Born with Bright Flames

Time for a cyber object lesson and a special thanks to my high school teacher Mrs. Landis who taught me how powerful these can be ... and that blonds can kill it on the debate team ;)

OBJECT: Fire

Fire needs oxygen to burn and stay "alive." The more oxygen it's openly exposed to and fanned with, the bigger and stronger it burns. Even a small candle with a small flame needs oxygen to stay lit. Once you cover the candle, taking away its oxygen source, you steal away its ability to burn, to flicker, to light what is dark.


People are like small candles each born with a flame. Upon entering this world, we have all the oxygen we need to breath deep and shine bright. As so many of us grow older, our once endless oxygen source begins to diminish slowly. The rigid, restrictive rules created by our society to impose conformity, block the free flowing fuel to our flames, our lights, our souls. Eventually, many of our flames sputter out completely, their oxygen source cut off indefinitely by too many constraints on how we should live our lives.


When the flame goes out, our destined path becomes dark and much harder to navigate. Tonight, I felt like my flame, my soul, my very essence was being covered by a large, looming rectangle of glass. While there was still a small flicker of fire, I fled, ducking out from beneath the translucent walls, about to close in around me and become, in fact opaque. I think I'd better fan my flame before I become an unlit candle that shines no light.


This is my new favorite book: Live What You Love by Bob and Melinda Blanchard, authors of A Trip to the Beach and Changing Your Course. Also, owners of Blanchards Restaurant in Anguilla and lovers of a juicy life.

This is their blog and a fabulous post that pairs well with mine above:

"Your Life Doesn’t Have to Fit Neatly Between the Lines. Color It Any Way You Want!"


Enjoy, keep your flame burning brightly and fan the flame of others often.

With Gratitude for Moments of Clarity in Chaos
~L~

Blind Sided by Life ... So Lovely

I currently find myself in a place in the world that provoked my Mom to send me the quote below. After taking a moment to internalize it, I had to share ...

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that what is deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - e.e. Cummings

Somehow, Thanksgiving passed without a Thankful post here on Karmalized Life, but that doesn't mean I am not INCREDIBLY thankful, grateful, whatever you want to call it, for the gifts that have been magically, yes, magically presented to me during the past few months. They did not all appear to be gifts at first, some seemed more like soul-tearing wounds sprinkled with salt. But those same things that made me cry and cringe earlier this year, have ultimately reminded me of a greater strength that lives within and often emerges only during times of tragedy or great sadness. The sudden, difficult changes in my life long plans and the severe heartbreak I experienced this past summer brought me to where I am today. For the first time in a long while, I feel I am standing on the edge of a grand cliff, able to look to the horizon and see why my journey led me here, to this space, very different from what I could have imagined 6 months ago. This is a song I wrote in college when something happened in my life that didn't make any sense and forced me to live outside my comfort cube but was all the more wonderful because of its spontaneity. Sometimes my friends, you get blind sided by life and it's a lovely thing.

LiFe’S InViSiBlE
You may have your eyes wide open
You may have your journey planned
You know just where you’re going to
You know just where you’ll land

But you can’t see life coming
In every color, every form,
It’s like the wind at lightning’s speed
The hour before the storm

Ships navigate rough waters
When they’re sailing on the sea
But obstacles divert their course
And lost they’ll always be

So don’t plan on planning out your life
Just choose one road to take
And from that point make twists and turns
And welcome your mistakes

‘Cause you can’t see life coming
In every color, every form,
It’s like the wind at lightning’s speed
The hour before the storm

Endlessly you wonder
What does the future hold?
A lifetime of good fortune
Or dreams lost, love gone cold

But don’t stare into the future
And please don’t dwell upon your past
Cause life is happening right now
but it won’t always last

‘Cause you can’t see life coming
In every color, every form,
It’s like the wind at lightning’s speed
The hour before the storm

Written by Miss Lindsay Lorraine Jones

Sometimes ...

Sometimes, you experience moments that make you re-think everything you've ever been told. In these moments, you realize this life is just a play, and yes, we are all merely actors. So play whatever part you want ... become the star of your own life and remember we all began as slobbering babies in diapers. You really can do what you want to do in this life ... Hollywood is only one example of a perfect illusion.

100 Things You've Never Seen

Each day is a gift ... right? We're supposed to relish each moment above ground and feel grateful just to be alive, kickin' and lickin' a chocolate dipped, soft serve cone from McDonald's ... correct? Well, I'd bet that delicious ice cream cone that I'm not the only one who finds days flying by, blurring together, and disappearing without every being truly "un-wrapped."

As a newbie in the corporate world, I'm finding it especially difficult to juice unique and memorable experiences out of my Monday-Fridays. Peering out at the world from a cube located high off the ground behind large glass windows, I wonder ... how do people who do the same thing, day in, day out, how can they, me, we, still make our days separate, inspiring, and satisfying? It might be a cube that confines you, a relationship, or simply a rut. We are human and seem to thrive on consistency and schedule because it's safe.

But don't we secretly (or publicly) want to bubble over with awe-inspiring enthusiasm for life each morning a la Tony Robbins? We dream of living lives that snap-crackle-pop with the thrill of the unknown (see the beauty of blank). In reality (whatever that means to you) most of us cannot be vagabonds and follow every wild whim ... so what are we to do? Let the daily grind percolate through our souls, squeezing out every drop of la vida loca? No! (I love being dramatic.) I invite you to look. LOOK around you ... then look beyond where your eyes would normally stop. On your way to work, your morning run, at your coffee shop, consciously focus on objects you would never otherwise notice. I tried this for the first time while walking into the office, then on a jog yesterday. It's amazing how much we don't see because we're on auto pilot ... not noticing all the unique nuances that surround us daily.

If this sounds simple, and lame ... just try it for five minutes. Go somewhere you've been hundreds of times and try to see it in a totally different way. Let your eyes flow beyond the stone wall and past the telephone wires ... what's there? Gaze at the frame, not the window, the dirt between the blades of grass ... it's a meditation on how to be present and more connected in our daily lives.

