had expected and planned for. To make God laugh, tell him or her your plans. It’s funny when things start happening that you’ve dreamed about.
It’s been over a month since I wrote here last. Skipping through all that has happened, I land here today with a new household full of people I love. My son, his wife, 2 year old baby girl and their Golden Retriever have moved to Asheville and are staying with me until they find a place of their own. It reminds me of the story of the man (let’s call him KuKu) who goes to his guru for advice…
I ended the previous post with gratitude, claiming a new story is emerging. So what’s the story? A very Brooklyn-like accent punctuates this question. Humor, y’know. Humor is a respite from a world that has seemingly gone mad. I’ve just read through the headlines once again on cnn.com. Oye. Don’t want to go there this morning. Humor. It’s a way of looking at the world with a smile that comes from the head and lands in the heart. A purposeful thought of twisting a situation into a laugh.
The start of a new day, new week, new time zone and most importantly a slide into spring! Winter was a more difficult than most winters have been in the years I have lived in Asheville. But who wants to talk about snow when there are green shoots popping up in gardens, birds preparing their nests and a general feeling of “wooohooooo, we made it!” in the air? Let’s focus on possibilities. What is new today that wasn’t apparent last Monday? It seems we have learned that there is a time for every season. We’ve been strengthened by the more difficult moments, preparing to be all we are, through the restraint of being held captive through weather and economy. Think about the most glorious flower being groomed below the earth to grunt its way through the warming soil, soak up the nourishing rains to grow the bud and finally spring open and face the sun. It’s spring, y’all.
This weekend was yoga training weekend. We spent some time on the throat chakra, the communication chakra that supports speaking the truth. It’s the deep truth, the one that we share with ourself. It is the knowing of who we are at the soul level. We sat in meditation for 45 minutes at the beginning of the day yesterday, practicing alternate nostril breathing. Somewhere toward the end, I noticed the quiet place of being inside this body. I noticed that no matter what the shape of this body is, I am there. I thought for a moment of someone who is inside a body that doesn’t work so well and the strength of their spirit, being of exceptional value to the world, large or small.
I am grateful for a very healthy and strong body. It has not yet reached its peak, though I am moving towards it. My work has not yet reached its peak and I am moving toward that. I am well supported in life, up or down. Lately the roller coaster of emotions has been active yet subdued. I’ve got an awareness that all is well, no matter how it looks. People who seek peace and love are becoming more vocal. It is becoming more and more clear that it takes us coming together with a common intention to get things done. People are partnering and re-partnering, becoming more aware of each moment. “Make today today.” (lyrics from a song by James Taylor) It’s another way of saying live in the moment. Make now now and not the next day or the day before.
No matter what your own personal beliefs are about Valentine’s Day, it is. Valentine’s Day. I am happy one such day exists. We do forget, as we go along on our way through the world that is a bit tougher than what we have been used to at present to focus on love. Today we are reminded by hearts everywhere that today is a day to focus on love. We have the excuse to be corny, cute, and extra loving today. You gotta admit, what the world needs now is love, sweet love. So forget that the retail world is asking us to dig into our wallets and buy, buy, buy, followed within a breath of the green holiday coming up. Buy it or not. Give love to everyone today, starting with yourself. If that seems too big a task, just find something about yourself that you think is pretty cool and realize that you are pretty happy to be you, warts and all. When you fill up with that enough that you feel like love is leaking out of your pores, go out into the world. Go to the grocery store and be extra nice to the cashier. Exude the joy of being alive. Walk up and down the aisles buying your food and, whether you even make eye contact with someone, that feeling of love will wash through them when you pass by. I know. Corny, right? Well, hey. It’s Valentine’s Day.
I have just watched Jamie Oliver’s TED talk and am utterly inspired to do something that helps to fulfill his wish to bring health to the children through the foods they eat. Educate them at home and in school. He shows a classroom of young children who do not know what a tomato is, a cauliflower, a beet. Watch this video.
I guess I wasn’t supposed to tell you what I was telling you when I wrote what I wrote before the power went out on my computer and I lost it all. And it was so good! I felt like I had finally bared my soul and wrote the goods. The start of something tangible. Pouring my heart out, letting myself be completely seen.
