Awake.In:::DreamSpace:::

I don't know much about my family tree... my parents fled Cuba right before I was born.  I didn't have extended family around me as they were in Cuba.  I've always been interested in where did I come from?  Yeah, my parents are Cuban, but other than knowing that Dad's side of the family is from Spain, I know nothing.  I've been curious, for a long time.  

Well, I finally decided, time to find out!  My 23andMe kit arrived today.  Tomorrow I spit into the tube and send it out.  In a few weeks, I'll get a report.  Cool.  

Interested for yourself... check it out 23andme

I had to register and I had no idea how many screens one has to read to get to agree to do this.  A bit daunting.  Especially the health stuff...  And well, now my genetic information will be on some database and my vivid imagination after years of sci-fi movie and tv watching had my mind running wild for a bit.

Decided to go for it...

Looking forward to finding out the story about my DNA...

Stay tuned!

Yesterday I posted a link to 30 things to stop doing to yourself... It really resonated in me as I read each of the things... today, I started work on #4.  "Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now."  Here is the link, check it out, it will inspire you!  30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself  

Today is the Winter Solstice... It feels like the Spring Equinox... Huh?

I have no scientific facts, proof, or mathematical genius, but I think as we get older time moves faster because our minds are approaching the speed of light... when we do, we wink out and get dropped off on the next path of our journey...

It was around 4:30pm... I was on my way to the off site parking of the 2011 NKT International Fall Festival and I made it... to the parking lot...  The Mini-C was making a very scary grinding noise and the red battery and CEL icons went on...

This is not what I planned on...  the Mini breaking down was not part of my weekend itinerary.  OK.  I'm in the middle of almost nowhere in Port Jervis, NY, but I'm not alone.  There are people guiding traffic to parking spots, buses taking people to the festival, and my ATT iPhone HAS service!  OK Trudy, Don't Panic!  You are attending a Buddhist Festival... here is your chance to practice patience and acceptance!

Pop the trunk, read the decal with Mini Service Road Side Assistance, dial, talk to representative, and soon a tow truck will be dispactched.  Great, the car is going to be towed to the nearest BMW/Mini service area, which happens to be in White Plains, NY.  3-Way conversation ensues with said dealership/service...  they close at 7p, car keys can be dropped in overnight bin, they will call me in the morning.  A car rental wasn't working out due to logistics... that's ok... there is bus service to and from the Festival, so I can still enjoy!  Tow truck took hours to find me and I missed the Friday introduction, but I did get to chat with many nice people in the parking lot.  After the tow truck finally arrived, Vern the driver dropped me back at the hotel.  Yea!

Just got a call from my teacher in Merrick, there is room in his car for me, so I have a ride to and from the Festival and a ride home back to Long Island on Sunday.  Yea! 

Thank you my BFF Carol for your support in telling me to enjoy the weekend, don't worry, I'll pick you up on Sunday...  Everything worked out and I have a ride back to LI...  Thank you David!  For teaching me that when the car breaks down, it is the car's problem, not mine!  See... I listen and it stuck in my mind... whoa...  I was mindful... SWEET!

OK, Carol, as you know, the car is in White Plains...  not as scenic as a  drive upstate NY is...  I'm sure we will find an apple orchard and farm stands!  

So, there you go, I woke up this morning planning on my first day at the Festival... I didn't make it, but I defintely practiced patience and acceptance... perhaps that was what today was supposed to be all about for me.

End of the work week and start of a 3-day weekend... Brought dinner to the beach and walked to the water... The sea water has magic powers that draw all the tension and corporate silliness one encounters in a work cycle and draws it out from your body through your toes. It is very healing and I recommend it.

So, they are finding traces of radiation in milk here in the US...  This is no surprise, it was just a matter of time...  scary how quickly the radiation released from Fukushima  7,000 miles away has affected the environment here.  The EPA and the FDA are saying "don't worry" the levels of radioactive Iodine-131 were 5,000 times below the FDA's level of concern, and even more not to worry about, it has a half-life of eight days... OK, all I can say is "YIKES"!

