Every Reason to be Happy

Life is a series of cycles. The peaks and valleys vary and what gets you through one valley to the next peak is a solid set of tools and a good support system. I’ll tell you, though, even with every resource in the world--it’s tough. In those valleys it’s hard to look up the hill at where you want to go, even thought you know you need to look. This book was a gift to me and it touches on so many different ways to get you through the valleys. It gives you perspective and it guides the way.

Marci Shimoff’s Happy For No Reason helped me out of the valley and I can’t recommend it enough if you find yourself needing a north star. I downloaded it too my iPad and it's become such a resource--I hope you enjoy it!

Three Years Later...

Wow. It’s hard to believe that three years have gone by since I’ve written anything on these pages. Not that I think anyone has missed my musings or is even reading this now to know that I’m back—this project was always for me and if anyone was ever interested in what I was thinking, well, that’s a bonus. In the last three years my life has changed dramatically: I switched careers, went back to school for a Masters, and I met and married my husband. I feel another change in my life coming and I’ve returned to the need and the safety of connecting to something larger—I’m again seeking the Sacred City and hope to track some of the journey on these pages.

I’ve missed being here.

Ebb & Flow: Piles of Life

Piles of bills, mail and magazines accumulate on my desk at home, ("I'll get to you tomorrow!" I say to the pile, with all good intentions as I give it a pat and walk out the door). Tomorrow becomes today. Another day and there is yet another tomorrow. Weeks of tomorrows flee and I can hardly glance at the sorry pile! After a while I start to ignore said pile; I just pretend not to see it. How long can you avoid it? Does it have to spill to the ground in Jenga-like defeat?

Due dates loom and the psychological torture of the pile peaks. Breathe. OK. Now. Seriously, NOW. False start. Tomorrow is now. OK, I WILL. Shake it off. I am. Sit down and take a minute, maybe five and go through it. Huh. That's it? All that build-up and now it is done. Free and clear. Now I can go outside and play!

The result is a complete sense of relief, accomplishment and the added bonus of having a desk cleared of clutter: emotional and otherwise. Why did it take so long to tackle? Why did you let it manipulate you so? Is it for the relief? The great exhale? Are the piles like the tides, ebbing and flowing on your sandy shores of a kingdom called Procrastinate?

No doubt the girth of the piles are a direct reflection of what's going on inside. (Side-note:I also believe that your car is a reflection of how you are feeling about yourself and your life. Often I find that the volume of the pile directly correlates to the filth of the car. Perhaps there is a connection between having my car washed and posting today after four months of total abandonment?)

That being said...Today: I post. Tonight: the piles get the smack-down. Tomorrow: we'll see . . .

Paper Trail

Cavallini & Co. has some of the best gifts, cards and paper around. Here is a round-up of some of my faves:

For gifts as festive as the tree:




For all the pretty pictures:

Dreaming of a Write Christmas

I love, love, love holiday cards. Now I just wish that I was better at sending them out! These Series III cards from Potion Brand might inspire me to make new resolution this year! You can order them from TrunkT. $18 for 12 cards and 12 envelopes.

Ornamental

It's the first day of December! Maximize the astral influences with a monthly overview from Susan Miller's Astrology Zone . Her horoscopes are lengthy, informative and fun.

Christmas is on the way and it's time to dust off the ornaments. Why not add a few new treasures to your collection? I love this classic blue Wedgewood ornament.

Spirit Renewal

My reason for not writing this past week is that I was spending a wonderful and relaxing vacation with my family at the Hotel Hana Maui . Perched on a lush grass hill that rolls down to craggy rocks and a pounding Pacific are the Sea Cottages, where we stayed. No phones, no radio, no TV, just you and your imagination. There is so much beauty and so much spirit in the sea -- not only in the mercurial jewel tone shades of blue, but in the sheer force of the impact, the sound and the spray.

The staff at the hotel become an extension of your own family. They are generous and warm and genuinely happy to help and to welcome you to what is essentially their home. Many of the employees are third generation and most live in Hana.

The Honua Spa was voted #2 in the country and along with being beautiful, and serene it also has cutting edge treatments. Maybe cutting edge is the wrong word (words), because the Tai massage that I had apparently dates back to the Buddha. Cynthia is a gifted masseuse/healer and has been with the hotel for 12 years. The Watsu treatment is relatively new to me, but apparently has been around for 25 years or so. Being nearly submerged for nearly an hour, floating without restraint, being guided and stretched, while music played in the water, was an unusually freeing feeling. Fin, my therapist, was excellent and like Cynthia, very much a healer.

I can't wait to try these treatments again. If anyone knows of or has had a wonderful experience with these two treatments, please let me know!

These are some places I intend to try:

Thai Sabai in Westwood and Thai town.
From their site:

Brief History:
Traditional Thai Massage, also known as Ancient Massage or Thai Yoga Massage, dates back more than three hundred years in its present form, with its origins going back more than 5,000 years to ancient India and China. While Thai Massage combines elements of Ayeurvedic medicine, Hatha yoga and Chinese acupressure, it has evolved into a system that is entirely unique and is widely regarded as one of the best systems of therapeutic massage.

Benefits of Thai Massage:
Many health benefits have been associated with Thai Massage, including:

Relief from stress and muscle tension
Relief from aches and pains
Improved circulation
Unblocking and balancing of energy flow
Detoxification of the internal organs
Improved alignment
Increased flexibility and range of motion
A general increase in energy
Improved mood



WATSU (WATer shiaTSU) is a little bit harder to find in LA. Two Bunch Palms in the Desert has a bunch (heehee) of aquatic therapies .