Wednesday, June 25, 2008

dosha smosha?


+Monkey over my head+ Manual Antonio, Costa Rica+ ahhhh+

So I'm totally going to an ayurvedic doctor in in a couple weeks!! I am SO excited! The best part? He's a regular dr, too, and he graduated from my husband's medical school...In 20 minutes on the phone, this guy used Ayurveda (India's traditional medicinal system) and told me so many things about myself that I didn't tell him so couldn't not freakin believe he knew! Honestly, a little surreal. And ayurveda? It's kinda cool...It presuposes that all of us have a body tendency, or humor, called a dosha. When I've previously read about it, I thought it sounded too flakey for even me; but when I really applied the ideas to my own life, I realized that it makes a lot of sense and really doesn't go in the face of Western medicine but instead summarizes it in a different way and offers very different solutions. More later.

I think Dallas is weighing us down a little now that summer is here...On one hand, I love it here so much; my job is truly amazing and a place where I can live out my work as a spiritual practice. I've enjoyed the energy and the arts of living downownISH of a bigger city, and I have met some people who I find uplifting and inspiring...Even with that, sometimes I miss the midwest so much, or even just places where people can go outside without developing asthma...I miss nature walks and creeks where people take their dogs...I feel like the Dallas culture might be extra achievement oriented with less value on community interactions; I really think standard Western lifestyle is just amplified here by the major urban sprawl that exits that is so prevalent, and the lack of a vital downtown core. Also, maybe the fact that the economy here has been relatively stable compared to other places, so you can make a little money here. We find that you tend meet a lot of people who moved here for money, and aren't from here AND if they do live downtownish, that usually seems to mean that they just haven't fully settled down yet and soon will be off to the suburbs to do so...I can see us living in Austin someday and that being a truly good fit...Both B and I are the outdoor type and talk about hikes, camping and have always wanted to have our own kayaks (turns out our relationship is not strong enough to share a canoe). I don't need all this in my back yard...A 15 to 20 minute drive would be just fine...So I guess I'm making this my open letter/appeal to the city council to turn the suburbs into a nature preserve.

Anyways, Austin is good for all that, and I have to admit that a greater community of like minds might be nice. The real mother ship, I tend to believe, is Costa Rica.

But then again, maybe I need to let go of the ideas I had of who (and where) I thought I would be, to make way for upcoming fabulousness of which I've never dreamed? B and I NEVER thought we'd end up in Dallas for good, and always talked about living in a very liberal city with hippies and lots of live music, which is, well, not where we live...As we become who we most are at a soul level, does geography matter?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Why do I keep getting sick?

Is there a reason? I keep trying to be zen about it and "experience the feelings" of being sick, but man, since I've moved to Dallas I have been sick a zillion times. Is it the pollution? The allergies? Am I too busy? I'm supposed to be doing a hot yoga challenge, but I have a sinus infection...and two weeks ago, I had a stomache virus that totally ruined my favorite mexican restaurant! Wow, I'm whiny today. I should delete this.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

something

Write something....Anything!

B is at hot yoga right now, and I've been happily drowning myself in teacher lit. I am determined that this year I will be a kick booty math teacher, and I mean KICKING bootay. You know, even though I went to college for teaching, I thought I'd just do it for two years so I could be a school counselor. Instead, I have found that following my bliss lead me to right where I am, and I love it a surprising amount. Joseph Campbell is right that we must be able to overlook all of our plans for our lives so that we can have the blissful and surprising existence waiting for us. It's so exciting to know that I am not choosing where I go, but kind of feeling where I go. Following my bliss has taken me to much greater places than trying to intellectualize my life goals and trajectory. Anyways, math: I ordered a silly amount of teaching math books from Amazon, and I've been obsessing over them.

Been doing: I have been teaching summer science camp for my district, which is fun!
Been reading: The Tao Te Ching (for the first time...how did I miss this?!), Quantum Wellness, a bunch of teacher stuff
Been listening to: Jack Johnson's new (relatively) stuff