For the next 3 minutes and 22 seconds, imagine your life to be free of any stress...your heart sings...your mind rests...you are one with the Universe...with the doggies...swimming laps...Ommmmmmm.........
We have so much to learn from animals. To just BE IN THE MOMENT. Think they are worried about paying the bills? About the size of their rearend? Whether or not they will meet their deadline at work?
I don't think so.
(ps: My apologies in advance for whatever videos pop up when the dog video is finished. It is random so I have no idea what you may see. Thought the dog video was worth it. Besides, face it, it is pretty funny watching dogs swim.)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
In the Beginning...
So, where the heck did this name come from..."there's a bug in my lotus?" I am sure you are wondering. If not, I'll tell you anyway.
Last October, I went to Ireland on one of many trips to see my spiritual teacher (Derek O'Neill) for a week-long workshop. During the week, we ventured out into the Irish countryside to visit various sacred sites. One of these was Powerscourt. Powerscourt, located in the Wicklow mountains, has some of the most beautiful gardens you have ever seen. While there I used my new digital camera to snap some amazing photos. One of the pictures was of a lily pad in a small pond.
After the day at Powerscourt, I got on the bus to go back to Dublin, and was showing my pictures to some friends. People loved my 'great little camera' and I was proudly showing off the zoom capabilities. On one of my favorite photos, I zoomed in to show the details of the center of this flower (the one posted here on the blog.) Upon seeing what my naked eye had missed, blurted out, "there's a bug in my lotus!"
Typical. Just typical. "Isn't that just the story of my life?" I said to my friend Cindy Sonam, who was laughing at my realization. "You're really funny, you know that?" she asks. I know...and I don't say that in an egotistical way. But if I had a dollar for every person who has asked me if I have considered being a stand-up comedian, not only could I retire by now, but I could have quite the set-up in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Or some other random place like that. I confess to Cindy that I am thinking of writing a book. A book about my spiritual journey. "People are so SERIOUS about their spiritual journey. And it's such a joke. Not the journey part, but how serious people get." "You should write a book. It would be great." "Thanks, Cindy. Maybe I will."
Fast forward to July 2007...
If you haven't yet figured it out, God has a sense of humor. I can say this with ABSOLUTE certainty. And I am going to prove it.
Last week I was Divinely Inspired to build my own website. I was prepared to hire a website designer, but since money is tight, I have been pushing it to the back burner. DESIGN YOUR OWN was the message I got, and looking into it, realized that I could do it quite easily and for little cost. So I did it. Then I got thinking about wanting to teach more. And decided that I was going to put out a newsletter full of teachings and distribute this freely. But how was I going to do this? How would I get people to sign up? How would people find me?
And here's where the God humor comes in.
Yesterday morning I am in the bathroom (on the toilet, no less) and that Divine Inspiration comes to me again. This time I am told to START A BLOG. A blog?! That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? So, does God decide to give me this flash of insight while I am meditating? With candles and incense burning? With soft music in my ears and my mantra on my lips? Noooooooooo. Apparently, God likes to speak to me while I am on the can.
You know, I got the inspiration for Oil 'n Vinegar (my line of essential oil blends) while I was in the bathtub. Hmmm. Maybe, I'll start giving workshops in my bathroom. Apparently the reception is pretty good in there.
So this is how "there's a bug in my lotus" came to be. And as my friend Ann Hueslkamp pointed out so loving last night, this is not to be confused with that OTHER blog, "there's a bug up my ass."
Last October, I went to Ireland on one of many trips to see my spiritual teacher (Derek O'Neill) for a week-long workshop. During the week, we ventured out into the Irish countryside to visit various sacred sites. One of these was Powerscourt. Powerscourt, located in the Wicklow mountains, has some of the most beautiful gardens you have ever seen. While there I used my new digital camera to snap some amazing photos. One of the pictures was of a lily pad in a small pond.
After the day at Powerscourt, I got on the bus to go back to Dublin, and was showing my pictures to some friends. People loved my 'great little camera' and I was proudly showing off the zoom capabilities. On one of my favorite photos, I zoomed in to show the details of the center of this flower (the one posted here on the blog.) Upon seeing what my naked eye had missed, blurted out, "there's a bug in my lotus!"
