Anticipation

I'm singing the Heinz ketchup commercial right now.  "Anticipation. An-tic-i- pa-a-tion.  It's making me wait.  It's keeping me wa-a-a-a-ting."  I think it's on youtube if you need a refresher.  I think I need to show it to my youngest son so he can fully understand why he couldn't fall asleep last night.  He went to the kitchen close to midnight deciding he was hungry.  So he ate.  Why couldn't he sleep?  One word.  Halloween. 

He awoke again  at 1:30 a.m. and I told him he must be having trouble sleeping because he's excited about his costume.   He exhaustingly said, "Yeah, I guess you're right," and finally caught some much needed zzz's.

Anticipation.  Waiting for something to happen.  Feeling the rush of your heart beat just a little bit faster, and feeling the heat of your body's temperature increase a bit.  Yes, I can relate.  I can relate in so many ways!  What this one word really means to me is missing the moment of NOW.  Missing the miracle that could have happened if I wasn't so focused on what's going to happen next.

Jack Kornfield was quoted as saying, "The restless waters of the lake appear to make the moon dance."  How great is it that my son is so excited about his costume (and I'll tell you at the end what it is, don't worry!)  How great is it that the restless waters helped to make the moon dance.  Every moment is perfectly perfect.  Every moment leads us, just like a bridge leading land to land, to that very next moment.  This becomes my prayer, my mantra, my ritual when I'm not getting the sleep I thought that I desperately needed as I watch my son sit with his rapidly beating heart.   Letting go.  Being.  That's the beauty of seeing the world in this manner.  Insomnia was the bridge to what's yet to come for this Halloween weekend.

For those inquiring minds, my son's costume is a "Failed Math Test."  Last night he wrote in black ink on 2 pieces of board math equations, filled with mistakes.  In red ink, he wrote his "teacher comments,"  one of which said that the person had to "...go back to preschool and stay there forever."  My son found his voice and his ability to self express.  I am so tickled for him to wear this to the school sponsored Halloween Carnival (along with the hat I made for him with a glued eraser and pencil on it).  And with the anticipation that will come when school is relased and we're waiting to leave for the night, I will chant the words, "This moment is perfectly perfect."

And, of course, I throw in a few deep breaths.

Happy Halloween!

Lisa

Pregnancy Welcoming and Blessing

Every day my world is different. I wake up and after meditating (yes, sometimes in the shower) I have to check my calendar to see what's on the plate for the day. I swear, sometimes my friends know my schedule better than me!

But that day was different. I woke up knowing I was going to facilitate a Pregnancy Blessing for a mom that I have been with for both of her pregnancies, only this time she asked me to come to her Baby Shower.

It was 30 minutes of bliss. I knew most of the women there because they became friends with baby #1 at my prenatal class over three years ago. They, and their first borns are all bonded. And I equate it to the yoga experience! Those babies knew what was going on as they were growing their mama's wombs.

Today marked the day of celebration for this mama who wanted more than the average open the gift saying,"Oh, thanks for the Diaper Genie" kinda thing. Instead, she let me be in charge of every detail of our time together. She trusted that everything would be perfectly perfect. And it was.

I created a special table of things that have special meaning in my life, that the women around could sense their special-ness. I laid out:
~a cloth from my husband's mom,
~a rock from the earth that was made by a friend
~ a little pink patch of a blanket knitted with love by a friend when I went for surgery to repair my torn ACL
~"Lucy", my pregnant gorilla friend made by a talented midwife named Pam England
~some white sand from Hermosa Beach
~2 painted hearts to represent Mom and Baby
~ a statue of a birthing mama squatting to birth her little baby

All these things were powerful, profound and oh, so very real.

I wrapped this sweet mama with veils of fabric and lace so that she could feel like a Queen for the day.

Each woman brought up a flower and gave this mama words of strength and power to bring with her to the birth room. I then led us all in a group meditation where each woman put a hand on their sweet pregnant friend. I asked us all to send love, love and more love through our hands and into her heart.

It all seemed to work. I have been thanked for making this mom's Baby Shower more special than she ever could have imagined. It has to be all my year's of training and working on myself. How could you give something away that you haven't received in your own life yet? And, for me, I have received so many blessings from so many people. It just feels so nice to give back now and share all the love.

I look forward to the day I can do this again, and again, and again for someone who wants to make her friend/sister/daughter's baby shower oh so special....

In bliss,

Lisa

Art that Fills Your Soul

Sometimes we just have to pause. To reflect upon what's truly important in our lives. To take stock. And I have been doing just that. You see, I would feel lost without art. There's so much of it. Whether we're driving down the street, reading a book, visiting a museum... it's all around us.
It's even in the faces of those that we love. Our job is to notice.

These last few weeks I have had such gratitude in my heart for the artwork that has been created on our local Lifeguard Stations. Portraits of Hope is an amazing organization that brought neon colors representative of peace to Los Angeles County. And, they're about to take it all down and return the lifeguard stations to their original form.
Oh, how my heart saddens.

So began my mission to see if we could keep this art for a little longer. You see, in Southern California, we just didn't have the opportunity to enjoy this art, given our sunshine-"less" days this past summer. There weren't as many treks to the beach. Not as many volleyball matches. Not as many surfing encounters. All due to our weather. This means that all the locals (and the tourists visiting) found other things to do. It means that our children didn't have as much opportunity to feel inspired by the lifeguard station artwork and all of its glory.

I created a Facebook Fan Page entitled, "Keep the LifeGuard Stations Artwork for 1 More Year." If you feel called to become a fan, just go to your own Facebook page, do a search of this group and click "like". Or, try clicking on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-Lifeguard-Stations-Art-for-1-more-Year/110374029022445?ref=ts&v=wall

Through this mission I have contacted local officials. I have spoken with the residents. I have helped to create a movement of folks that are so thankful for this art that, like me, fills their souls.

Sometimes we can only put our best foot forward, and then let the universe take over in order to decide where the magic will unfold. For local folks in the Beach Cities there will be a story highlighting our attempts to save the Tower Art in "The Beach Reporter". Check in this Thursday's edition! Already, a local contractor in Hermosa Beach, Rick Koenig, has expressed interest in saving all the Hermosa Beach, CA towers. Maybe more contractors will step up in our surrounding beach communities!

For today, what's in my control is to take my family down to the beach and be photographed in front of some of the stations. These memories will last a lifetime for generations to come. And who knows where the next art will be that will move me the way Portraits of Hope did, and still does.

What inspires you to be called into action? What art is right in front of YOU that you may be taking for granted? Bless it. Bless the moments all around you, for they are there for the taking!

Lisa