Category Archives: Inspirational

A Grateful Stance or The Seven Wonders

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Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful. ~ Buddha

I’ve posted this quote on The Veganasana facebook page before, and it’s one of my favorites (admittedly, I have many favorites).  I love this reminder of all that we have in this life.  Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of whining and complaining around me.  Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone needs to have a little whine now and then.  It’s good for clearing out that emotional stuff and it’s nice exercise for the vocal chords.  Plus, it is true that we all have our troubles, our sorrows, and our pain.  But, the flipside of that coin is that we also all have something(s) for which to be grateful.  I’ve been working on cultivating my gratitude for a good while, not always as successfully as I would like – I can sometimes be uber-whiny.  So, I am going to take a moment here to put out there seven the wonders of my life (there are more, but I’m going to cram as much as I can into seven).

~ I woke up this morning.  See what I did there?  That’s a biggie.  I woke up.  I opened my eyes and took another breath and I got to spend another day with my friends and my family and my coworkers enjoying this beautiful world.  Nice.

~ When I woke up, I was in my body, with all of it’s pretty cool parts.  Yep, I have RA – and it’s flaring a little right now.  Uh huh, got that lymphodema in the right leg, reflux in the gut, and a kickin set of allergies.  BUT, I’ve got eyes and they see such beauty.  I’ve got limbs and they allow me to move and do things and wear nice pants : )   I have muscles and joints that allow me to participate in the practice of yoga, which I adore.  I’ve got a digestive system that does frankly fascinating things (everybody poops – I don’t know if you knew that, but I read it in a book once – true story and very cool).  I’ve got a heart that keeps beating, all the time, and I’m not even doing it.  I’ve got a mind that allows me to think about stuff and ponder it and write blogs about it and study and understand it.   I could go on, but seriously, isn’t the body nifty?

~ I’ve got people I love.  I have a spouse who makes me giggle so hard that I snort and keeps me intellectually challenged.  I’ve got kids who love me and annoy me and amuse me all at the same time.  I’ve got siblings and parents who bring me much joy and give me a sense of place.  I’ve got in-laws who have added a wonderful whole additional set of family cultures to my life.  I’ve got friends who keep my head above water, listen to me when I’m not feeling grateful, and make me laugh until my stomach hurts.  Nice.

~ I have a job.  Rockin.  And, you know, it’s a pretty cool job.  I get to contribute to the life of the mind of a whole bunch of people day in and day out.  And I get to work in a nice climate controlled building with bathrooms and running water and pictures on the wall and computers and a little mini fridge in my office and a teapot.  That’s pretty sweet.  I’m freakin’ lucky, huh?  Sure, every day and every moment isn’t a delight.  It doesn’t always go the way I want it to or the way I think it should, but still.  When I think about all the jobs I could be doing and that would be way less enjoyable for me and when I think about what having this job allows me to do for myself and my family… well…

~ I’ve got hobbies that I enjoy.  I get to blog.  I get to read. I get to tweet. I get to do yoga (did I mention that I love yoga?).  I get to read about and cook vegan and vegetarian food.  I get to listen to music and watch TV.  I have time to do these things.  I have the ability to do these things. I have the financial wherewithal to do these things.  I’m in a pretty swell place.

~ I’ve got people I don’t love.  Yep, them too.  There are people in my life who I don’t feel super warm and cuddly about.  They aggravate me (sometimes intentionally).  They dislike me.  They make things harder.  Maybe they say things that are painful.  But, they help me grow.  They help me to work on my sense of humor, my equanimity, my gratitude.  They help me to see the areas I need improvement in.   So, I’m grateful for them as well.

~ I’ve got pets and other animals around me.  Animals rock.  There is something about having a dog or a cat, or even a lizard looking at you with eyes that say, “I trust you with my life and my wellbeing” or “I’m SO AMAZINGLY HAPPY you came home!”  They really do bring something special to my life and I’m so glad that I get to have that experience.

So, there you go – the seven wonders of my life (and yes, I do know that I crammed about 27 things into each one).  Sorry about the gooey-ness  and positivity of the post. If that stuff annoys you, see me later and I’m sure I’ll find something to complain about.