Typical. Just typical. "Isn't that just the story of my life?" I said to my friend Cindy Sonam, who was laughing at my realization. "You're really funny, you know that?" she asks. I know...and I don't say that in an egotistical way. But if I had a dollar for every person who has asked me if I have considered being a stand-up comedian, not only could I retire by now, but I could have quite the set-up in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Or some other random place like that. I confess to Cindy that I am thinking of writing a book. A book about my spiritual journey. "People are so SERIOUS about their spiritual journey. And it's such a joke. Not the journey part, but how serious people get." "You should write a book. It would be great." "Thanks, Cindy. Maybe I will."
Fast forward to July 2007...
If you haven't yet figured it out, God has a sense of humor. I can say this with ABSOLUTE certainty. And I am going to prove it.
Last week I was Divinely Inspired to build my own website. I was prepared to hire a website designer, but since money is tight, I have been pushing it to the back burner. DESIGN YOUR OWN was the message I got, and looking into it, realized that I could do it quite easily and for little cost. So I did it. Then I got thinking about wanting to teach more. And decided that I was going to put out a newsletter full of teachings and distribute this freely. But how was I going to do this? How would I get people to sign up? How would people find me?
And here's where the God humor comes in.
Yesterday morning I am in the bathroom (on the toilet, no less) and that Divine Inspiration comes to me again. This time I am told to START A BLOG. A blog?! That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? So, does God decide to give me this flash of insight while I am meditating? With candles and incense burning? With soft music in my ears and my mantra on my lips? Noooooooooo. Apparently, God likes to speak to me while I am on the can.
You know, I got the inspiration for Oil 'n Vinegar (my line of essential oil blends) while I was in the bathtub. Hmmm. Maybe, I'll start giving workshops in my bathroom. Apparently the reception is pretty good in there.
So this is how "there's a bug in my lotus" came to be. And as my friend Ann Hueslkamp pointed out so loving last night, this is not to be confused with that OTHER blog, "there's a bug up my ass."
Monday, July 23, 2007
Just Call Me Grace
Oh, if coffee pots and mugs could indeed walk. If you asked me about this 3 weeks ago, I would have sworn that they could.
And did.
Let me preface this story by stating very matter-of-factly that I am not a morning person. Make no qualms about it, there is nothing chipper about yours truly in the birth of a new day. And on weekends, both friends and family know not to even call before 11 or 12:00. However, with a good cup of coffee to start me off, I am much more tolerable.
And so started a random Saturday morning about 3 weeks back. I woke up and shortly thereafter made my way to the glass and plastic divine incarnation known as the coffeemaker. My boss had recently returned from a trip to Italy, and brought me back my favorite coffee from Rome. (In fact, the only time I ever get this coffee is when my boss goes to Rome, since I have not yet found an importer here in New York.) So I made my delicious coffee and rested on the couch.
Five minutes or so had passed when I decided to interrupt the coffee-making and sneak a cup before the whole pot was brewed. I walked into the kitchen and lo and behold, there was my coffee pot sitting next to the coffeemaker. “Thank God that the coffeemaker has a stop-drip feature,” I thought, knowing that my little machine would be crossing her proverbial legs while 10 cups of Rome’s finest brew rushed through her veins. But alas, my little coffeemaker couldn’t hold it and had quite an accident on my kitchen counter. And not just any accident. My counter was soaked. The placemat under the coffeemaker barely did any good. There was hot coffee under my cell phone holder, under the espresso machine, under the toaster. Everywhere. After a few expletives and half the roll of paper towels, the mess was sopped up. I realized that in my quick response I had managed to save one precious cup of joe.
I poured my coffee and used the last of my half & half for my cup. “At least I have one cup,” I thought to myself and settled back down on the couch to my breakfast. I started to eat my blueberry muffin, and with my muffin laden fingers, reached for my coffee. Before I knew what was happening, my coffee cup slid out of my grip and spilled all over the living room coffee table. And a coffee table it was. Coffee on the bills to be paid, coffee under the flowers, coffee staining my books and even coffee on poor Oprah’s face on the cover of her newest magazine. “C’mon!” I yelled to no one in particular. So again I started the cleanup process, using the balance of paper towels left on the roll. A mouthful of coffee was all that remained and I gingerly set the cup upright again on the table. As I was Windexing the mess left behind, I hit a stack of books, which hit the cup. The cup did a perfect triple pike dismount and landed spilling my morning dreams on the carpet. At this point, I started laughing out loud.