With gratitude for things I've yet to see ~L~

By the way ... love this blog

~The Big Trip~

A little shamless self promotion here ya'll ;) Rate me on You Tube to help me win "The Big Trip!" With gratitiude for your precious time ~L~

How Peaceful Are You?

Have you read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle? If not, it's well worth the time and effort it takes to really understand it. It took me oh ... 4 months to get through, a few pages a day then a digestion period. I highlighted the entire work practically.

Tonight my Mom heard Eckhart Tolle on the radio asking this simple but life changing question: "Are you a peaceful presence in the relationships you have?" My mom said it really stuck a chord with her. She's been married for about 37 years and she was explaining how after a time ... you can begin to forget to keep things as peaceful as they can be. Conflict becomes the norm, not the exception, however minor the conflict may be. My parents get along very well compared to many couples, but still, I could tell she felt there could be more peace if they were both more conscious of being a peaceful presence in the marriage.

At the end of my relationship with Derrek, I was anything but a peaceful presence. I let my own feelings of being unfulfilled bleed through to our relationship and soil it. Now that we're broken up, we actually have a more peaceful relationship. So ask yourself this question and answer it honestly. "Am I a peaceful presence, more often than not, in my relationships?" This means in love, friendship, family, and work. Do you cause unnecessary drama and unrest? If so, why? Let's try to be the most peaceful beings we can be this week in all our relationships. It's Monday ... begin now. Tell me as the week goes by ... how are you being a more peaceful presence and do you notice a change?

With Gratitude for an awakening consciousness ~L~

KARMALIZATION AT ITS BEST!

"CAN YA SPARE SOME WATER MATE?"


"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened."

An e-mail I got last week made me smile from the inside all day long. You know that full body kind of grin when you just have the overall feeling that BIG PARTS of this life are so magical, so kind, so simply good?

Enjoy and share these pictures of overheated Koalas in Australia "asking" humans for a drink of water .... awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww



"AHHHHH ... THIS FEELS NICE."


"JUST A TASTE ... MMMMMMM, YUMMERS."


"I LOVE ME A GOOD COLD PLUNGE!"

~With gratitude for all animals ... us included ~ L

The Beauty of Blank ...

"CASH ARNOLD CARUTHERS, 10WKS YOUNG"

Before I start typing this space is blank. Pure white, untouched, with endless possibilities as to what will transpire on this "page." A blank blog post, a blank canvas, a new born baby ... they all have one phenomenally exhilarating thing in common ... the idea of nothing. No mistakes have been made, no commitments broken, no direction chosen. I love the blank beginning of things ... travels, relationships, jobs, days.

There is so much wonder and excitement when every option is a distinct possibility. About 8 minutes ago, this blog could have been about traveling to Peru to experience an ancient Shaman ceremony or a list of 10 free things you can do to make daily life MUCH BETTER. We enter the world as pure consciousness ... unscathed by any human inflicted thoughts, rules, emotions, or regulations. We don't pop out of the womb wondering why we're naked or where our hair is. We just are for awhile. A very short while until we begin to be written upon, painted on, molded into the egoic "me" we will become.

Now, I've written about this before, but I'll write about it again, and maybe again because it is a question that's ongoing in so many of our lives. As young people, we are still hopeful, ambitious, spirited and some of us REALLY believe we can and will lead the life we imagine. Nothing is certain, we can do everything!!! As we age sooooo many of us get stuck in intense, grinding obligations: Earning money, caring for a family, running errands! Seriously ... how many of us at 18 think, "Well I plan to spend 40% of this life doing mundane things that have no real meaning to me," a.k.a errands. We don't think like that when we're young and still somewhat blank.

When a painter starts a canvas and hates it, they trash it or paint over it and begin again. When a blogger dislikes their post, they delete it. When a writer wants to take the story in a new direction, they do just that. Paintings, blogs and books are easier to change than lives ... yes ... but we can learn so much from how we treat our blogs, canvases, lyrics, scripts. When we don't like what we've made we scrap it. Isn't your life AS IMPORTANT, NO MORE IMPORTANT than any canvas? If you are miserable 5 days a week because of your job, or 365 days a year because of a bad relationship you're in, scrap it!!!!!!!! Why don't we do this? Why are there millions of people roaming the earth like drones, too scared and docile to wake the $@*&^((@@**!? up and say WHAT AM I DOING HERE? WHAT DO I REALLY WANT TO DO? TODAY, RIGHT NOW AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I BAILED ON MY LIFE AS IT IS AND CHANGED? Change ... people hate it, but shocker ... nothing ever changes without change.

So, I am challenging you to GET OUT OF YOUR ROUTINE RUT and do something different today. DO SOMETHING YOU HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU DEFINITELY WOULD DO IN THIS LIFETIME. It can be huge ... like join the peace corps ... or small like buy a pink cruiser bike and ride through town in a violet bikini. Just do something that makes you think, yes, this is MY life! No, I am not stuck without choices and I am REALLY living. This week I drastically changed my eating habits. A 5 day cleanse of fruits, veggies, whole grains, tofu, tea, no sugar, no coffee, NO WINE!!! Day 3 ... I feel more alive, grumpy, but juicy too. Make change a habit ... it'll change your life.

With Gratitude for Change and Blank Blogs

~L~

Feelings About Life, Death & Facebook

Social Media has become a HUGE part of many people's lives. I have a job because of social media. I use Twitter, Facebook, and blogs ALL DAY LONG! Soooo my own little blogs have been feeling neglected for sure! But when does it all become TOO MUCH ... too invasive ... too permeating ... oh I know when ... this morning. That's when FB became like the paparazzi ... annoying, always there, reporting very private details of life.

I signed on to show my mom a few pics and noticed this post on my cousins wall ...

"S is Missing her Grandpa ... R.I.P"

Ummmm .... What %#@*@($*?? My mind quickly calculated the facts ... we have the same Grandpa ... and her other Grandpa had already passed. I looked up at my mom, tears on the brink of spilling down. My Grandpa, my Mom's Dad had passed away on Thursday night and she couldn't bring herself to tell me over the phone. So, instead, I found out on Face Book ... huh? It felt wrong, surreal, and at the same time almost laughable. If my Grandpa, Richard Matthew Lynch, had known I would find out about his death through the internet, on something called Face Book, he would have been beyond confused.

