Where has the summer gone?

Summer really has been crazy for everyone. All my friends have (at least once) complained that the kids are driving them crazy or they haven't stopped running around. Here we are approaching mid August and I feel like I haven't kicked back, put my feet up and enjoyed the summer.

Part of that is because we've had a new addition to the family - Bruno. He's a 6 or 7 year old shih zhu mix. We adopted a rescue dog that was a 3 year old shih zhu who was good with kids and other dogs. Well, that's not what jumped out of the car when he got here. He was a big (26lbs) hairy, sick mess who doesn't like other dogs. After 5 medications a really good haircut (thanks Petco) and a really good trainer (thanks Rich) we now have a cutie pie. Having Bruno in the house has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. But hopefully, I'll be coming back soon.

I approached the idea of summer thinking we would go to the beach all the time, sleep in, laugh all the time, no stress, I would lose weight with all the swimming and playing, and the kids would love being with each other. We would get a new dog that would be Sammy's best friend and they would be so happy that I wouldn't feel bad when I left them to go to work when September came.

Then REALITY set in: Having Rachel at theater camp at 8:50 (20 mins away), baseball practice, a failed camp attempt, kids fighting, a hairy beast(see above), no weight lose because I haven't really been swimming, stress, bags under the eyes from running the kids here and there.

And, you know what? I wouldn't change a thing! : )

Silence

Today's the last day of school for my little ones. Rachel has been done since Tuesday so I've been slowly going into summer vacation. Last year, some of you may know, I had a hard time with all my kids in school. I really missed the noise in the house. Silence was not my friend. I felt like I had too much time for my uncontrolled mind to spin.
This year has been different. The "uncontrolled mind" became my friend. I learned to really settle into the silence and relish it. My feelings toward silence goes beyond enjoying it. It has become a necessity. I have learned to quiet everything in body and I've found that, ever so talked about, center.
Try to find some time. Sit quietly and comfortably with a straight spine and feel your breath moving in and out. Don't force it - witness it. Start with a minute (you'll be surprised at how long a minute can seem when you are still!) or start with what you are comfortable with. Any time spent, whether 30 seconds or 30 minutes, is an accomplishment. Celebrate it and continue.

Something to think about...

I saw this on Dave Stringer's Facebook page and thought I'd pass it along:

Stop the flow of your words,
open the window of your heart and
let the spirit speak _ Rumi

Also, someone said to me today:

If giving feels like taking then it isn't giving.

Something to think about...

Feeling like a kid...

I spent the evening cheering at my son's baseball game. The boys did so well, both teams, and I couldn't be prouder. There were moments in the game that I wanted to swing the bat and run the bases myself -to be a kid again and be a part of the action. That's one reason why I love the summer. I can get my bike out, ride their scooters and play whiffle ball on the front lawn.

Nothing inspirational or yogic about this blog - just a feeling of freedom and youth.

Good job, boys!

A Humbling Thought

Last night, while enjoying a suspenseful little league playoff game I had a humbling experience. We all knew the storm was coming. We kept watching the cloud line coming closer and closer. Around the third inning, the air changed and the wind picked up and it was time. The coaches said, "we need to get the kids off the field." I looked up to the clouds and saw, in the distance, a funnel like cloud forming. "Oh Shit" was all I could think. Then, I went right to thinking about my kids. I only had one with me. My little one was at my friend's house and my oldest was at dance class. We were only 10 minutes away from each other but that was 10 minutes too much in my mind. I just wanted them with me and for us to be home.

As we hurriedly packed up, I kept an eye on that cloud. Thankfully it dissipated even before the actual storm started. We got to the car and waited, watching all the other cars leaving. Then we got the okay that the game was officially off and we left. Frankie and I got to Rebecca as the rain came down and the lightening struck. Don was on his way to Rachel.

We work so hard to be good parents, to provide the experiences they need and to try and cut the cord, little by little, when it's warranted. We protect them and nurture them but sometimes, things are just out of our control. If that cloud came down and became a tornado, could I have protected them? Could I have even gotten to them all? I'll never know the answer to that and it is a bit frightening. It is hard to accept that some things are just out of our hands.

Create Fun and a Little Weirdness

Sitting at a light, I looked over at the Zappos box I was returning and "Create Fun and a Little Weirdness" was printed on it. What a good lesson to learn. Wouldn't life be a little better if we all took time to find fun things to do - especially if they are a little weird?

I like the word "weird". When I was younger, in my hardcore punk days, I didn't much like being called "weird". Now as an adult I can see the beauty in the word. In the dictionary Weird is defined as "suggesting something supernatural, uncanny, informal very strange, bizarre." Okay, not the greatest way to describe someone. I like to think of "weird" as out of the ordinary and different - not as severe as "supernatural and bizarre." When something is weird we can learn from it and enjoy the beauty of it. So when someone calls you weird, because you know they do, enjoy it and take it as a compliment. They are noticing how you march to your own drummer, that you don't feel the need to follow the masses and that there is a freedom to you that is a hopefully, contagious.

Embrace your weirdness and create some fun!

Is it a Real Physical Practice?

This morning when I woke up, I knew it was going to be a busy day. Being the mother of three kids, when isn't it a busy day? While I was blow drying my hair, I was trying to figure out if I had time to get a practice in today. I remembered a funny blog on Yoga Journal, a few years ago, about how you could put a pose in your everyday activities. So, why not? While trying to get my hair to do what it does, I began to work on balancing poses. I slowed my breath, found a drishti (gazing softly at a certain point) and slowing brought my right leg up bending at the knee. If you could picture it, my left hand held my hairdryer - my right, my hairbrush while my head, torso and legs tried to engage in a practice. Interesting. It all seemed to be going well until my daughters ran in. My little one was crying because she got hurt in the game they were playing - Blind Tag. Yup, it is exactly what it sounds like. They close their eyes and run around trying to tag one another. Well, that was the end of that - for all three of us.
I thought, "does that count?" Really, does it have to count at all? It just felt good to slow my breath and stretch my sleepy muscles. So when you can, expand your inhale and relish in the exhale. You'll be glad you did.