730 Days

Went to Zumba this morning and modified when I needed to. Left Zumba to go rinse salt off my car and, of course, I picked the bay where the guy kept putting quarters in. Had to talk to myself -- "He won't be here forever." Another bay opened up and this guy, who pulled in after in me, let me go ahead of him. Thought that was very nice of him.

My knee is feeling better. Not sure what made it wonky to begin with but I'm just grateful that my stride is back.

After Zumba and the car wash, pretty much stayed at home. Practiced about eight yoga poses then read about them. Also went back to review the Yamas and Niyamas which I'm familiar with but would struggle to tell people how they're organized etc. I always remember, though, that Ahimsa, one of the Yamas, is the highest dharma.

Last night, went to visit Asmira who I hadn't seen in years. It's hard to believe how fast 730 days go by. As usual, Asmira's hospitality is off the charts. I was so full that there was no room for dessert but I did enjoy the green tea that Asmira mixed with ginger and lemon; it was so refreshing.

An Odd Thing

I've been so quiet that I remembered something that I haven't thought about in a long time.

A former colleague lost her child and a carload of us went to the funeral and I had forgotten my music (nothing jarring) which I wanted to play and Sharon, an art therapist and Healing Touch practitioner, said something like There's a time to be reflective...

And reflective is what I've been since Mike Brown's August 8th death. Reflective and tense especially last night as I watched the news while scrolling through my Twitter feed and seeing breaking news from the New York Times that the autopsy results had been released and that Brown had been shot at least six times...

I hadn't planned on being reflective but Alison asked me if I would dog-sit. Because of clutter, my environment is not suitable for a dog so Alison said that I could do the sitting at her house. Of course, it would have been easier for me if I had chosen my crib but, yeah, clutter so I packed up and stayed at Alison's over the weekend.

I was without a computer although I did have my iPod.

Read nonfiction, watched out for the hummingbird, looked through cookbooks, observed Marge in savasana. A lot.

The Elusive One

Realized that I drink water much better if it's super cold.

Realized that I've been overeating, big time, but did not overeat at Alison's as I took only a few snacks. Although I had permission to glean from the pantry, freezer and tomato patch, I was just satisfied and didn't keep shoveling food into my mouth. Not sure what made me start shoveling again...

Realized how smart Alison is for setting up her house to be super comfortable. And Alison? She's hospitable even when she's not at home. When I told Hazira about Alison's hospitality. She said, Of course, she's European.

Marge Perfecting Savasana

Female Woodpecker

Sharon Salzberg was featured in the Prevention that I packed in my weekend bag. Salzberg says Even in the midst of chaos, the breath is one of our most dependable resources for staying centered. Not sure about the whole centered thing right now but remembering to breathe keeps my neck and jaw from being so tight and keeps me from feeling like my heart is in my throat which is an odd thing to choke on...

Redemption Song

I guess you could call this a debriefing, of sorts, from yesterday's experience.

Ironically, as I was waiting and waiting for the chiropractor and upset that I didn't follow my first and second mind to walk out the door, I was thinking that I hadn't gotten properly angry in a while, which is good because when I get angry it takes me so long to come down from that anger high.

Initially, I had no idea how long I had waited since I don't normally wear a watch and, like a casino, there were no clocks in the chiropractor's office. I watched as he went from one room to another -- sometimes at a frenetic pace -- manipulating people's lower bodies on weird tables that rotated.

I kept thinking that I didn't even really want him to touch me because he was in such a frenzy. There was not one thing -- not one that was relaxing about the few minutes of acupressure that he did provide. In fact, I was praying that he hadn't done damage. I was also miffed because I didn't have anything to keep me occupied. Not a book or an MP3 player. When I go to get my hair cut, I take a book because there's always the possibility that waiting will occur. This clown didn't even have magazines in his office. I digressed though.

I had gotten off of work (two hours) early because we had our annual holiday party and I felt like I just wasted the gift of precious, extra time. In addition, I was supposed to meet my friend Hazira at a certain time then we were to proceed to another friend's home (Asmira) by a certain time. I'm not going to mention the fact that I wanted to stop by Big Lots to find Wasa crackers and such.

I threw three people's schedule off. When I picked up Hazira, I was good and angry at this point and, when I get angry, I can't talk. I can bang on the steering wheel but I can't talk. Don't worry. The banging is brief and I have yet to break my hand in this manner...

We arrived at Asmira's and Hazira sat down for an interview with a student. Asmira told me that I could just chill out and I asked if I could use a computer so that I could dispense with some of the yuckiness. Asmira quickly set me up AND brought me a huge mug of green tea with a touch of organic honey and lemons on the side. The cup said The Boss. Hee-hee.

After I wrote for a bit, I got busy with Asmira's Wii. Then, we had dinner of baked fish, vegetables, salad with Craisins, walnuts, blue cheese and spinach, Russian bread etc.

It was a great meal and the company was great too. I laughed especially when Asmira's husband came home and told me that The Boss cup belonged to him.

Whenever I've been a guest at Asmira's house, I feel immediately at home. The house is warmly decorated but that's not it. I feel as if I could stay forever. It has the feel of a bed and breakfast or sanctuary. What it is, though, is Asmira -- her hospitality is huge.

After 11 p.m., we were joking about overstaying our welcome. Asmira told us how Bosnians joke and say:

We are going to bed so that the guests can go home.

It sounded much better when she said it but what I'm going to say is that my evening was redeemed by Asmira's hospitality. Thanks woman and my apologies to Hazira for a rather intense ride...

I'm pretty much pain free -- another valuable realization from yesterday's experience.