Lows & Highs!

Nobody said it’s going to be easy hmmm…..yeah….heard that one before right?

Sure the road can get bumpy…..and sometimes inspiration lies dormant…..buried deep inside, forgotten and waiting to be discovered all over again!

Somebody asked why I hadn’t written in my blog recently. I responded that I don’t write unless I feel positively inspired. See- life is neither always up nor always down….but I usually believe in sharing only the upbeat.

However this also reminds me of an incredibly powerful message from one of the most influential women in my life. In a fleeting moment of deep sharing I had said to her sympathetically ‘I’m so sorry for all that you’ve been through! Nobody should have to go through that!’ and she responded smiling ‘Oh! But Baby- You are missing the point; it’s not about having a life better or worse than another; it’s about the path given to us each to follow!’ Hmm...But Wait!! -What!!!?  Just about the path!!? I am left pondering if this means it’s all about the lessons learned along the way....or perhaps not even…. perhaps it's just about the experiences- as in blink, miss a beat or don’t!?

We may not always understand everything that happens to us but I guess it’s best to buckle up and be ready for the ride regardless! Sometimes all that matters is to keep it simple....as in stay centered (i.e. breathe deeply!), hold the faith (i.e. believe in everything good against the odds!) and remain connected (i.e. stick to our tribe…..after all together we go further! Guaranteed!).

Fall! My favorite season! Here's wishing us all the best towards keeping things simple along the way!! 

Cheers!! 

First time Spelunking!

I started blogging a couple of months after I had my first spelunking adventure (I say 'first' because I may actually be crazy enough to do this again). The reason I signed up for it...other than happily agreeing to follow my friend Suzi just about anywhere including the deepest depths of an abyss...turns out literally......but actually I signed up to face one of my lifetime phobias. One I've struggled with throughout my childhood...a deathly fear of dark, closed and/or crowded spaces. 

Voila! It so happens that I documented my thoughts from that spelunking experience within the immediate twenty four hours following the adventure, to share with friends and family on Facebook. 

It makes sense to add this onto my blog. 

TaDA!! A flash back to my spelunking adventure from September 2013:

"Spelunking or cave discovering I have learned is by far the craziest adventure I’ve signed up for in my life-EVER…YET!! I don’t think I would have ever imagined that I’d have a day where I’d repeatedly announce over a period of several hours my eternal gratitude for the discovery of a helmet. Thank goodness indeed for the helmet…and also thank goodness for the solid plastic knee pads (whatever those are officially called?)!! 

Of course I didn’t realize I’d signed up for eight plus hours (that’s right! Eight+ hours!!) of non-stop crawling, squeezing or reptile like slithering of my body through all kinds of uneven, tight, small, dark, slippery wet and icy cold spaces within our planet. 

Who knew my spine and neck could even withstand all of this (go figure!) or that I could actually use nothing more than my stomach and mere willpower to move me through those tight scary spaces at times when all my limbs were twisted and entrapped like a broken ragged doll in a very tight box. 

Well so much for facing my fear of crowded, closed or dark spaces! Done! 

Claustrophobic no more!! 

Happy to announce that!!

Highlights included playing earth worm for eight hours in that wet sticky clay like mud that we were crawling through the entire time; having our tummies and faces dipped into icy cold pools of water (my friend refers to those as 'ice-kaka pools'...kaka I think stands for sh*t from other languages. Yikes!!).

The occasional ultra-smooth slippery spaces that had us convinced we were going to fall and plumage to our deaths any minute (as there were some dark endless scary pits around for real!); to our fingers and toes being numb from the cold, while our teeth were clattering away incessantly on and off while we waited for the others in turns to squeeze through the same holes anxiously while listening to their screams, cries and curses…BIG YIKES!!

Ah! And the young twenty something year olds who looked like Abercrombie ad-models all signed out and abandoned us after the first few hours. To be fair there was some bits of blood and tears involved here! 

And- Me!!? I was perfectly happy to tuck my tail under so to speak too and quietly follow behind but my brave friend Suzi would have none of that! Bless her soul! Thank goodness for our guide Darwin too (for his patience...knowledge...)... for ensuring we came out of this in one piece with all our body parts intact still. 

Thank goodness for sunlight and bright open spaces! Oh wait! I’m digressing! 

