N is for “Notice”

Two days in a row of yoga practice– a new personal record!  And oh, so wonderful!

Today what I got from the teacher was the word “notice.”  She asked us to notice our breath, to notice our thoughts when we were holding a pose and when we were meditating in the beginning and the end, to notice how parts of our body felt before, during, and after poses.  I’ve taken more efforts over the years to notice little things.  That was one of my efforts at the beginning of this blog when I was taking pictures everyday for my “streak.”  I would take photos of things I noticed in my everyday life.

And here are some things I noticed today:

• My mind and body feel great after practicing yoga two days straight.  If only I had the time and money to do it everyday!
• Glassblowing is hard!  I had a groupon for a class today and went with a friend to give it a try.  It was quite challenging, but we were able to make some things to keep!  I was reminded about the value of craftsmen and artists, people who use their hands to make things and who hone their skills over many years of making, doing, and practicing.  In another life, I would love to be a craftswoman.
• Fresh fish is crucial to enjoying sushi.  When the fish is really fresh, it almost melts when you chew on it, and there’s no fishy taste, just the texture of butter-like meat sliding down your throat.  Yum.
• Electricity is an important part of everyday life.  The power went out tonight, and I was sitting in the semi-dark (it was just after dusk), sweating because it was hot and humid and my apartment retains hot air and humidity, with nothing to do other than text with friends.  It was nice, though, to hear the quiet outside (no AC’s running, mainly).  And it was nice just sitting in the dark and the quiet, fanning myself, trying not to wish too hard that the electricity would come on.  Just trying to be in the moment and let myself be.
• Clouds are beautiful. They make the sky so interesting.  And when it’s sunset, they’re especially breathtaking. Here is a set that I noticed on my walk down at the beach this evening prior to sunset and took from a few vantage points in my walk:

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(Hey, this slideshow option is cool– WordPress did it automatically for me– I didn’t need to know any HTML for it!  If you notice, these are four photos of the same set of clouds, just in different settings.)

I want to notice more things on a daily basis:

• my breath.  Feeling the in and out.  My lungs filling and rinsing out.
• the graffiti on the walls, sidewalks, buildings.  To see if there are interesting messages for the world to see.
• the things I take for granted.  Electricity.  Running water.  Fresh air.  A car and a driver’s license.  Family that loves me and is functional (but not without its quirks!).

What did you notice today?

Stunning Sunset: One of Life’s Blessings

This is the first summer in a long time (at least within my memory) that I can remember appreciating the change in rhythm of the summer.  Things slow down a bit.  People are a bit more friendly.  I feel a little looser about things.  And this summer, I’m really feeling the “break” aspect of summer.  Even though I don’t get a break myself and summer is actually busier at work, I can feel the “vacation” spirit in the air.

I’m loving the later hours the sun stays up.  I’m also loving living near the beach where I can take a quick walk or drive down there to see beautiful sunsets like this (can you believe the reflection in the still water?  it’s intense!!!)

and this  (a bit ominous with the sign, but it sets an interesting story.  plus more amazing reflections.)

and this (that’s the Boston city skyline in the far distance)

I’m so lucky to be alive and living where I live!  I am counting my blessings more and more and this has been such a joy– to see all the amazing aspects of my life’s blessings:

• having a steady job, skills, and the ability to make a living where I am comfortable, not in debt, and able to even afford luxuries like travel, my techie gadgets, and dinners out.  So even after I leave this job, I’m pretty confident that I’m going to be able to make a living doing something else.
• my amazing friends and community of people whom I love and who love me just as I am.
• my quirky and wonderfully unique family.  My parents who’ve never pressured me to be something or someone that I’m not.  My brothers who are doing their thing and being wonderful role models for their kids and loving husbands for their wives.
• my health.  My only weakness there is my eyesight.  But other than, I have good health!
• a wonderful place to live for now.  With fresh air, lots of space, and a happy “welcome home” feeling.
• the ability to cook and clean, without it being because I’m a woman but just because I love to do it, and I love the effects after I do it: getting to eat good food, getting to live in a clean environment.
• confidence in and love for myself.  I haven’t always felt this, and it’s still a challenge to remember that I AM good enough for myself and those around me.  Keep riding that wave of confidence and love, I have to keep telling myself.

I’m feeling blessed today.  And even when life gets difficult or when I’m feeling fearful and uncertain of what lies ahead, I know that I have all this to provide a safety net in case I fall.  I’ve been fortunate enough not to fall too hard in the past, and it’s because of these amazing blessings. Sending out thank you waves to the universe for all that has made my life possible.

#31: Purple Clouds

What started as a rainy, grey day turned into a humid, purple-cloud-sunset evening.  Just couldn’t resist stopping around town to take this pictures.  It was kind of funny my stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.  Like  tourist.  But taking time to slow down on impulse and not thinking about it too much.  The small steps in slowing down.

It’s amazing what you can see in a city when you stop and look up.  If I had had my head down, or even straight ahead, I would’ve totally missed these clouds hiding in between the tall buildings.  And yet there they were to be watched or not.

And then on my train ride home, more stopping to gaze.  I usually have my head buried in my iPhone, reading or just staring into space, but I happened to look out the window where the train comes above ground and saw this:

I’m still amazed at what I can capture on my iPhone.

And finally, getting off the train, I stopped again to look up at the sky and saw this– a perfect finale to an hour commute home:

I’m starting to count down the weekends.  One by one, they’re coming and going so quickly.  And so much to do before I leave.  Thing to buy.  People to see.  Loose ends to tie, or at least semi-knit together.  And a realization it’s probably all not going to get done.  But I’m going to have to be OK with that.  I’m trying to just enjoy the summer, enjoy the last weeks, and keep breathing.