There is nothing wrong with my sweet cousin putting her thoughts about our Gramp on Facebook ... most of our family is on there and now I'm blogging about it! It was just so strange to find out from Face Book, that my funny, golf loving, cane collecting, doughnut eating Gramps had left earth. Grampa never even knew FB existed!!

Things on earth have changed ... no question. And I guess it's better not to label our new experiences as good or bad. They just are ... and they couldn't be anything else at the time. And when we leave this all behind and float into the ether ... none of these earthly details will matter, will they?

With Gratitude for growing up with a Grampy who couldn't have done the whole Grandpa thing any better! I'm having old fashion doughnuts for breakfast Gramp!
~L~

Hot, Tired, & Wired

Just finished baking Caffeine, I mean Coffee cupcakes to take to work tomorrow with the new POMx iced coffee ... delish BTW and no, there's no Pomegranate in the coffee. Just the antioxidant part from the POM, so I guess it's kind of a healthy way to crack out :) I'm exhausted and hot, but wired from tasting a lil' too much frosting. Gotta get it just right ya know?

This weekend I'm heading to Palm Springs to R&R and see the parental units. I'll go with the tangent that just popped into my head and say I've been trying to wake up 15 minutes earlier than I need to so I can sit on the floor, get grounded, and meditate a bit before trudging headlong out into the crazy city I call home. Those days are better days ... I can tell you that. The mornings I rise and give thanks, and be quiet, and focus on one intention for the day (today it was compassion) ... those days are more graceful, calm, inspired, and present.

I begin by chanting OM 3 times to quiet my sleepy head and just breathe deeply for a few minutes. Then I express my gratitude and thoughts out loud to the universe or whoever is listening. And I always give thanks for the taken for granted, vital things that are sadly luxuries for so many in our world today.

I am grateful that never one day in my life have I gone without an abundance of food, clean water, shelter, general health,safety, a home free of war, and love.

What are you grateful for right now? What are you grateful for every single day that you get to experience life?

With the deepest gratitude for seemingly simple things that become extraordinary once you no longer have them. ~L~

I'm REALLY REALLY Rich

I'm really, really, really, really rich. Doesn't sound too Karmalized, but read on. Last week, I was driving along and I realized this. No, I didn't find out about a huge trust fund with my name on it nor did I win the lottery. I had just listened to an incredibly thoughtful voice mail left by a girl I barely know. She was sending me good wishes in my job search. She was sending me light and love to heal my broken heart. She took time out of her busy, busy day, to comfort me, someone she'd just met. By the way, she, Lenka, is proof there are indeed amazing people living in this mad city of angels.

I saved the voice mail and began thinking of all the phenomenal people I'm so blessed to know and be able to spend my days and nights with. In the past month alone, the people that have entered my life have been truly spectacular. Characters, who live life fully and find juiciness in the everyday. For each one of my new friends, I am deeply grateful. For all of my old friends, no amount of cold cash, could ever buy the joy and happiness I've experienced as a result of having you all in my life. And to my family, Mom, Dad, Dan, Kathy and extended, you simply cannot put a price on the unconditional love you give me everyday. It's true, that money cannot buy happiness. The happiness in my life has come from the endless circle of loving, caring, genuine, people who cross my path, for however long. And all the monetary wealth in the world, cannot buy a fairytale family, cannot buy forever friends, cannot buy the precious moments we experience because of the people in our story. Here is one definition of rich:

rich
adj. rich·er, rich·est

1.Having great worth or value.

2.Having an abundant supply.





I have an abundant supply of what's most important in this life. I recognize, not everyone is lucky enough, rich enough, to have an ample amount of dear friends and loving family. Relationships with special people are a heavenly gift, never to be taken for granted. If you know someone who could use a little "heart wealth" share some of yours. Despite this crazy economy ... I am very rich, and this kind of wealth does not rise and fall with Wall Street. This kind of rich, has nothing to do with dollars. This rich is real, but like financial wealth, must be taken care of and attended to. Are you showing those people that matter in your life how much you appreciate them? Your bank account will never love you back my friend. You can't call it at 2am crying or laughing for that matter. Let's remember today what being truly rich really means.

With gratitude for every single person who has touched my heart and every new friend to come ~L~

The Art of Love

I'm pretty sure everyone goes through "anti-love" times in life. Those periods when everywhere you look, there seems to be gleeful, lusty-eyed couples, embracing and basking in the golden glowing light that only L-O-V-E can produce ... and it makes you cringe. All of a sudden, even your favorite hip-hop station seems to be on a LoVe song kick ... JT brought sexy back, then fell in Summer LOVE and Drake's singing about finding "the one." Awesome.

You are not in love and want to forget the whole fairytale concept that's been drilled into us from childhood. You're bitter. A brutal divorce, death of a loved one, terminal illness, a breakup that's left your heart shattered but still beating ... all these things can make us want to JUST SAY NO TO LOVE. I can't say that I've been a huge fan of the emotionally charged four letter word lately, but, I have tried to remember that like all things, love comes and it goes. It changes, grows, shifts, and moves spontaneously through our lives. I'm learning this. I'm learning love can't flourish in controlling situations and love doesn't mean "He'll change for me and I for him." Real love comes naturally, without ultimatums, excuses, and selfishness. I'm learning.
My childhood friend Galen got married to the fabulous Shayla in Tahoe a few weeks ago. When your weddings been called off, going to another wedding is not high on your "to-do" list ... but I love Galen like a brother and could not miss this celebration o' love. After the ceremony, instead of feeling sad and heart-wrecked, I felt inspired and grateful to have witnessed a marriage that happened for all the right reasons. Galen and Shayla have gracefully mastered the art of love. They are two very different people, but I could tell neither one wanted to change the other and that, I now know, is one of the main ingredients in a never ending love story. These two got married for the only reason anyone should: They learned they wanted to live together forever, in friendship, love, and everyday life.