All in all, I’m one lucky and grateful person.  Are you?

Namaste,

L

Lessons Learned from a Furry Friend

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This past week, we lost a long-time friend, our male cat, Rudy.  Of course, we are all feeling sad about not being able to see his furry face every day, but we are also very grateful to have had him in our lives for 7 years.  I’ve posted before about my cats being yogis, and I was only barely kidding.  In Rudy’s short lifetime, he taught me a number of important lessons, and I will always appreciate that teaching and remember him when I think about these things.

Rudy taught me about the joy of really resting.  Many cats, when they rest, will lay on their stomachs, all limbs tucked in and head erect – not Rudy.  Rudy rarely ever slept this way.  When he rested, he RESTED!  He would plop right over onto his side, stretch out as far as he could, snuggle deeply into whatever (usually soft) surface he had chosen, and sleep deeply.  He could, and would, sleep through significant noise, and even being moved from one location to another.

In a similar vein, Rudy showed us the importance of picking your battles.  While our other cat will fuss or squirm if you pick her up (and she might rip off your face if you try to trim her nails), Rudy was very mellow about almost everything.  Frequently, Emmeline would pick him up and carry him, like a baby, around the house.  I don’t know if he liked it, but he never really fought it.  If the dogs hassled him, he would just move out of their reach onto a high surface and ignore them.  When we would take him to the vet (another event that can earn you a scratch from Charlie), he would relax calmly on the table, letting the vet examine, poke, prod, and manipulate at will.  Rudy was truly a “cool” cat and his mellow mood was catching.

While Rudy picked his battles, he also reminded me that once you decide an issue is worth fighting for you must pursue it with all persistence.  Rudy liked to stay up at night.  And he liked company.  So, if someone was asleep that he wanted to be awake, he worked to his utmost to make that happen.   He would begin with some meows.  If that didn’t work, he would move on to climbing on the head of his intended companion.  If the result still wasn’t pleasing him, he would begin “patting” whatever skin on the head area he could reach (and he patted with claws).  His last resort would be to proceed to any table/desk/nightstand in the room and methodically begin throwing items onto the floor, checking between each to see if his friend had awoken.  If locked out of the room his buddy was in, he would open doors with his paws or climb furniture to leap through the transoms and get to the person he wanted.  Tenacity?  You betcha!

Rudy was also a fan of those little ritualized moments that happen between beings that care for each other, but that we can begin to take for granted.  It was obvious that he found them important and wanted to be sure they were maintained.  In the mornings, if someone wasn’t up by the time Rudy was accustomed to the feeding ritual, he would let us know, loudly and repetitively, that it was time for this family interaction to begin.  In the evenings, about 10 p.m. – as if  he could tell time – he would appear in the office, look at Derek, and quietly announce, “meow.”  This would be followed by an intense stare.  The meow and the stare were the start of a process involving the procurement of 5-6 pounce treats from the pantry in the kitchen, and he observed this ritual on a very regular basis.

Finally, Rudy taught me that it is possible to get your message across, if you keep trying, even when the  other being doesn’t understand how you think or what you want, and even if you don’t speak the same language.  When Rudy was a few years old, he began urinating in unusual places, including the sunroom and Jacob’s laundry basket.  We took the measures we could think of (scooping the cat box more often, reminding Jacob to wash his clothes, checking Rudy for bladder infections, installing cat calming plug-ins), but the messes continued.  Rudy kept upping the stakes, peeing on more surfaces, and making them places that were even harder to clean (like INSIDE of Derek’s briefcase, in Emmeline’s doll cradle, and all over the top bunk in Jacob’s room).  He even escalated to leaving excrement messages in these places.  Finally, after literally years of cleaning up, it occurred to me  that maybe he didn’t like running the dog gauntlet to get to the liter box.  So, we added another one upstairs and voila! – problem instantly solved.  We were rather dense about it, but Rudy kept trying to communicate his issue in more and more obvious ways until we finally were able to see what he was trying to tell us.

