A-Z blogging challenge: W is for Wake up!

I wake up
...on mornings when I arise with the sun, knowing that no matter what the day before held (and possibly even the night, if sleep was scant), all will be well.

I wake up
...in moments of clarity on a weighty matter on my mind; I breathe an audible sigh, knowing things will work out as they're meant to.

I wake up
...when I read words that resonate with me; words that remind me to stay true to what I believe and know to be right.

I wake up
...when I acknowledge the grief and loneliness that is inherent in being human on this planet, but also acknowledge the love and compassion that also exist.

I wake up
...when I remind myself of the blessings of love.

I wake up
...when I pray and meditate on life, and the peace and reassurance is palpable.

I woke up
...at a pivotal life change that I didn't/couldn't control (divorce). It busted me out of ruts and habits and patterns, and turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

It wasn't until some time after that pivotal life change that I was able to see the difference, the before and after--how it peeled back all of my layers. I felt exposed, raw, and very awake. Even though it was downright uncomfortable, many times, I was able to see a lot of possibilities about my life that I hadn't considered in a long time, maybe ever. I remember describing the state as "wakefulness" to a couple of girlfriends at that time, and since; some get it, others look at me a bit askance.

A little later on down the path, past the actual crisis and flux, I reflected on how easy it would be to get comfortable, to snooze a little, and become complacent. I resolved not to nap, not to fall back into a sleepy existence.

The notion of never "life napping" has proved (and will continue to prove, I think) challenging. There's nothing this world appears to want more than to lull us into complacency. And it is very easy to be lulled--by whatever it is that creates a false sense of self for any of us... that can range from the shallow, shiny bling-bling of life, to real and significant distractions--work, accomplishments, the ridiculous notion that any of us are what we DO all day. I can't speak more thoroughly and thoughtfully to the commitment to staying awake than Pema; she never fails to inspire.

So, I wake up!

I wake up
...and reflect on the glorious notion that I have one more day to live and breathe and love and cry and laugh and work hard and feel keenly.

I wake up
...and count myself fortunate, as well as beholden to good fortune, in paying back and paying forward, remembering my responsibilities as a citizen of my community and the world.

I wake up
...joyful in faith, confident in love, and prayerful for peace.

I wake up
...and count myself so thankful to live, woken up.

What's this A-Z business about? Check out my kick-off post. And stay tuned for the random joy and nonsense I concoct during the month of April!

Monday morning inspiration

This weekend I read the following passage, which I know I've read before. But the layers of it hit me just right this go-around and I was encouraged:

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that’s all that’s happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness–life’s painful aspect–softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person. When you are feeling a lot of grief, you can look right into somebody’s eyes because you feel you haven’t got anything to lose–you’re just there. The wretchedness humbles us and softens us, but if we were only wretched, we would all just go down the tubes. We’d be so depressed, discouraged, and hopeless that we wouldn’t have enough energy to eat an apple. Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us. They go together.”
-Pema Chödrön, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living

A post that has long been in my in-box finally rose to the surface, and I resonated with much of what Pamela (the blog author) wrote, about another author she admires, and the life that both women are trying to pursue. The book author admired by the blogger is Katrina Kenison, and a few of her words, as quoted by Pamela, that stood out to me:
Now I see that the journey was never meant to lead to some new and improved version of me; that it has always been about coming home to who I already am.

I will be reading Magical Journey soon. I was given The Gift of an Ordinary Day last year by a friend, and it is probably due for another turn at the nightstand, as well.

Watching the Oscars last night, I wasn't especially hopeful that I would find much in the way of inspiration (and, that's not really why one watches, is it?). I mean, there are inspirational movies, sure, and of course I got choked up at the first line of One Day More, as the cast from Les Mis came out (even Russell Crowe didn't ruin it. He came close, but not quite...). But the real inspiration, for me, was watching and being surprised by people who don't fit the "Hollywood mold" perform or present and be comfortable in their skin. I mean, when someone like Renee Zellweger, all tiny and petite and cute, so obviously amends her looks for some inexplicable must-look-better, must-be-skinnier reason, what hope does a normal-sized and normal-looking woman have? Well, my hero last night was Adele (with an honorable mention to the always beautiful Queen Latifah). Adele performed Skyfall, beautifully, and accepted her award quite graciously, all the while her very own self. I adore her.