Highlights also included being tied to a rope (in case we slipped off and broke our jaws…who needs teeth anyway!?) while being let down or climbing back up a heart pounding thirty feet drop into eternal darkness; Well! Talk about a fast lesson in rock climbing! What with wet muddy shoes, icy-cold slippery surfaces…and the encouraging comforting voices from friends in the darkness telling you-you can do this even after you realized your life was actually in danger! Yup! We made it!!! Eight plus hours through eerie mystical Hades!! Yup- the place really exists!!!

Today I have invisible bruises head to toe! My ribs, my pelvic bones, my arms, my neck and pretty much all surface areas of skin are a bit sensitive to sunlight and touch!! Also I can't seem to scrub the smell of mother earth's guts out of me, regardless of aromatic soaps or number of showers....and my eyesight is still adjusting back to the concept of daylight-proper....Yet I feel like the Indian Indiana Jones! Fears conquered and alive to talk about it!! YAY!!!"-

AND...YES I totally recommend experiencing this at least once in your lifetime - and if you're lucky go with a true Indiana Jones style spirited guide like Darwin....but please do NOT try this without a guide regardless! 

KIDS- DO NOT TRY THIS ALONE! 

Links to pictures from this trip added below. Although after the first four hours we forgot to diligently take pictures to document things like the thirty feet drop (which requires a separate write up in itself- the near-death life experience and drop etc.)- understandably. We focused instead on staying alive and other silly priorities like that. GULP! 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201897146608831.1073741845.1188765488&type=1&l=99089ca3e8

Summer-Movin'!!

HELLO!!!! I meant to post a blog in August… but Man! Good part of this summer seems to have totally slipped by me! Then again….No! Not really! Two months were focused around coordinating a residential move! I got a lot done this summer…from searching for and finding my new place to leaving my old one etc..!

Since I’m one of those people that went from a very sheltered and controlled upbringing to a similar set-up through most of my adult married life….I seem to have spent the last few years since my separation and divorce practicing standing on my own two feet per say figuratively and profoundly. I’ve been working on finding my voice, my thoughts, my entire sense of self…etc. etc…and it’s all going very well!! :-)

Since I’ve been blessed with a new chance at living….I could relate to 'Little Mermaid' standing on magical mother earth for the first time with her two initially wobbly but soon to be fabulously strong legs.  BIG YAY!! Strong legs I have found too thank goodness!!...And speaking of fairytales… I can also relate to Goldilocks’ experiences with testing out the three bear’s habitat. Getting started a few years ago I first moved into a fully furnished place which I loved but it didn’t feel right, then I moved into my first apartment the second year which I filled up with basic semi-functional (as in it looks good but breaks easily) Ikea furnishings….it felt comfortable but really not quite there….then this time….finally I moved into a small townhouse…which all clichés aside… it really does feel like home…in an incredibly cozy and spiritual sense! Grateful so much! Like Goldie loving all that belonged to little bear this little house fits me so perfectly right here right now! <3

I tackled my move a bit uniquely. First I spent a couple of weeks prior to the move getting rid of all my furniture and most of my physical belongings. Scary but liberating too…that when you closely evaluate everything in your space you quickly realize that you really don’t need much of it after all…Go figure!.…I deemed this my ‘Feng-Shui project’!  This process was intense and interesting mentally and physically …surprisingly reflective, draining, uplifting and totally cleansing in every imaginable way.…helping me to let go of lots more than I realized. Going through stuff I discovered old letters from my now deceased mother and from my ex which were like finding windows into my soul..almost literally… It helped shed a few tears over baggage I didn’t even realize I was carrying in the first place. What a privilege of an experience it’s been! I found a lot of peace through the process for sure!

Then came the next project of refurnishing my new space from scratch with a strict budget...which was of course exhausting and challenging but also incredibly illuminating and refreshing for my soul.

This project held new found intrigue and obsession for me as I was inspired to fill my home with things that I carefully and thoughtfully picked out piece by piece. Interesting that I have never taken such dedication towards setting up a home before! Go figure! I have decided that everyone should experience caring about setting up a physical home space at least once in their lifetime…and I am glad for this experience! I realized I wanted my furniture to have purpose...as in to feel inviting... to say ‘come, sit, relax and talk to me’…versus…it just serves it’s very basic purpose.….just because it does!!...You know what I mean!!?

