I like my teen!  Crazy, isn’t it? After all, we all know that when we were teenagers, our topmost mission in life was to drive our parents insane.  And we felt totally justified because we were positive that they arose every morning deciding how to make our young lives more stressful than we already felt they were.  We vowed we would never be like our parents, only to find ourselves in the same conflicts with our children years later.

Until recently, my story was no different.  The mommy-daughter relationship in our house hasn’t always been joyful.  And the early adolescent phase was downright awful.  There were many times when I wondered if an ornery alien was inhabiting my daughter’s body.  However, I’ve noticed that the more time I devote to myself (yes, self-focus), the more I  relax, breathe, stretch, read and try to find the joy and peace in life, the more my inner calm permeates my household — teen and all.

“The attitude”, as I call it, of the teen who always feels bothered and picked on (no matter how nicely you try to say something to her) has almost disappeared.  And when it does resurface, it doesn’t last for long.  I don’t overreact to “the attitude”, and so the fire is not fueled and quickly burns out.

I don’t want to take all the credit for my wonderful teen.  Maybe some of my inner calm and ability to see the greater good in people and situations, rather than judging and trying to control them, has rubbed off.  I hope so.  But maybe my 15-year-old is just maturing and coming into her own beautiful soulfulness early on in life.  Either way, I really enjoy spending time with my teen and look forward to each and every day.  As long as I don’t neglect my own spiritual health and wellness, things seem to flow in my household.

If you’re having a challenging time with your teenagers, try working on yourself.  It may not be the complete solution, but certainly can’t hurt.  If nothing else, you’ll be able to weather the storm of the teen years without totally losing yourself or your sanity.  Just a little tidbit that has worked for me.  Good luck.

Life is good!  Namaste.  –Lori

Wishing you all the happiness today, September 11th, 2009, that you deserve simply because you are you.  A child of God, a part of your Source, a piece of the Universe, a wonderful living, breathing being.

No, I’m not crazy.  Nor do I mean to be disrespectful, insensitive or thoughtless.  I am perfectly mindful of the events of September 11th, 2001 that affected so many lives in a tragic way.  However, I choose not to live in pain today.  Today, I choose to be mindful of all of the people and things in my life that show up as blessings.  I choose to connect with the peaceful Universe and be one with the spirit of love that embraces us all, no matter what nationality, religion, ethnicity or culture we associate with.

On this day, many people around the world actually take time out of their daily routines to remember, grieve, pray and pay tribute.  I invite you to join me today to offer gratitude for the gifts that have shown up in your life.  But today, our gratitude list will be humongous.  Today, let’s craft a list entitled “911 Things To Be Grateful For”.  Give it a shot.  I did and it wasn’t that hard. 

Start by listing all of the people that have passed in and out of your life and made you the person you are today.  Were they old classmates, former best friends, ex-boyfriends, current relatives, co-workers, neighbors, teammates?  Then add to the list all of the material comforts you have that make life easier for you (past and present stuff).  What about jobs you’ve held, clubs you’ve been in, books you’ve read, speakers you’ve heard in person or on TV?  Don’t forget nature, the plants and animals that add joy to your life.  The sunsets you’ve seen, the rain that’s watered your garden, the cat that sleeps at the end of your bed and keeps you from being lonely at night.

No doubt, you’ve got more than 911 things to put on your list, but let’s just keep it at that for today.  After all, this is a day of remembrance.  So give a moment of silence to remember sad, past 9/11 events.  Then look at your list and vow to remember the 911 reasons you have to be grateful for today.

Life is good!  Namaste. –Lori

I know you’re wondering if that title is correct?  Didn’t she mean “daily meditation”? 

Nope.  I meant to type “all-day meditation” because I’ve just discovered how to do it…and

like most good things, quite accidentally.

Honestly speaking, I don’t practice meditation every day.  I want to, intend to, try

to…and then I just do my best which averages about 4 times a week.  Not bad, but I feel so

darned good when I actually take 20 measly minutes out of my day (early morning is best for

me) to quiet the mind and soul and open myself up to unknown consciousness possibilities

that await.  Even if I don’t have a “deep” experience, I always feel better when I meditate,

even if just for part of the day.