These are just a few of the highlights of what Rudy brought to my life (along with many nuzzles and purrs and catrobatics).  I know that I will continue to miss him, but I also know that he will never really be gone.  He is part of me and part of us.  Though I’m sad, I’m happy to have learned and loved with our fuzzy friend Rudy.

Lessons in Yoga from the Cats

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You just never know where your next yoga inspiration will come from.  Beings you never expect can turn out to be impressive yogis with much to teach.  Let me introduce you to two:  Charlie and Rudy

I’ve learned many things about the practice of yoga from Charlie and Rudy, and I would like to share a few of them with you.

Focus – Charlie and Rudy have an amazing ability to focus, both in terms of the visual and their goals. They have their drishti DOWN!  Rudy can stare at a leaf in the yard for hours on end.  He never looks away and is not distracted by others entering or leaving the room.  He gazes, and breathes.  Do not try to play stare down with him. You will not win.  They can also focus on a goal with complete persistence.  Charlie will spend a full afternoon following a bug.  Whither the bug goes, she will go – regardless of difficulty (for self or others).  If Rudy wants someone to get out of bed and pet him, he will pursue that goal with the focus and drive of a world class athlete, meowing for hours on end if necessary.  All that is important in that time is that focus; they are fully able to…

Be in the moment – While they both can certainly work toward a goal, even so, they remain in the moment.  They do not let the past constrain their present.  They do not let worry or fear of the future impact the now.  If Charlie wants to stand on top of my work bag, does she fear, based on the past, that I will become annoyed?  No, she does not.  If Rudy would like to chew some baby’s breath in a flower arrangement, does he fret that it will make him vomit as it has approximately 43 times before?  I assure you that he doesn’t.  Worrying about the past or the future is not useful to them, and therefore they do not do it, which leads us to…

Let go of that which does not serve you – Charlie and Rudy are fully able to release what is not useful for them.  Rules about where to sit, or lay, or what to eat do not serve them, so they let go.  Hairballs do not serve them, so they let go.  Sometimes going to another room, or even another floor of the house, to pee does not serve them, so they let it go.  Their letting go even extends to their willingness to give of themselves…

Give a little of yourself to everyone you encounter – Yes, indeed, my cats are experts in this arena.  In each encounter, they hope to leave a little piece of themselves.  They do it so willingly, and so generously, that most everyone who comes into contact with them will walk away able to spread that little bit of them to other encounters.  Sometimes it’s a scratch; sometimes it’s drool;  but, most often it is the very hair of their bodies that they give with such abandon.  They make every effort to go beyond their physical limits with their selves…

Expand your reach and your flexibility – The asanas of yoga allow us to develop our reach and our flexibility, and my cats are truly inspirational in their devotion to the practice.  Stretching can occur at any moment of the day, in any location.  Charlie can often be found stretching over my keyboard or on top of the arm I am trying to write with.  Rudy stretches out across a bed, on the cat tree, over a window ledge.  Sometimes it’s a long and slow stretch, and sometimes it’s a quick stretch as they prepare for more movement.  They do not let little things like people’s legs get in the way of their stretching. Nor do they worry about the new furniture when they feel the urge to stretch up, up toward the sky, with legs and paws and claws fully extended, for a deep, luxurious, pleather destroying stretch.  And talk about flexible!  Can you see what you are doing when you clean your tail?  I think not.  Enough said.  While they certainly stretch and move, they are also not afraid to slow down…

Take rest – Charlie and Rudy understand that rest should be taken when the body and mind need it.  If rest is needed while you are in the kitchen, take it.  If rest is needed while you are in the bathroom, go right ahead.  If rest is needed while you are stepping over a loaf of bread laying on the counter, you should lay right down.  Middle of the doorway to the stairs?  Right on.  It doesn’t matter when or how long, either.  If you get up and still feel tired, lay back down.  If a day passes and you’ve done little but rest, Charlie and Rudy want you to know that it is perfectly ok.  There is no shame in resting.  In fact, be proud of your resting ability!

Yes, it is true.  My cats are yogis and I suspect that most others are too.  They are wise and experienced in the ways of the middle path and much can be learned from simply being in their lives.  We should all be honored that they grace us with their presence.

Namaste,

L