Today, it's more common for people to marry for every wrong reason that exists. See sad but true list below:

#1 - Because it's time. The girl is about to turn 30 or the couple has been together for about 5 years and is living together so ... why the hell not riiiight? WRONG.

#2 - Because they feel they should. This is about pleasing family, pleasing friends, pleasing the status quo in our Western world. Don't get married to please anyone but you and your love.

#3 - Because you're scared to be alone. This reason makes people settle. Settling sucks! Don't, don't do it. Wait for who you REALLY want.

#4 - Because we're SO in love. Wait what? Shouldn't this be the ONLY reason to get married? Nope. Sorry. Marriage is a complex animal. Yes, you must have LOVE for the person, but there has to be some common ideas about life as well. Also, you need to be enlightened enough to grasp what love is and isn't about. You must really LIKE the person, because when the glow wears off, which it will, you want to be left with your best friend who you think is quite attractive. People who are crazy in the throws of Serotonin driven la-la-love, often forget to look down the long road ahead. This mistake can be disastrous. If you want to travel the world and he hates leaving the state, but the sex is amazing and you REALLY love him ... don't do it. If he loves small town life and you're a CITY GIRL, but you love each other, still no. Bummer huh? Ok, now for the Karmalized, uplifting part of this post ;)

The morning after the wedding, my best friend Tif (she was my date) and I decided to stroll around Tahoe City for a while before driving back to Reno. We walked through a little craft fair where I bought this beautiful print of two dolphins ... I'm rarely moved enough to purchase a piece of art, but this picture touched my currently healing heart. It just happened to be called "The Art of Love." This is the caption by Tim Wistrom on the back:"Every day that he paints, Tim adds more paint and more colors to his palette which will soon create a vision from his imagination, directly on canvas. The dolphin on the canvas has already been created and is awaiting his sweetheart, who is on her way. The leap from the palette to the canvas will bring them together forever."

On our walk back to the car, we pass a trash can and I notice this sticker:

Hmmm ... the universe is not always subtle. A love filled wedding, a heartfelt painting, and just in case I was feeling a little dense, a sign on a garbage can reminding me not to "throw love away." Clearly now is not the time to shun love. That time is never.

There Now, That's Better

A little more John Butler before I bounce off to the gym. In the Western world especially, we're taught from a young age to strive to be better, push yourself harder, you're only as good as your last ... but I'm beginning to think that concept's a little (or a lot) flawed. We need to practice being the best person we can be during each moment of life, but constantly trying to be better than ... make more than ... work harder than, has led us to a society of stressed out, uptight, heart attack having humans. Enjoy the moment ... how 'bout that? There now, that's better, isn't it? ;)

John Butler - Better Than - LIVE

Losing You

This is one of my favorite songs of the moment. It puts in perspective the idea of "losing things" in this life time. Some would say I've lost a lot lately, but really there's only one thing I've lost that cannot be regained, replaced, or repurchased. We're all so scared of losing stuff ... our job, our house, our car, our stock options ... but in the end, the only thing we should really care about losing is love. Enjoy now a lil' John Butler. The sweet lyrics are below for your reading pleasure ;)


There are things in this life I,
would rather not sacrifice
You girl I cannot live without
And you know there's no doubt that
All I mind's losing you

And I don't mind losing sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
I'll get plenty rest so when I'm dead but 'till,
'Till then won't you share my bed 'cos,
All I mind's losing you
All I mind's losing you

And I don't mind losing money
There's nothing this life owes me
I've been given more than I can receive
But for, for you there's no receipt so,
All I mind's losing you
All I mind's losing you

And I don't mind growing old
Losing teeth and going bald
Not as handsome as I never was but,
You love me just because
All I mind's losing you
All I mind's losing you

And there are things in this life I,
would rather not sacrifice
You girl I cannot live without
And you know there's no doubt that
All I mind's losing you
All I mind's losing you
All I mind's losing you

More Moments ... More Life

After D and I decided to part ways, my mom came to LA to help me apartment hunt. It wasn't the fun kind of "I'm so excited to be moving into a new place," type of hunt. It was the frantic, crazed home search you experience when you HAVE TO get out of your current living situation ASAP. By day three, we were emotionally exhausted and I found myself, through a deluge of tears, asking the Universe or God, or whoever is controlling this whole shebang, to please, please help me find a little one bedroom I could afford. True story: Not ten minutes later we drove past a really nice building with a 1BD for rent sign posted in front. While I thought it would be way out of my price range, I called. A well aged voice answered the phone and to my surprise, the apartment was just within my budget. We pulled over and asked to view the place right away.

As she opened the front door I could tell her life had been long and not always easy. Her face was painted with the softest, deep set wrinkles, that only time, laughter, and struggle can create. She wore a full face of makeup ... bright rose lipstick, dark rouge and haphazardly curled hair. Inessa was from Russia, we learned in the elevator ride up to the third floor. Her husband and she managed this 48 unit building, but he'd passed and now she did the job alone! We were shocked since she looked to be around 80. The Universe had responded pretty quickly to my plea and Inessa helped speed up the credit check process (though this building is notoriously hard to get into) after she heard about my breakup situation. She was clearly an angel sent to my rescue and declared herself my Russian Mother! I hugged her, eyes watering, lips smiling with relief.

It's now mid July. I move in and make her promise to call me when she needs a ride to the bank or grocery store because she doesn't drive. She tells me she has her "Mercedes" a.k.a. shopping cart that she pushes down the street to Ralph's Grocery! I'm in aw ... this precious lady is old, really old, and not only does she work full time, she walks to the market and back every week in the heat of summer. At first I feel sorry for her, but quickly I realize how happy this work and exercise makes her. "It is my life, you understand?" She asks me in a Russian accent thick like the best Borscht. "Yes," I smile. "I do understand." And all of a sudden I really do. In this life, as we age and ego fades, it's not what we do that makes us fulfilled and content. It's if we do, anything, and how we do it.

Inessa, while being the oldest apartment manager I've had, is by far the very best! The building is immaculately clean and she makes sure fix-it complaints are attended to within 24 hours maximum. It's amazing how hard she works and I can see it is the sole thing that keeps her going. She has a reason to get up and get out into the world. She has a purpose and she is proud. On top of all this, she dropped off homemade cream puffs to me last week! She is my new inspiration.

