Kindness is Always There

We recently lost a legend whose songs touched many of us. Thank you for the reminder I am here to embrace both my feminine and masculine nature, Mr. Prine.

I want to lean back.

I am trusting you.

I create space for things to unfold.

Noticing that when the mind takes hold, it can cause myself to retreat, I feel it in my body. I feel the sensation in my body like I want to run away when I feel fear and uneasiness.

Lean back, watch it. Let go of it.

I am grateful for this body. I am thankful for every breath.

Relinquish the desire to control the outcome. I feel it in my body.

Acknowledge thoughts and feelings, trust, and let go. Return to love and trust. Kindness is there all along.

Don’t hold back with giving and expressing love. Just witness your breath.

Your love is boundless. It is there all along. When our mind gets caught up in fear, we lose sight of it. It is okay.

I feel it in my heart. I want to embrace you. You come to meet me halfway.

Takeaway:

During these unprecedented times, we will experience uncomfortable emotions and thoughts coming and going. This is okay. These feelings of grief, fear, anxiety are opportunities to notice that kindness and appreciation are there. Kindness is allowing things to unfold, be expressed without judgment, trust. Meditation is the gateway to realizing this innate nature.

From my current experience, meditation has allowed me to see my mind wander. Many thoughts come and hang out. I do see I can get caught up in emotions and thoughts of those around me at times especially when my body is tired and hungry. At the same time, I appreciate seeing the brilliance of the rays of the sun filling me and those around me. I do recognize what Andy says during the guided meditations, that the blue skies are innate within us all. We don’t have to “do.” The clouds may be there, rain, thunder may strike, but beneath it, all are the blue skies.

If you have been reading my blog, you know how I have been using Headspace for mindfulness. I am marking my 237th day of non-stop Headspace use. I will be forever be humbled by how meditation has touched me that I cannot just keep it to myself. I hope the world discovers the power of witnessing our breath, the life force within us. We remind you more than ever before of how mental health is a fundamental force within us all that can aspire remarkable change within ourselves and cultivating health and happiness beyond ourselves.

Thankful that Headspace has opened tools for us to tap into our innate nature. I have included “Weathering the Storm” in the link below for you. I have shared this with friends, to my community, and hope this reaches you, your loved ones, and our community and the world.

Headspace is here to help YOU: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19

Rest in Peace, John Prine. Your songs celebrate life in all it’s shades of colors. Thank you for gracing this world with your melodies. I always get happy when I listen to your songs. I never knew why, but I don’t need to know. Thank you. xox

Provided to YouTube by Atlantic Records Sweet Revenge · John Prine Sweet Revenge ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA Internat...

The sunshine is always beneath the clouds

Where Paradise Lay - Written by Joe Wilkins

Happy April Fool's Day 2020

What better time it is than to post something for April Fools. This reflection is all about our body, the mind, the sensations, and how we imagine and put us in an illusionary state of being as we are facing the reality of global health crises. If you don’t pay close attention, to pause, lean back, surrender, and be self-aware, we can fly off into Lala Land. I documented it through a playlist of love songs.

The Coronavirus came just in time to fool us to believe that everything is over for the future, for love, for opportunities. Of course, all our emotions will come and delude us, so it is more crucial than ever to check in with ourselves, use our power, and get real. It is April Fools, after all, so why not just lean back and surrender and let go.

This isolation and social distancing turned out to be a major blessing and I feel a little tug in the heart. I hear it sound like the Magnetic Fields song “Chicken with its Head Cut Off” a time for me to experiment with romanticism and get caught up in our heads, overthinking and losing touch with the feminine. I am so happy to be able to take a pause and allow time to play with imaginations and fantasy. I was curious and went on a trip to explore the mind, body, and soul for a few weeks now. I allowed myself to experience the endorphin and oxytocin rush, believing in a feeling of something that seems real but not. It was opening. It was lovely. I made a playlist out of it and sent all sorts of fun messages and created some things along the way. I didn’t receive the feeling of musical and playful resonance. It is okay. I am thankful for the experience. No judging but just observing not seeing it as good or bad. It was a meditative journey. The work is a surrender into love. I call it Quarantine Imaginations and a written memoir by a girl who loves to imagine, loves people, claiming she loves ramen and music.

