Day 226: Balance & The Birth of Hope

Tuesday, April 29
11:37 p.m.

I overslept this morning – a function of a cold coming on.  Not so surprising after a business trip and airplane travel.

I left work in the afternoon for a meeting with a videographer to discuss a marketing opportunity.  We had a really great chat that extended beyond the business meeting and covered topics like heritage, culture, society, literature and cinema, family, and so on.  But it was more, I felt myself connecting on the very themes that have been orbiting my life these days.

I find myself connecting with people on themes of consciousness, enlightenment and compassion more and more often.  These aren’t just principles and values that I am reading about in the spiritual books I have been drawn to, but, rather, I feel a kinetic energy in the universe that it infectious.  It’s remarkable to hear other people experiencing this, too.

Just this night I met a woman in my gym and we had a long conversation about the state of the world and these very themes, the sense of urgency for the world to wake up, this sense of faith in humanity to stand up for what’s right, to work for peace, toward saving the environment, and, most importantly, reaching out for the change in the world that is to come.  You can sense it and feel it - there is an undeniable wave of change that is moving toward us with such force and promise.  Everyone I have been meeting and chatting with has been feeling this, too.  It’s amazing, it’s encouraging and it’s the stuff that’s making so many believers want to participate, to get involved and to do their part.  It is the birth of hope.

After working out, I had a nice chat with our property manager about developing a community garden for those of us who want to plant fruit, veggies and herbs – she seemed keen on the idea and said she’d look into it.  I walked off smiling from ear to ear.  Another step toward improving the environment and a chance to build a grander sense of community. 

I drove over to Pacific Breeze with my book in tow to work on edits.  I hadn’t been there in awhile.  I ordered Vietnamese garden rolls and a comforting bowl of Pho.  When I got home my cold was coming on full force – I became very congested with an annoying runny nose, itchy-red eyes and terrible sneezing.  I wasn’t sure if I was experiencing a cold or if this was my myserious non-allergic rhinitis.  I took a Claritan-D and after 11 p.m. I still wasn’t feeling improved.  I downed a lot of water, a cup of Yogi Bedtime tea to stay hydrated.  This icky feeling would soon pass.  I stretched and took in deep breaths stemming from my chest and burgeoning forth through my mouth, meditating toward balance.

 

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Day 156: A Meteorite, Alright, and Barackamania

Tuesday, February 19
10:38 p.m.

It’s not every day that you wake up to a sonic boom and a ball of fire falling to the ground with bright green taillights and a trail of sparks.  But welcome to Portland, Oregon on this fine Tuesday morning.  It was a meteorite.  And it came down around 5:30 this morning.  I was sound asleep, but learned about it on the news.  The huge fireball fell between the Oregon/Washington border.  At least I got to see the replays on the news reels.  Cool stuff.

So, I Googed meteorites in Portland, and learned that another green-tailed fireball fell into the Pacific, flying down over Portland back in March 2005, and it could be seen from southern Oregon all the way up to Washington.  Hmmmm.  Coincidence?  Well, too bad I don’t believe in coincidences – I mean, that’s just a word for something to which we cannot explain.  Right?  So, what could this mean?  Are these omens?  Is there a cosmic reason why the Portland area attracts falling rock from outerspace?

One thing I’ve learned is that people all over the world have different beliefs around meteors and meteorites, but they all seem to come to the same conclusion that the phenomenon is extraordinary.  Many cultures have all kinds of myths and legends on the topic of rocks that fall from heaven.  So, I searched the internet and found some interesting findings.

For example, pointing to a meteor or talking about a meteor is considered bad luck by some Americans.  In fact, among those who believe meteors were bad omens, they decree that saying certain words aloud could avert the bad luck–specifically the phrases ’amen,’ ‘God guide it,’ or ‘go away, go away, all by yourself.’   I got that from a meteorite legends site.

Well, we don’t need any bad luck.  We’re in the year of the rat!  We’re supposed to be on the cusp of positive change.  Lots of babies coming around, new political leaders, the Patriots lost, I mean…we’re onto a new era!  So, I did what any normal Midas-touch seeking gal would do.  I shouted out “God guide it!”, then “Amen!”, followed by a couple chants of “Go away, go away, all by yourself!”  and a few more “Amens!”  I don’t know if it worked, yet, but I suspect kismet, good karma, fortune, blessings, snowball chances and mazel tovs will shower over Portland like winter rain!

And so, feeling much better about Fortune’s prospects, I listened to Nightline late tonight and Barack Obama’s fans have been named a cult of personality.  He just took Wisconsin.  With a slogans like ”Change we can believe in” and “Yes we can”, there’s no denying this man is on to something HUGE.  I listened to his speech in Texas earlier while I was at the gym, and I got all goosebumpy.  He is more of a rock star than Springsteen.  I mean, this guy is taking the nation.  He’s got rally after rally with people following him, reaching out to him, hanging on his every word.  It’s like Beatlemania.  No Barackamania.  Everyone is in love with Obama.  The man, he’s affectionately called, is a cult hero.  Everyone is wanting to move forward, the spirit of hope is coming through, people are yearning for something bigger, grander, more meaningful.  People are listening to the man.  And while his opponents call his riveting speeches empty eloquent speeches, and the hopes are raised so high, the desire to see this man achieve Martin Luther King’s dream, well, who cares if he falls short of all the hype and expectations.  For a moment in history, he has seemlessly pulled together a nation, feeding a people with nourishment for better days. 

And now I’m off to post a few more photos on my Facebook, in a very A.D.D. kind of way.  Yeah, just like that I can go from meteor myths and bad-omen-dodging to the cult of personality that is the man, Barack Obama to my silly Facebook.  I think all bloggers must have some degree of A.D.D.! 

Oh – and Fidel Castro stepped down from power today!  How did I let that one slip?  Again, another testament to the year of the rat.  Change.  And balance in the political spectrum of world power.  49 years of domination, of an iron- fisted abuse of power over the Cuban people, and now an end of an era while the power gets passed on to another Castro – to his brother Raul.  What will this mean for Cuba?  Can we go over there and vacation?  My grandparents used to vacation there back in the day.  I’ve always wanted to go there.  It would be cool to go to a live concert of The Buena Vista Social Club in Havana.  I’ve heard the streets are frozen in time, with 1950′s automobiles parked on the sides of the streets.  But I digress…and suddenly crave a mojito.

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