Fall 2015: A Time for Fun and Travel!

My Friend's Pond in Nevada City, California

Hello everyone in Blogland! I thought I would write a little about what I have been doing lately. On Saturday, September 26, I and two young men from my writing group went to an afternoon writers retreat in Nevada City. The retreat was next to the pond on a friend's property. We had a potluck, played some games and did some writing. One of the games we played was similar to a cross between charades and telephone tag. It starts out with a line of people all facing one way. The person at the end of the line taps the shoulder of the next person in the line, who turns around. The first person acts out the situation without speaking. (Everyone else still has their backs turned until each, in turn, is tapped on the shoulder.) The second person taps the shoulder of the third person and acts out what he or she got from the first person. The game continues this way on down the line, until the last person acts out the situation for the whole group and tries to guess what the original situation is. If the last person does not correctly identify the situation, the rest of the people attending the retreat tried to guess the situation.  It was a kick!  We also had two clipboards that circulated. Most of what was on the clipboard was covered, and we all added a few sentences and covered up most of what was above what each of us wrote. The the leader read our "stories." That was really funny!

Everyone brought some good vegetarian food, which was great for me because I often have nothing to eat at potlucks, unless it is something I bring.

The trip would have been worth the nearly four hours of driving (complete with road construction) if we did only those things at the retreat, but there were two things that really made the day special for me. We were given an hour to go off by ourselves, for nature to inspire us. We were to find a place of our own where we could think or write or whatever we were moved to do. There were some stand up paddleboards we could use to go out to the middle of the pond, or we could walk or hike to somewhere else. I chose a stool in some trees across the pond from where we gathered together. (If you look across the pond in the photo, you will see some Adirondack chairs. I was about 30 feet or so to the left and up the hill a bit.) I listened to the stream bubble and drip its way toward the pond. It reminded me of survival. If you ever get lost, all you need to do is follow a stream to civilization. Streams and ponds and rivers and lakes and oceans - water - is necessary for our very survival and for the planet's survival. I won't get into all the metaphysical and symbolic meanings, but it's very healing all the way around, for all the senses.

We were told to bring something special to read, whether we wrote it ourselves, or if it was written by someone else. I chose a passage from Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, my favorite book. The first time I read the passage, while reading the novel, I cried. I was moved so wholly, in mind and spirit. We each read our chosen passages at the end of the retreat. That really capped off the experience for me, as each person who read had an emotional connection to what they read.  One read part of her novel, that I cannot wait to read. There was a humorous element that makes me want to print a t-shirt with what her character said. I left with a feeling of completeness and peace. My companions and I had a wonderful day!

This past weekend, on Saturday, October 3, was our local Relay for Life, a yearly event to collect donations to kick cancer's ass. Every year, for the past five or six, my business, Awareness Village, has participated with my friend Rhonda's business, Bar Bar Bar. My husband, George, walks the Survivor Walk every year, gets a free dinner, and a swag bag with a free, survivor's t-shirt and fun things like water bottles, sunscreen, pens, first aid kits, lip balm, that type of thing. He looks forward to taking the walk every year, and I look forward to helping collect what I can for the cause. Every year I teach a yoga class or two, for donations. Additionally, Rhonda has a booth with carnival games, and sell water, cookies, and pizza, with which I help her. All our proceeds go to American Cancer Society.

This year we had a special game, Bra Pong. The object of Bra Pong is to toss ping pong balls toward the board of bras, using all your skill and tossing prowess to land a ball in a bra cup. Each contestant was given three balls for $1. If the contestant got a ball in a bra, he or she won a prize. If all three balls landed well, the contestant won a special prize. No one won a special prize, but all enjoyed playing. Some enjoyed just looking at the bras. One person had to go to each bra, guess the size and check the actual size. George enjoyed practicing his tossing prowess, and he got six balls in cups. He was so happy! LOL

This year Sunshine Bakery provided dinner of lasagna (even vegetarian), salad, garlic bread, and the choice of a raspberry or apricot bar for dessert. YUMMY! I haven't had the dinner in past years; it's free for survivors, but $10 for regular folk like me. In the past, there was no sort of vegetarian option, so it wasn't worth my money.

Last night, George and I went to the Incline Village theater to see The Martian. I fully recommend seeing the movie! I won't say any more about it, other than the screenplay was wonderfully written, and the cinematography and acting were superb. My emotions were tugged and I refused to get up and I suffered until the end before going to the bathroom. The no bathroom "thing" is the hallmark of a really great movie, don't you think? Other bonuses include a great soundtrack (which I have to have) and this is possibly the only movie I have seen in which Sean Bean's character doesn't die. I like Sean Bean, so that's a big deal.  Here is a my favorite official trailer.