I cannot express enough how important it is to develop a relationship with oneself. Before even going into a relationship with someone else, it is always a powerful opportunity and a great time to lean back and step into your beauty and mystery and take a deeper look at what you really want in life. This time of quarantine due to this very hungry Coronavirus is a time to take a look at the mirror. Take time to play, find joy, not take yourself too seriously. Have a little fun with art. Get tuned in with your body. Meditate. Befriend your emotions during this time.

I am thankful for all the people that show up in my life and put me in places of discomfort so that I can blossom and grow. I realize this is a vulnerable time for everyone. You are not alone. Seek guidance. Check-in with loved ones and offer support when needed.

Headspace has created a space for us during this time of uncertainty and challenge. It is called “Weathering the Storm.”

You can check it out here >> We're here for you - Headspace.

In the next few days, because we need to take care of our mental health, more than ever before, I will take this time to record my experiences using the Headspace app on “Navigating Change.” I hope these videos inspire you to seek meditation as time and space to care for yourself. Thank you for visiting and going on this learning journey with me.

Self-isolation can be hard. It’s okay.

Also, if you are feeling like you need to reach out to your community to help in some way, there is hope. You can call and check on your elder neighbor, get their groceries, with the proper physical distancing of course. You can get creative. Be safe. Stay the distance. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face, especially, your nose, eyes, mouth. Keep your spirits lifted by listening to music, talking to friends you trust and get vulnerable.

What is True Love?

I was recently given the opportunity to take a look inside myself and examine my intentions, my true intentions. I haven’t been in a committed romantic relationship in years. I felt I needed the time and space to look at what I was doing, since I felt a sense of void and unhappiness when I was much younger, often seeking external pleasures and needs. I realized I was always “with a guy” since I left home, not really having the opportunity to figure out what I wanted in life, in myself, for the world around me. I was a late bloomer but to me, it didn’t really matter. I found myself turning 41 and not being happy with myself and who I have become as half of a couple. I never imagined life without anyone. I never imagined being alone. At the point, I felt like I was going through the motions of the so-called falling in love with an idea, an idea of a person or “the perfect relationship.”

I will forever be grateful to all my former boyfriends who shared their life with me during those years of coupledom.

The years of solitude and self-imposed singleness has allowed me to see things for what they are. For this, I am grateful for all that time, now and ever.

*My companion, imaginary boyfriend, and teacher during the years of solitude* - this list will continuously grow as I remember them.

Books with magic (Support your local bookstore):

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel by Alain de Botton

Education thru music and record labels to be grateful for:

Mexican Summer, a record label >> https://www.mexicansummer.com

Drag City, another record label >> https://www.dragcity.com

Secretly Canadian >> https://secretlycanadian.com

Asthmatic Kitty >> https://asthmatickitty.com

Merge Records >> https://www.mergerecords.com

Health and self-care practices

Isha Yoga, my meditation and yoga practice, technologies for well-being >> https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en

Pecha Kucha, death to PowerPoint and boring bullet points >> https://www.pechakucha.com

Headspace, bringing health and happiness to the world >> https://www.headspace.com

School of Life, learning to embrace our flawed self >> https://www.theschooloflife.com

Most of us think we know what love is; we may just be looking for the right person to lavish our love on. But it's no insult, and indeed it might even be hel...

Stay Open

We will never experience life in its fullest when we are always caught up in overly identifying with ideas, beliefs, opinions, thoughts, and emotions.

The world has so many incredible ways of expressing itself.

Peer into the window of love, observing, looking around and hearing sounds. How remarkable it is to be able to teel the sensations when moving through life.

Love, listen, touch, hear, eat, walk, play.

Here’s to getting outside and experiencing the world and loving those around you.

Music is love.

http://KEXP.ORG presents Alvvays performing live in the KEXP studio. Recorded October 27, 2017. Songs: Plimsoll Punks Dreams Tonite Not My Baby In Undertow H...