A few days ago, I drove her to the bank to deposit the rent checks. As she got out she told me to go, she was taking the bus home. I insisted on waiting. She insisted on taking the bus. I'm not one to argue with a Russian Grandmother so I said OK. As I watched her close my car door and walk into the bank, dressed in a pretty blouse and skirt, I experienced yet another MOMENT. Inessa is 80. Her husband died recently. She must work to stay in her home. She is 80. She accepts her life. She smiles, she bakes, she takes care of her tenants, and she inspires me to be "she" one day, if I'm lucky. The little moments in life are so wise. The simple person, so important.

With Gratitude for Inessa and Angels ~L~

This Man's Got it Right

We all have days when we want to give up ... on our job, our family, the world, ourselves. Don't and I won't either, OK?

There Are Moments

There are moments. That my friend, is a fact. Every month, day, hour is made of tiny, individual moments. But, there are moments and there are MOMENTS. Those split seconds in time that you remember forever because they spoke to you on a visceral level. These moments are not grandiose. On the contrary, the moments I speak of are quiet, subtle ... but life changing and soul altering.

A lot has happened in my life recently and I am just now able to write about all that's transpired. Sometimes pixels seem to be a cold way of expressing such intense, raw emotion. On July 1st, my Karmalized fiance and I came to a fork in the road on our journey of love. As much as it pained both of us, we could not keep traveling in the same direction. One of us needed to go left, the other, right. We walked backwards for awhile, watching each other, as the space between us grew. Finally, rounding two separate bends, we lost sight of "us" completely. It was at this heart-shattering juncture that I was forced to look ahead and face my uncertain future, as me, not we.

It's been just over one month and there's a strange, numbing calm surrounding my everyday. This feeling of being an empty, blank canvas creates space for MOMENTS to occur. These MOMENTS gently guide you back from the darkness and towards the light.

Here are a few of my most recent MOMENTS:

1) MOMENT: Seeing one black umbrella lying on the sidewalk, open, on a sunny summer L.A. day.

MEANING: The possibility of death.

FACTS: The umbrella belonged to an old homeless man who lived in that exact spot on the sidewalk in a chair, sheltered by 3 umbrellas. In 2 years, I never saw him move once. One night when it was pouring rain outside, I drove by, shocked he was still there enduring the frigid, wet weather. I wanted to save him, but I didn't know how. I'm ashamed to say I was too scared to approach him with blankets, etc. as I'd never even seen his face, always covered by umbrellas. Sadly, my fear of the unknown,intensely horrible situation won over, but every time I drove by, I looked for him. Last week, I looked for him once again, but only saw the lone black umbrella. I don't know what happened to the man with no home, but in half of one second, I realized how much pain and suffering one human can endure before it becomes too much. The lost black umbrella reminded me that the despair caused by a broken heart may feel life threatening at points, but in reality is simply a scratch.

2) MOMENT: Hearing three loud honks from the horn of a U-Haul moving truck driven by Derrek, my once fiance.

MEANING: Signaling the abrupt ending of a great love story and the beginning of my new book, title unknown.

FACTS: Everything of mine was finally packed up. It felt like we were getting divorced even though we'd never married. I told Derrek to honk when he was outside with the moving truck. When I heard the horn I was standing in the now empty living room and I looked up at the door, paralyzed. Time seemed to stop for a moment, allowing brutal reality to gush over me. We were really breaking up and I was really moving out. The time to leave had just arrived and it was honking at me. I never knew the arrival of a U-Haul truck could convey such profound sadness.

More moments to come in my next post ...

With Gratitude for Guiding Moments
~L~

Have You Seen These Signs?

Sometimes the universe screams at me. It waves me down with "hands" flailing saying "STOP!!!! LOOK! Pay attention to the signs! I need your attention so I can show you why you're here." How many times have you been aimlessly floating around wondering just that ... "Why am I here? What is my purpose? My destiny." There is every chance the universe, God, whatever you believe in is trying to show you why, but you're just too busy, too closed, too unconscious to be still and listen.

An ex-boyfriend of mine was the first person to tell me about these signs. It was my senior year of college. He was a freshmen and I thought, really? What can this kid know about the universe. He knew a lot. Anyway, from time to time, usually when I'm feeling for spiritual and extra karmalized ... I begin to see the signs that guide me to places I'd otherwise never go and I end up experiencing new things and helping people along the way. Lately, the universe is screaming again, (well talking loudly at least), telling me to get out of my head and help the world any way I can.

This song "Say Hey," by Michael Franti and Spearhead came on the radio the other day and I LOVED IT! You know when a song just hits a chord in your heart and it's like you've heard it hundreds of times already? He says it's not a love song for the world, but I beg to differ.



Another sign I need to get off my tush and help others? One of my favorite blogs, the soaring impulse, lead me to find Young Heroes. This is an amazing organization that helps orphans in Swaziland. I did tons of research to make sure it was legit and it definitely checks out. I read this guys blog whenever I'm feeling down or grumpy for some LAME reason and it puts a smile on my face, tears in my eyes, and opens my heart. Try it ... you'll like it. It might change your life. Who knows.

With Gratitude for Signs from Above,
~L~

Quit Staring

I'm a watcher ... I love to look at people and think about the details of their lives. Sometimes they'll catch me staring and I want to say ... "sorry, I was just wondering what your life is like." But that would probably make them feel weird, so instead, I quickly look away. If I had one "anything" wish, I'd like to be able to embody other people, animals, & living things for a few days. It's funny, because I've always thought of myself as kind of self absorbed, and yet I continually find myself being more interested in other peoples activities, than in my own. (Maybe I just need to get a more interesting life? lol) I'm always amazed when I see people in a restaurant who have not looked around once the entire meal. They are so engaged in their conversation that nothing else matters. Is that a gift? Are people who are mainly engrossed in their own lives living more in the moment?