Crazy thing is that somewhere deep down I think I was curious to see what I would create…what colors or theme I would choose and why, what wall décor would best represent who I am becoming…..It even left me rather anxious… to see the final outcome….as if I was unveiling my own soul layer by layer in the process….as if in the end I would find a mirror to peek into…to find myself….to find me who was once lost and now found…. Wondering how could I have gotten through so many years allowing myself to not know who I am really or what I want to stand for..…Yup it sounds odd but the house felt like a significant project for this stage of my life.

Interestingly enough yesterday as I placed one of the last pieces of décor onto the wall I asked my son his opinion on it…and he said he loved it. I was relieved as I said ‘Ok so it’s not crazy then!’ To this he responded ‘OH but of course it’s crazy Mom…and daring even….which is perfect…because it represents you… it suits your personality.’ What an odd thing to hear from my eleven year old! LOL!

The coolest thing too is that in finding myself….I am also finding many of my soul friends and family who share my values…many it turns out even live in my new neighborhood.…what an incredibly luxurious blessing! Amazing that people and places I feel are starting to reflect back my daily choices….to promote comfort, peace, love and harmony. I can’t believe there was a time when I believed nothing mattered…to now when I believe that everything does.…and absolutely Everyone! Now more than ever my gratitude list never ceases to grow or amaze me. I am home!

Loving-living- life-inspired!
Namaste! XO

Moments!

All of life is a sequence of moments…and it’s so important not to be lost in yesterday or later today or even tomorrow but to be present here and now. Definitely hasn’t been an easy concept for me to sit with really over the years….. my mind wants to wander from past memories to future fears to creating constant plans or jumping into day dreams or to building brand new wishes…as if it would prefer to escape anywhere other than where I am in any given moment…but one of the benefits of time and age is actually learning to settle into the here and now…maybe this comes from understanding that the past doesn’t serve us anymore or that the unknown future is a fast train only to a mysterious end destination… like a roller coaster ride you don’t want to close your eyes through -this journey is all about slowing down to smell the roses and appreciating the details along the way. Fortunately this is the best phase of my life yet so staying in the moment is becoming a wonderful habit these days. It’s summer! The sun is shining brighter every day and although theoretically the days are longer it all seems to be rushing by too fast; All the more reason for us to take advantage of our time and keep enjoying everything the season has to offer. 

Sharing some pictures from the past five to six weeks: 

Elt sighting! YAY!! My first one @ Cedar Run Hike-Shenadoah National Park/ SNP! 

Blessed with finding quality new friends on the trails always….balancing act in harmony on top of Hawksbill Summit-Hike-SNP!

Finding the perfect spot for lunch at end of a strenuous trail @ George Washington Forest/GWF-Fridley Gap Hike

Hiking up Old Rag-Never gets old!

  

Introducing my friend Jojo to the hiking bug; she was a natural luckily-@Old Rag-SNP Hike

July 4th Celebrations with yogi & hiker friends-Hike, Meditation & Winery-at Prince Williams Forest

Catching up with old friends on the trails-Jeremy's & Overallrun Falls-SNP Hike

Old Rag pictures always turn out the most fun :-D

Mushrooms on Fridley's Gap-GWF Hike (*Note to self for sharing*: Got to create a blog for my mushroom pictures' collection! They really do come in all sizes, colors and shapes….AMAZING!! LOVE LOVE LOVE NATURE!!! 

************HAPPY REST OF SUMMER TO US ALL **********

Orange-Moon/Post-Vacation

As much as I loved escaping from my day job and everyday life to beautiful Cancun for a week long amazing vacation I am also totally thrilled to be back home in DC again. Not just getting back to my son whom I’d missed but really for all of it-back to my job, summer weather in a fab city, inspirational friends everywhere, my iPhone data usage back on track, Facebook and all this stuff that was still in place just as I left it...and of course I'm not taking any of this for granted!