I had to dig up one of my favorite songs to share. And this video is a little bit extra special since she talks a little about the song and the album before she sings, and the things she speaks of--finding a lasting love--is now a reality for her with her husband and baby boy. So that's sweet too.



Wishing you a week of being very comfortable in the gloriousness and wretchedness of your skin. (If that sentence doesn't make sense to you, re-read from the top.)

Monday morning inspiration

here goes the weekend, here comes another week! A few of the things that passed my way this weekend, that brought me inspiration in starting a new week:

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I was rather captivated by the penguins, but it wasn't lost on me that he was trying to surf in ANTARCTICA. Crazy cold. Crazy guy.

I also saw this paragraph by Pema Chodron, from her book Awakening Loving-Kindness. It really resonated:

"Our life's work is to use what we have been given to wake up. If there were two people exactly the same--same body, same speech, same mind, same mother, same father, same house, same food, everything the same--one of them could use what he has to wake up and the other could use it to become more resentful, bitter, and sour. It doesn't matter what you are given, whether it's a physical deformity or enormous wealth or poverty, beauty or ugliness, mental stability or mental instability, life in the middle of a mad house or life in the middle of a peaceful silent desert. Whatever you're given can wake you up or put you to sleep. That's the challenge of now: what are you going to do with what you have already--your body, your speech, your mind?"

My last little piece of inspiration came in the form of my favorite chef being booted from Top Chef. I am no longer an AVID Top Chef watcher--meaning, live TV on the night that it airs. No, the only show that gets such adoration from me currently is Downton Abbey.

But, I did do a little catching up on Top Chef Seattle this weekend, and watched, slack-jawed, as one of the best chefs of the season got axed. In many ways, it was the "right" thing to do, but boy was it hard to watch. Reading Tom Colicchio's blog about it, later, was helpful, and echoed what I'd been thinking about Kristen's character and willingness to have the buck stop with her and her restaurant, both in concept and execution.

Here's my short version (in case you're not a watcher): Kristen (on the left in the somewhat editorialized photo above) had an overly ambition restaurant concept. She had three team members to assist her, and she assigned them dishes. Josie (who should have gone home, in my humble opinion) didn't make her dish (bouillabaisse) on the day she should have (giving it time to deepen in flavor and make any necessary adjustments before service), didn't make it the way she should have and didn't taste it until it was going out. Lucky for her, the sauce was apparently very good, there just wasn't enough of it on the plate. (There were, however, issues with her seafood--some being undercooked, other pieces overcooked, so I was hopeful *that* would do her in). Kristen plated the judges' servings, Josie didn't speak up and say "More sauce!" So, Kristen goes home: her restaurant, her concept, dish goes wrong, it's on her. (If you'd like a longer, more  strident recap, here's one I enjoyed from the LA Times.)

And where exactly was I was inspired? Well, in a setting where throwing other contestants "under the bus" is de rigueur, Kristen’s ownership and refusal spell out in detail the goings-on in the kitchen (Josie is a slacker with a bad attitude) when she so easily could have showed a lot of character. And according to Tom: "It shows, further, that she truly understands what it means to run a restaurant kitchen and be responsible for every plate that leaves it." She didn't whine, didn't pout, didn't cry, but left with her head held high. I can't help but think we'll be seeing her again.

What inspired you this weekend to get out there and have a great week? I'd love to hear it.

Midweek reminder: Now is the time

e're always in some kind of mood. It might be sadness, it might be anger, it might be not much of anything, kind of a blur. It might be humor or contentment. In any case, whatever it is, that's the path.

When something hurts in life, we don't usually think of it as our path or as the source of wisdom. In fact, we think that the reason we're on the path is to get rid of this painful feeling. In this way, we naively cultivate a subtle aggression toward ourselves.

However, the fact is that anyone who has used the moments, days, and years of his or her life to become wiser, kinder, and more at home in the world has learned from what's happening right now. We can aspire to be kind right in the moment, to relax and open our heart and mind to what is in front of us right in the moment. Now is the time. 

-Pema Chodron