A great listener, I am normally not. If you happen to be dining with me at a loud, busy place, getting my complete attention is difficult ... and I have no clue as to why. Why am I so concerned with what others are up to? Strangers, who I'll most likely never know. So often, I just want to ask the ticket taker at the mall, the waiter, the sales clerk, the dentist, "What would you really like to do with your life? Are you happy? What would you have done differently?" Part of me wants these questions, at that moment, to spark something inside them and change the course of their life. Another part just wants to learn from their experience. (Oh and one part is just nosy.)

So I stare, wondering, then I feel awkward when I'm caught :) Oh well. So ... what's my point here in this little post? I would just like to be able to be more honest with everyone ... shun the social graces and ask ... what's your deal? Are you living the life you imagined for yourself when you were 8 years old? If you are ... can you show me how? Sometimes, not all the time mind you, but sometimes when I ask a random stranger, "How are you?" I wish they'd really tell me.

So Simple, So Grand, So Easy, So SMILE!!!!!

I woke up this morning to a nasty e-mail to which I responded with a somewhat nasty e-mail (wrong I know) which left me feeling well, nasty and less than karmalized. This video from a blog I love, Goodness Graciousness, changed all that and put things back in perspective.

How to Find or Keep Your Soul Mate

WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT A SNUGGLY KARMALIZED POST BUT A PERSONAL RANT AFTER A 14 HOUR DRIVE, ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF MY RELATIONSHIP.


I'm sitting at my parent's house eating Crunchy Salty Trader Joe's peanut butter (my fav) and bananas. I drove about 1,100 miles with my mama over the past 2 days to get back to the land I love ... California. My blogs have been sparse lately ... due to 2 things: A, I've not been feeling very karmalized lately (embarrassing to admit after my last post) and B, in the last month, Derrek and I have made some major changes to our somewhat certain life plan and as a Libra ... I have a HARD time with massive changes that happened pretty much overnight ... tips my scales out of whack ya know? He's a Libra too ... but these changes were his idea making them easier to handle. Some I thought brilliant, others not so much.


I'm also a controlist ... meaning I like to BE-IN-CONTROL and when Derrek began making all these decisions to move, not build, buy a house, sell the land, close his business, I started to feel like a tiny bug who had been swept off my flower by a mini tornado with no clue as to where I'd be set down again. (Not a great analogy, but all I can come up with due to car brains.) I felt the same way when he wanted to move from LA to Colorado a year ago ... I went to be with him, but it wasn't really a joint decision. When I feel out of control, it's like I have permanent PMS and sadly, it's usually Derrek who feels the wrath. We've had a rough 2 weeks ... tons of fighting caused by me mainly ... being overly emotional and bitchy. Not using "my words" to communicate that "I feel like Derrek forgot there are 2 PEOPLE in a relationship," but instead, screaming through a deluge of angry tears. So, what to do? How to patch this cut in our love?


I'm a Tony Robbins fan and some of his best advice I believe was this: When you are looking for a partner, soul mate, etc. ask yourself, "Who do I have to become to attract that person? Who will that person be looking for?" Derrek is very much the type of person I've been looking for in this life ... but recently, I have become someone my ideal partner wouldn't want to be with. So I have to ask again ... to remind myself ... who must I be, not to attract, but to keep my soul mate? Of course, I need to be myself, but what qualities made him fall in love with me? Have I let those disappear during my own, internal struggle with control?


Here's my new list which is a little different from the list I made when I was still searching for my soul mate ... this list has to be custom made for Derrek.

"Who I Need to be to Keep Soul Mate"

(a.k.a. who did he fall in love with and where did she go?)

By Lindsay Lorraine Jones

I must treat him with loving kindness

I must respect him, his ideas, thoughts and quirks

Be nice

Support him

Be flexible

I must compromise

Trust him and believe in his abilities to do anything really wants

LISTEN!!!

I must not be his mother

I must be calm

Be honest and communicate my feelings without yelling

I must take time for myself and understand he will want to do the same

Accept that he is messy and likes to stay up late sometimes

I must appreciate his efforts to change things that really bother me

I must take the rocking chair test more often

I must not let myself be so comfortable that we become friends but not lovers

Be successful in my own right

I must put him first when something really matters to him and often for no reason at all

I must let him be who he is, fully and completely ... if I can't, we're not a match

I must RELAX

Cheer him on

I must be the water, clear, open and capable of flowing over any rocks in the river

Be a thoughtful woman, willing to go the extra mile

I must remember I am far from perfect and have quirks he could live without

Be intelligent

I must be confident

Always treat our love as a precious gift from the universe

I must cherish him, protect him and care for him

Be more selfless

I must live with him side by side, not 3 steps ahead

I must be flirtatious, fit and fashionable

Be affectionate, but not smother him

I must treat him, as wonderfully as he treats me

I must star in my own movie and let him star in his ... so we can co-star in our movie together with a happily ever after ending.

With Gratitude for a place to Rant,

~L~

You Can't Make Lemonade without Lemons

I'll be cliche and begin this blog with a cliche ... "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Great! Easy enough ... but has anyone ever asked "What if there are no lemons?" Try making lemonade without the key ingredient. Not following me? My point is in life, sometimes we need to deal with "lemons" before we can enjoy any sweet "lemonade." Right now, many feel life is handing out lemons like free samples at Costco ... I personally know many people who are having a really rough time because of the current economic state and it is SCARY AS HELL! SUPER SOUR if you will. But, it's during hard times, not blissfully flourishing times, that people revert back to living a more simple life, which does wonders for the soul.

My mom sent me this article that made me realize how hard times force people to examine what really matters in life ... food, shelter, water and family. That's about it. And so those of us who still have those 4 basic necessities ... should be feeling REALLY darn lucky right now. And, those of us who have any more than that, should feel the deepest sense of gratitude, for many have lost at least 1 of those 4 basic necessities. If you have a job right now, you're probably pretty pumped about it, even if you hated that same job 2 years ago.