I have been working with Dog Day in the Park to fund the building of a dog park in Tahoe Vista, California, a neighboring community, as well as help provide for local animal rescue, and help fund food and veterinary care for local pets in need. It just so happens that, after four years of hard work, the dog park is having its grand opening celebration on Sunday, October 18. What a joy it will be to see the dogs, including ours, enjoying the dog park! We will be opening the first phase only right now, but more is forthcoming. The first phase is the separately fenced small dog and large dog areas. I am proud to say that the two priests from the Buddhist temple I attend will be there, along with a Methodist minister and a Rabbi, to bless the park. The north shore of Tahoe has needed this park for so long.

Also in October, we will celebrate with our group, Northern Nevada Ghost Hunters, the group's 10th Anniversary. Isn't that awesome! We have been in the group for at least the last five of those years.  There is more in October, but I may post some photos later when I share about that. In November, at the very least, we will be going to New Orleans with my cousin and her husband. While we are there, it just so happens a friend will also be there with his girlfriend. I was tickled pink when I found out we would see them while we were there. My friend and his girlfriend live in Washington and Oregon, so we don't get to see them very often.

So, you see, this Fall season has been very full indeed!

Cheers,
Jun-ri

2015: The Julie Project

Hello dear friends,

I like to take stock of my life at the end of the year.  I name the year/give it a theme and ask myself some important questions.  I want to know I have made progress in my life in the direction of my hopes and dreams.  I have named 2015 The Julie Project.  I have so much I want to accomplish this year.  It is going to be so freakin' awesome!  Here are some of the questions I ask myself and how I answered them this year.  I am not going to list everything, just the things that may be interesting to you or are more general and will serve as an example.  

What am I grateful for?

1. My loving husband, George.

2. My babies (dogs), Sarge, Pearl and Mitra.

3. Friends and family.

4. My health, the good and bad of it all.

5. My ability to read, which enriches my life more than I can say.

What did I accomplish in 2014?

1. I did a 15-day juice fast in May.  It was not easy, but it let me know I can be disciplined when I want to be disciplined.  I can’t use the excuse, “I don’t have any discipline,” any more.  I know better!  Damn.  That makes life a little more liberating and a little more scary.  LOL

2. I wrote a novel in November.  Last year I found out about National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org) where participants write the first draft of a novel in 30 days, and I wanted to participate.  I finished on November 29.  Whew!  I can’t wait to finish editing the novel and I plan to participate again this year.

3. I finished 4 extensive knitting projects, three of which involved many skeins of yarn, and one of which required only two skeins, but involved lace and took many hours to complete.

What can I improve upon in 2015?

1.  My sleeping habits:  I don’t get enough sleep because I go to bed too late and still get up early most of the time.  I will have less Fibromyalgia pain, more energy and will be more productive if I get 8 or 9 hours of sleep a night, instead of 6-7.

2. My eating habits:  I haven’t been eating enough greens or fresh fruits and veggies. If I eat better I will have less pain and more energy, and will likely lose some more weight. Yes, it will take more planning, I won’t be able to just find something in the cupboard.  I will eat six or more servings of fruits and veggies a day. The benefits will outweigh my love of laziness.  LOL

3. Clutter in my house:  My house isn’t my sanctuary right now, it is a bit of a mess. When my house is tidy again, it will better serve me and my needs.  I will be able to work more easily, will be more productive, and my home will be easier to clean.  Above all, I will enjoy my home more.

What are some steps I can take right now to help myself meet my objectives.

1. I can ask a friend of mine to help me with accountability.  I asked one of my girlfriends to do “Integrity Day” with me. This is where you schedule a day, or even a few hours, to check in with each other every hour.  During the check-ins, you say what you did the last hour and what you plan to do the upcoming hour, and so on each of the next hours planned.  It creates accountability and you end up getting more done.  This is something for once a week or less often, and is used to help you finish up projects or things you have procrastinated on, not normally for day-to-day tasks, but it is up to you.

2. I signed up for a food-related challenge. January 5 through 25 I will eat one raw vegan meal a day.

3. I hired a professional organizer.  We started on January 8.  My house is already so much better!  All my out-of-season clothes are stored away, I donated a bunch of clothes and some kitchen items, and my pantry is cleaned out and organized.  I have been doing my yoga and meditation practice in the space I designated for that years ago, but that had gotten cluttered.  Not anymore!  That is a huge thing for me!  Doing my yoga and meditation practice in that space is making a big difference in my life.  I am writing more in my practice journal and I am doing more yoga.  I often did my own practice at my yoga studio, but I am not there every day.  Being able to get up and do my practice in my home increases the time and benefits of my practice.

These are just some of the questions I like to ask myself at the beginning of the year.  I focus on the positive, on gratitude, why I am proud of myself, what I can change and why, and how I will change the changeable.  I find this helps me more than focusing on the past and what was wrong.  I like to come from a place of love for myself and my life, and a potential for joy. These are the things that change my life for the better and that will, ultimately, cause the least amount of stress. With all this in mind, what will you change and how will you love yourself more this year?

May 2015 bring you joy, love and peace.

Many blessings,

Julie