“It’s not easy being me,” a phrase that I said jokingly time and time again now proved itself to be true. I shook my head and realized my lesson. Pay attention, Linda. Be aware of what you are doing. Be present. Be in your body. See what is happening around you.
Many times in life when the going gets tough, I get going…to a spiritual plane that is. I frequently zone out to some other dimension and am just fine operating from that standpoint. Escapism? Perhaps. But I like to think that I am more at home somewhere “up there” than I am right here, right now. Eckhart Tolle talks about “Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now” in his book The Power of Now. He suggests, “Wherever you are, be there totally.”
Smart.
I now realize that I did not come to this earth to escape it. I came to experience it. Every beautiful, ugly and coffee-filled part of it. And it was something the Universe was reminding me of.
Lesson learned, I called my mother to share my insight. She suggested that maybe the real lesson was that I shouldn’t be drinking coffee.
Now, now. Let’s not get crazy.
And did.
Let me preface this story by stating very matter-of-factly that I am not a morning person. Make no qualms about it, there is nothing chipper about yours truly in the birth of a new day. And on weekends, both friends and family know not to even call before 11 or 12:00. However, with a good cup of coffee to start me off, I am much more tolerable.
And so started a random Saturday morning about 3 weeks back. I woke up and shortly thereafter made my way to the glass and plastic divine incarnation known as the coffeemaker. My boss had recently returned from a trip to Italy, and brought me back my favorite coffee from Rome. (In fact, the only time I ever get this coffee is when my boss goes to Rome, since I have not yet found an importer here in New York.) So I made my delicious coffee and rested on the couch.
Five minutes or so had passed when I decided to interrupt the coffee-making and sneak a cup before the whole pot was brewed. I walked into the kitchen and lo and behold, there was my coffee pot sitting next to the coffeemaker. “Thank God that the coffeemaker has a stop-drip feature,” I thought, knowing that my little machine would be crossing her proverbial legs while 10 cups of Rome’s finest brew rushed through her veins. But alas, my little coffeemaker couldn’t hold it and had quite an accident on my kitchen counter. And not just any accident. My counter was soaked. The placemat under the coffeemaker barely did any good. There was hot coffee under my cell phone holder, under the espresso machine, under the toaster. Everywhere. After a few expletives and half the roll of paper towels, the mess was sopped up. I realized that in my quick response I had managed to save one precious cup of joe.
I poured my coffee and used the last of my half & half for my cup. “At least I have one cup,” I thought to myself and settled back down on the couch to my breakfast. I started to eat my blueberry muffin, and with my muffin laden fingers, reached for my coffee. Before I knew what was happening, my coffee cup slid out of my grip and spilled all over the living room coffee table. And a coffee table it was. Coffee on the bills to be paid, coffee under the flowers, coffee staining my books and even coffee on poor Oprah’s face on the cover of her newest magazine. “C’mon!” I yelled to no one in particular. So again I started the cleanup process, using the balance of paper towels left on the roll. A mouthful of coffee was all that remained and I gingerly set the cup upright again on the table. As I was Windexing the mess left behind, I hit a stack of books, which hit the cup. The cup did a perfect triple pike dismount and landed spilling my morning dreams on the carpet. At this point, I started laughing out loud.
“It’s not easy being me,” a phrase that I said jokingly time and time again now proved itself to be true. I shook my head and realized my lesson. Pay attention, Linda. Be aware of what you are doing. Be present. Be in your body. See what is happening around you.
Many times in life when the going gets tough, I get going…to a spiritual plane that is. I frequently zone out to some other dimension and am just fine operating from that standpoint. Escapism? Perhaps. But I like to think that I am more at home somewhere “up there” than I am right here, right now. Eckhart Tolle talks about “Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now” in his book The Power of Now. He suggests, “Wherever you are, be there totally.”
Smart.
I now realize that I did not come to this earth to escape it. I came to experience it. Every beautiful, ugly and coffee-filled part of it. And it was something the Universe was reminding me of.
Lesson learned, I called my mother to share my insight. She suggested that maybe the real lesson was that I shouldn’t be drinking coffee.
Now, now. Let’s not get crazy.
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