Notice how when you are feeling grateful, it's hard to feel negative at the same time. So cultivate an attitude of gratefulness for all the small things in your life you normally take for granted when everything is lemonade. Try to be grateful for something in each activity you do today. It will change your state, lift your heart and allow you to help others remember that you can't make lemonade, without the lemons. This is my favorite excerpt from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet ... it pretty much says the same thing ... just a bit more eloquently. Enjoy! :)

With Gratitude for Lemons
~L~

Following a Whim and a Wish

My New Home!!!! Well, close to it ;)

When life magically changes course without any prior notice whatsoever ... it's invigorating, spastic, unsettling, and fabulous! 2 days ago Derrek called me to ask a "hypothetical" question. "What if we moved back to LA while the dome is being built (our new home) in Colorado?" Hypothetical turned into very real when we booked a flight to Los Angeles yesterday to view a house we saw on Craigs List today. We rented it on the spot!!!!!!!!!!! I'm moving back to the city I love and I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
fantastically thrilled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let life take you away sometimes in directions you never thought you would go! It feels really good, trust me.

With Gratitude for Unlikely Wishes Granted

~L~

January ... turned and burned?

Well, January 2009 is now a memory ... already one month turned and burned or lived and cherished, depending on who you are. I've done a little bit of both, with more turning and burning perhaps. Derrek and I just got back from a weekend in Denver, trying to escape the snow and cold in Aspen, but Denver was just as wintry. We managed though, to buy most of the furniture for the luxury dog boutique we're opening here called "D.O.G. by D. Haft." The store will highlight his custom collars and leashes, but we'll carry other fine pooch products as well.

It's about this time of year that I tend to reflect and revisit the "resolutions" I made one month ago with such gusto ... you can read mine for 2009 here. I try to read them a second time to assess how I've been living up to them so far. (It's very helpful to re-read them every month actually.) This year I chose to work on 4 areas of my life and this is how I am doing 1 month into '09 on a scale of 1-10.

1-My relationship with Derrek - treating him as kind as he treats me, nagging less - 4
2-Health/fitness - make the healthiest choices 90% of the time - 6
3-Financial Situation - spend money more consciously - 2
4-Career Goals - use my time more effectively - 5.5

Sooooooooooo ... I'm glad I decided to re-read these ... any time I take another look at my goals, plans, etc. I become "re-motivated." So take 10 minutes RIGHT NOW and think back on January ... have you let your resolution get eaten up by the busy buzzing world we live in? If you didn't make a resolution, how satisfied are you with how you lived your life in January 2009?

One last thing ... Derrek and I are trying out vegetarianism for the next week, beginning today. Wish us luck!

With Gratitude for February (the month D and I met)
~D&L~

I AM NOT GRATEFUL !$#*($&!@?

I went grocery shopping today after 3 weeks of avoiding the store. The local food shops in Aspen are SUPER $$ and the produce lacks serious luster, especially during the winter season ... yet the mushy cucumbers and frozen, yes frozen, avocados are still $3-$4 bucks each. However, there comes a point when cereal and soup are no longer cutting it so off to the store I must go. Wandering through the isles I felt annoyed ... annoyed by all the people crowding the tiny lanes, grossed out by all the "American" processed foods, over-packaged and under the category of "barely real food." (I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma along with Ishmael and both are really making me think about what we eat and consider to be food in our Western diet and how much more food we take-in than we really need to live.) Anywhooooo ... all if a sudden I stopped and thought of something I'd read earlier this morning in a little Gratitude book Derrek gave me. "Think of something you are not grateful for and be grateful for it all day." Sounds strange but it really changes your perception of things.

So ... as I gazed around at all the shelves brimming with food, processed or not, I thought I'm grateful for this plentiful, if not over indulgent display of edible products. I'm happy I have enough money to come into this overpriced store and buy any food at all. I am grateful I have never spent one day hungry in my 27 years here on earth. And I became grateful for all those shoppers surrounding me who also, are not suffering from hunger. I still bought food items with as few ingredients as possible, and tried for the organic stuff ... but my state changed in an instant from annoyance and frustration, to appreciation for what I was being given right then.

With Gratitude for Being Grateful in Ungrateful Circumstances
~L~

Blow Up Your Life TODAY!!

This isn't really the time of year for spring cleaning ... but it is a great time to take inventory of your life, your day to day routine, the clutter in your head. Sit down somewhere quiet, or somewhere bustling, somewhere you can think for 30 minutes. Go through a typical day ... what do you do in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Focus on specific, if mundane tasks and think about how you feel, REALLY FEEL, throughout your days. Opening your eyes in the morning, seeing first light ... how is your energy level? HOW DO YOU FEEL on a regular basis? Forget about an afterlife for now and be present. If this is not a dress rehearsal ... if this is it, then are you starring in the play of your dreams? Or are you just an extra in a dull production someone else wrote? Take stock my friend ... do you need to make some leaps, or just some minor changes?

What do you need to be doing, daily, to be living a life you love to live? I'm 27, still trying to figure out how to love life more everyday.

A New Kind of Resolution

I'm sure you can relate ... every year at this time, making one big, all important resolution for the coming year that gets lost as quickly as the ball drops on New Year's Eve. So this year, I'm trying something different. Instead of making 1 high pressure resolution, I'm giving my life a bit of a make-over, that will hopefully leave me feeling more fulfilled when 2010 rolls into town.

I sat near a fountain this morning, meditating on what I would have changed about my 2008 on all different levels. Health, love, finances, etc. Then I imagined what I would like to see change for the better in all those areas of my life. I focused on these 4 things:

1-My relationship with Derrek
2-Health/fitness
3-Financial Situation
4-Career Goals

For each area, I made up a small goal to work towards ... i.e. be as kind to Derrek as he is to me.
Then I came up with a question to ask myself often, to help me achieve my goals.

1-relationship - Am acting with loving kindness towards Derrek right now? Is this worth getting mad about?

2-health- What is the healthiest choice I can make right now, in this moment? What will I gain by choosing the healthy choice versus the unhealthy choice?

3- money - Is this the most financially sound decision I can make at this time? How many hours of work is this purchase costing me?

4- career- What action can I take today that will have a direct effect on moving my business forward?