OK, I'm not a nuclear scientist, physicist, or doctor, but gee, there wasn't any of this stuff in the milk BEFORE the Fukushima accident, I would like my glass of milk to have none of it NOW.  As far as I'm concerned, any trace isn't good.  And well, we aren't even talking about rainfall, snowfall, air quality, etc...  These "trace" amounts that are nothing to worry about are probably in many places in the US now...  right?... after all, I don't think radioactive Iodine-131 is just falling on grass where cows are grazing...  This stuff is not just here, but will be all over our planet, yes, OUR planet, it belongs to all of us, and we should be taking better care of it.  We are all connected, the sooner we all start accepting and living that, the better. 

And yes, there is Trader Joe's Organic Milk and Half & Half in my fridge... am I afraid of drinking it?  Sure, will I... yes... why?... Because, I have known for most of my life that all the stuff I drink and eat is contaminated in some way that is not natural, and well, so is the air I'm breathing in and out...  It is something we all live with, these environmental catastrophes bring them to our awareness for awhile, and then they leave our consciousness until the next time... in the meantime... this stuff is accumulating inside us...

I have collected 3 magnets with powerful words that have captured what I'm trying to achieve on this journey called life and enlightenment.  They are on the fridge so I keep reading them over and over and remember the words during the day as stuff comes up. 

The first magnet reads:  "For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin a real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.  This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.  So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.  Happiness is a journey, not a destination." - Alfred D. Souza

The second magnet reads:  "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch

The third magnet reads:  "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." - Reinhold Niebuhr

Now that I'm aware...

I have found happiness everyday that I used to not see... there is plenty around us, just look. 

I try to get out of my comfort zone when the opportunity arises... Not Easy!  Try it sometime.

I have found that I cannot change anything, I can only change myself.

Oh, and below the 3 magnets... the Breathe & Flow Yoga Studio schedule... so I keep on the road of my Yoga practice.

Last week I started Yoga, and also attended a New Year's Intention Meditation workshop.  After all the life changes and sadness I experienced in 2010... my intention for 2011 was joy...  Life doesn't warrant perpetual happiness but I have opened my eyes and realized that there was much joy in 2010... I just didn't see it at the time for what it was, therefore, I didn't experience it.  Now what exactly is joy?  The answer to that is unique for each person.  I'm now awake to joy... it comes in the most simple of forms...  I enjoy cooking, but haven't done much of it... I've started to again, and found that the preparation and act of cooking gives me joy.  It makes me want to turn on the music and feel good.  All that, just because I'm now open to the idea.  And that is only cooking... not a passion of mine, just something I like to do... 

There is joy in walking Koda... even in the rain and snow and cold... for you see, if I didn't have Koda in my life, I would be sitting inside in the winter and not going out very much...  So, at least 3 times a day, there is a 30 minute walk that has me out and experiencing things I wouldn't be...  Last week, Koda... who has some Vizsla genes in her blood therefore very interested in birds and small animals...and is the only dog I have shared my life with that looks up to the sky and trees... So that is how I saw the amazing hawk sitting in the tree...  Would have walked right by it without Koda with me... and taking one step back... I wouldn't have been outside anyway...  I love raptors... so, the joy of seeing one in the wild always gives me a rush... they are amazing birds... regal.

So, with all this winter cold and post holiday gloom...  Open up your eyes to the joy in your life...  It is there, you just have to be open to it and then it just appears.  Try it... it works!  And no, I'm not tripping on anything!... except maybe some Joy.

I finally went to my very first Yoga class...  It was amazing.  I talked about it all last year, no more talk, time to do!  I'm making a commitment to learn and practice yoga.  My body's flexibility has diminished, I want it back.  The yoga studio I have joined is Breathe and Flow Yoga.