Today, however, I just expanded my definition and practice of meditation.  You see, I had

done the crossed-leg, deep-breathing, quiet meditation thing in my home this morning before work, but then as I progressed through my day, I found that the peace of mind I had started with continued throughout my very regular day.

Morning — Daughter yelling: “Mom, we need to leave RIGHT NOW!”  Me: Ommmmmm……”Okay, let me get my shoes on.”

Lunchtime — Plan: Go to sandwich shop and eat in nice air conditioning while preparing

afternoon class.  Actuality:  All tables occupied in sandwich shop, line to order

sandwiches practically out the door.  Me: Ommmmmm…….wait patiently in line, start

reading materials for afternoon class, order sandwich, leave, drive to somewhere else to

enjoy sandwich.

Afternoon –  Yoga instructor Mic set the intention for us to lengthen those hamstrings (you

know, those muscles you feel when you stretch your legs out and try to bend over and touch

your toes without bending your knees…ouch).  So as I stretched those ever-tight hammies, Ommmmmm…… just kept my focus on my breath and keeping my eyes relaxed.   Before I knew it, I was touching those toes and actually enjoyed doing it!

Now I didn’t actually say “Om” outloud at any point in the day.  I don’t think I even said

it to myself.  But I can honestly attest that I felt for a brief few seconds or minutes, I

Flickr Photo

experienced the quiet solitude of deep meditation while moving through my day.  The best way

I can explain it is two-fold:  First, in a situation that would normally trigger my anxiety,

I was quickly able to flip a switch to peaceful acceptance.  Second, I also had that magical

feeling of time moving at its own pace, not mine.  I don’t know how long that sandwich line

took or how long I held that yoga stretch, but it felt like a millisecond.

If you’re reading this, I don’t think that I have to convince you that meditation is good stuff.  I invite you all to try it every day or all day.  Whatever works best for you.  Either sit quietly and set your intention for relaxation and renewal in a traditional way or stop for a few seconds on your evening walk and smell the night air, internalize it, let time pass of its own accord without you worrying that you need to be doing something.  Find snippets of time each day, all day to breathe in and Om your way through a regular day and into oneness with the Universe.

Life is good!  Namaste. –Lori

photo by Babykailan

I’ve been busy.  It seems that working through my Vacation To Do List  requires actual doing more than writing.  But it’s good stuff.  It’s good to follow through on plans (yoga, car maintenance, etc.), to be open to new unplanned activities (cleansing diet), and to sometimes not want to do anything at all (sit by pool, nap with cat).

It’s important to be okay with yourself where you’re at emotionally, physically, spiritually, and every other way.  We’re sometimes harder on ourselves than we are on others, but we need to give ourselves permission to be.  Period.

As Lao-tsu’s 29th verse of the Tao Te Ching expresses:

Allow your life to unfold naturally,
Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.
Just as you breathe in and breathe out,
there is a time for being ahead
and a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion
and a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous
and a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe
and a time for being in danger.

Don’t judge yourself when you’re not being or doing what you think you “ought to” be doing.  Give yourself a break now and then.  Just allow yourself to be natural, to be.

Life is good!  Namaste.  –Lori

Lately, I’ve been enjoying being inside.  Inside of me, that is.  Being present.  Being thoughtful, without having great thoughts.

Did you ever sit down to write something — a letter, a paper for school, a birthday greeting — and find that you don’t have anything witty or especially interesting to say?  Well, that’s how I’ve been feeling lately, and I’m thinking that it’s probably okay. 

There are times when I’m just about busting out with new ideas, and everything I experience seems to be experienced in prose or poetry.  Then there are times when the experiences just sit with me, marinate, ruminate, and don’t need to be expressed right away. 

This is one of those times and I think I’ll just enjoy it.

Life is good!  Namaste.  –Lori