Community

I moved to the Bay Area after having lived in Ohio for so many years. I saw myself working for a great startup with enthusiastic, curious, growth-oriented individuals. I was full of hope and excitement, thinking that I would find a job in three months. Well, that has not happened yet. This idea of getting a job in no time shattered before my eyes. I grew doubtful. I felt like I was weird, and I do not belong.

I internalized a lot of negative thoughts and feelings. Seeing I do not have any relevant "hard" skills. I found myself doubting my worth more and more here in Silicon Valley. Something inside me shifted, where I felt defeated, hopeless, lonely, and depressed. My mind kept playing this game that I am "unemployable" here and ever. I played a thought where I am too soft, too imaginative, too empathic, to get hired here. I felt like I was an alien. In the process, I thought I lost my dream of wanting to help people, my purpose.

When I began volunteering, attending meetups, mixers, networking events, meeting lots of incredibly amazing Millenials throughout the Bay Area, I hear the struggle of isolation and loneliness. Dignity is critical. How do we measure success? When we struggle to compare ourselves with those who have a great list of accolades, status, we do not realize this impact.

It is essential to learn to communicate and cultivate relationships with people. To foster a relationship, it starts with ourselves. It begins with a leap of faith; trusting and respecting, and, most importantly, seeing the value of people. Listening without judgment and being curious without the need to respond to fix things. Empowering people to succeed, trusting them to figure out a solution, surrendering for the need to control. Give them the tools to grow. That tool is freedom and dignity. Every single individual has their own personhood and must be respected, not shamed, but valued and celebrated. It is not a natural skill, but who says it is easy? There is hope. It takes a little love and imagination.

We are interconnected. We impact each other. Our words, our thoughts, our inner monologue, and dialogue play a part in how we relate to the world around us. When we are given a sense that there is a community, things shift. People want to feel valued and needed. It is not the reverse. When we empathize, listen, observe, and refrain from judging, community happens. Things are possible. Look at people. We would be amazed at what things we can do together. This article reminds me never to give up.

The Takeaway and Practice:

Every moment of fear, pain, frustration, and vulnerability [you name it] is a window of opportunity to look inward gracefully. Practice self-care, acknowledging any anxiety, depression, frustration, and grow into the best version of ourselves. Little by little as we go inward, we can go out in the world and help a person work towards being the best version of themselves. You are beauty. You are the creator. You are joy.

The feel good song: Dreams Tonite by Alvvays

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Your brand is authentic

Let me sit down and take this moment to express gratitude for my dad, who always takes the opportunity to teach us something. He has a way of talking that makes you stop and laugh. If you come from a different frame of mind, soul, and heart or perspective, he can be easily misunderstood. I love when and how he takes out his post-it notes and pencil to share knowledge and wisdom. I can see the joy in his eyes when he writes things down. You can tell he gets all lit up with numbers. Left-handed and writing numbers upside down. Then after a few minutes of writing as he explains ideas and thoughts to me, he realizes and acknowledges, he is better off flipping the post-it around to face him — the right side up. Imagine that for a second. See if you can visualize it. We are sitting at the kitchen table just after having dinner, and this is happening. That energy takes some intelligence and ultra awareness. I always say how he would be a great teacher. Do you sense that?

…Let me take you to another scene, a library full of people from all over the world learning about brand presence from a remarkable woman, Miss Denise O’Brien (aka Queen of Joy), oozing with you guessed it: joy. She starts by taking us on a journey where she takes the wrong exit and explains how she sees an elderly man, who tells the story of a little girl. Can you guess who that little girl he is referring to?

Moments come and go. People come and go. Ideas come and go. Stop and take notice. Who do you talk to every day? Who did you go see today? What have you learned? How does it make you feel learning something new? What are you grateful for? You are the creator. Make. Express. If there is a hesitation, it’s okay. Explore. Write. See where it stems, observe and don’t follow. Feel it. You are the maker. It is a great doorway of opportunity. Much love in your discovery. Feel free to share your story. Thanks for being here.

Spotify playlist that puts you in the zone at this moment: Brain Food

Music is love my friends. I get fired up with music and get in the writing process when I put on my headphones and lose myself to writing. Do you get that way too? #musicislove #ramengirldonthesitate #Aikolove