As exhausted as I felt the first week, I managed to get all the unpacking and laundry done on schedule with time to spare even. So lo-and-behold it was time for new adventures. First I went on a ten plus miles hike in Shenandoah with some of my beautiful friends whom I hadn’t seen since winter…giving me everything my soul craves-nature, exercise as well as a chance to catch up with friends. Fun parts of the first hike included butterfly watching in SNP forest and making some more awesome new friends along the way. Then the following weekend got even more exciting…as I did something new…lending towards learning and discovering new fantastic facts about this phenomenal planet we belong in…and this time it was all about horseshoe crabs! Yup! We went to check out the annual horse-shoe crabs spawning on Slaughter Beach in Delaware on a Saturday night.

Mystical forest in Delaware…2+ hrs drive only!

Did you know that horseshoe crabs as a species haven’t evolved in 500 million years and precede dinosaurs? Or that they congregate once a year on the beaches of Delaware (...and apparently some other islands in the Far East..) for spawning under a truly splendid full moon on a gorgeous summer night with high tides?....Or that the high tides totally work in their favor almost like paid security guards....no far better actually....because it's powerful nature doing its thing...- the tides were safeguarding them from our watchful eyes ...more so when we tried to take pictures....it was also working hard to shoo us away from the bay keeping us from getting too close or from interrupting their action- by literally angrily splashing at us! The tides were also giving them a physical lift to the shore conveniently (rather comical sight really!) since they were slow moving like turtles on their own; No time to waste, no small talk, no fore-pay or shyness allowed pre-spawning I guess! The tides literally picked them up and tossed them over to each other... as if they were perhaps destined to land up in specific batches (Yeah...No Disney style mating here for sure! Lol!). Yup! Tides and all of nature in fact conspired in their favor for this evening...and after reading up a bit more since about horseshoe crabs I'm left in awe of it even more! (Although mind you- being there in person certainly set off the creeps inside me too; had to take off before the number of horseshoe crabs rose from hundreds to thousands....which is what happens by dawn I am told! Crazy!! :-/)

Regardless I'm of course left pondering and marveling over nature! Wondering how these ancient creatures pick out the perfect night-with a rare big bright orange moon-(known as ‘honey moon’ apparently...but I'd never seen anything like this before...the moon rose right out of the ocean before our eyes as if it thought it was auditioning for sun-rise...and a friend rightfully called it moon-rise!); Such a clear sky too over us sparkling with stars as we never get to witness in the city…definitely a night to remember…or in this case to celebrate horseshoe-crabs' creation I suppose…but how do these beings pick out such a night so far in advance annually for such a party? Who sends out the invites? -And how do they know where and when to meet exactly? I mean look at us! Even with our weathermen's fancy predictions and all our technology we can’t even plan a BBQ party outdoors a year in advance-without guaranteeing no rain let aside an orange moon!! Right!? And in mid-June to boot!? INCREDIBLE!!

A powerful reminder again that life in all its glory really is an incredible event I'm thinking!-And with some effort on our parts perhaps we can always feel connected to the the bigger picture...the greater network within nature....never forgetting to feel totally alive....or playing out our parts with all we've got....just remembering we're a significant part of something so complex and infinite.…. Just got to tune into the magic around us I guess! Voila!- Here's a big toast to staying tuned in!! 

P.S. Here are some pictures taken from adventures in the days following post-Cancun-vacation (specifically of horseshoe crabs' spawning night...Yikes!! Lol!):  

Picture by Zeynep of the moon-rising from the ocean at 9:45pm-ish...

On queue...starting to arrive.....
 these fascinating most ancient species- in great numbers
for their annual spawning on the most beautiful of nights...

And this is just the beginning…..there are hundreds of them in no time and I'm told if I hang around through the night they congregate by the thousands….yeah….decided it was bit too much nature somehow…besides…good to respect their privacy a bit perhaps…:-p

And this picture is borrowed from D.B..one of the girls who attended this spawning ceremony…and it shows them laying their eggs in the sand when they're done….Creepy Amazing!!!

Another fantastic detail captured by my friend Zeynep…of our little group gathering to watch this ceremonial spawning ritual in nature…with our torch lights and bonfire…all in good company…on a Saturday night I'll never forget…with...Orange Fiery Moon rising out of the ocean...brilliant star gazing... high tides on a mission…. chilly ocean breeze…an incredible summer night on Slaughter Beach in Delaware….& Man! In awe of how much there is to do in our very own local backyards….when we are ready to look….without plane tickets or dipping into our vacation days at work even…Geez! What a magical planet we are privileged to spend our lives in-Right!? <3

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