I plan to ask myself these simple questions when I am faced with various situations and by doing this, I am hoping to consciously make better decisions, exist in the moment and be living a more loving, healthier, happier life by 2010. In my re-vamped life I will:

ENJOY MORE ... STRESS LESS

LIVE MORE ... WORRY LESS

LOVE MORE ... JUDGE LESS

THINK MORE ... REACT LESS

GIVE MORE ... TAKE LESS

Does Death Ever Knock on the Wrong Door?

LAUREN AND CHASE

Last week I got a call from my best childhood friend, Tiffany. It was late, around midnight, so I instantly thought "what's wrong?" She told me some tragic news about our good friend Lauren. Her brother was in a boating accident and had been missing for over 48 hours. Your whole body freezes when you hear news like that. Chase and some friends had just taken a ride on a lake in Texas to celebrate being done with finals. His friends set up a Facebook site urging people to pray for the missing Chase, only 23 years old, which quickly grew to over 5000 members. Almost a week later, his body was found in the lake.

When death comes like this, so suddenly, stealing the life of a young guy just out having fun, it's very hard to believe it was this soul's "time to go." It becomes harder, at least for me, to believe that "everything happens for a reason," and that God, or the universe, or whoever you believe in, has a master plan. But, as Derrek told me, if this death was just a pure accident, a truly random event, then that would mean there is no order to our universe at all ... something even harder to swallow. When I look at the way nature functions, I can only believe there is order and a grand scheme being played out each day. The human body, an amazing machine that functions without effort ... that too makes me believe in a higher power and that there is a reason for everything.

But then a death like this catapults a huge boulder into the smoothly moving gears of my mind and I question all I believe and wonder ... is every event just a random happening on this big ball flying through space? No. It can't be, right?

Please pray for my friend Lauren and the Bergfeld family and everyone who knew and still loves Chase. Meditate, send out energy, do what works for you and help this family unit heal and understand this time in their lives.

Friends have set up a memorial fund for the family. Donations can be made at any Bank of America location.

Chase Bergfeld Memorial Fund
Bank of America
2900 West Davis St.
Conroe, Tx. 77304
(936) 539-0299

You can also donate at:
http://chasebergfeld.blogspot.com/

With Gratitude for Living Each Day
~L~

DOG SAVES DOG!!!

This is the most amazing, touching video about 2 dogs, who clearly mean a lot to each other. We often forget how emotional animals truly are ... I think they're more emotional than humans a lot of the time. Only 52 seconds of your time and you'll think of doggies in a whole new way!

4 Peculiar Suns Appear

This video is really interesting ... do you think 4 small suns really appeared? I don't know what to make of it ... but I like it ;) So I'm sharing - now go eat a cupcake and think on this unique clip!

Farms Moving Into Sky Scrapers?? Maybe!

Derrek and I begin building our monolithic dome home in April on some land we bought 30 miles from Aspen. We've been looking for innovative, nifty, neato ways to create a green house where we can grow all of our own fruits and veggies year round before 2012 hits ... (just kidding kind of). This is difficult to do in Colorado where it snows all winter ... but this may be our solution! Pretty amazing ... I'm shocked this guys not super-uber famous by now.

OMEGA GARDEN

3 Great Weeks - 3 Great Men - TOTAL INSPIRATION!

No, no ... I did not meet someone else ... Derrek is still my one and only (we're actually more in love than ever) but I did meet 3 amazing men in the past 3 weeks while hosting Plum TV ( my new J.O.B) and I feel each one of their stories deserves some "face time" on my little karmic blog. Aspen Co. and the roaring fork valley seems to lure in good people ... real people, sincere people, people with a PASSION for living life. I've been privileged to meet many awesome souls since I arrived in gorgeous June. This months meetings just iced the already wonderfully karmalized cake I've been enjoying here in Colorado.

My first Plum TV interview was with Chris Klug, an Aspen local who started The Chris Klug Foundation after he received a liver transplant which he waited 9 years to get. Derrek and I hiked the mountain you see on our "somewhat daily pic" at night with about 300 other people to support Chris's cause called Summit for Life. Oh, and after he got the liver transplant, he became an Olympic medalist in Snowboarding! Hmmm ... after chatting with this kid, I was feeling PRETTY lame for ever letting a small obstacle in my life stand in the way of a dream.

The following week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shad Ireland, first dialysis patient to complete an Ironman Triathlon! That's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run!!! WHOAAAAAA MAMA or DADA! His body rejected 2 kidney transplants, so he lives by dialysis everyday week and guess what? He lives his dreams despite his hardships! Makes you take a long hard look at the teensy tiny things we all complain about and let hold us back doesn't it?

I never actually got to meet my third man, but his story still resonated within the walls of my heart. Brad Ludden, world champion kayaker, serious philanthropist, entrepreneur, and oh yeah, Cosmos Most Eligible Bachelor of 2008. This magnificent dude never made it to the Plum TV set ... due to traffic I was told (much to Derrek's relief ... he he.) Nonetheless Brad rocks. He began a free camp, First Descents, for young adults with cancer when he was just 18 years old. He had a killer career going on and yet, he looked outside that huge ego box called "ME" and thought, how can I use my passion to help others? The people attend camps around North America and learn to kayak and do other extreme outdoor sports. Brad's goal is to help them heal on an emotional level and give them confidence as well as the passion to live life fully no matter what! Pretty neat isn't it? Check out Brad's Video.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO LIVE YOUR DREAM AND HELP OTHERS DO THE SAME?

Want to be Happy Everyday? Do this dance!

GET GRATEFUL. NOT A LITTLE GRATEFUL. A LOT GRATEFUL. GET THERE.
DO IT NOW. DO THIS DANCE :)

The Best Habit to Have ...

I've always loved the holidays because people are nicer to each other. You notice it, especially in big cities like LA. Here in Aspen, people are pretty nice all year long, but this cheery season still makes people think more about others. While browsing some other "karmalized" blogs, I saw one woman's explanation of why this time of year is so special. People everywhere are in a heightened state of awareness ... their consciousness is raised up toward their higher self and people are more kind, loving, selfless,and giving. This is the kind of awareness we must embody 365 days each year.

No matter what your current situation is with money, relationships, your career, etc. remember there is always SOMETHING you can do to make someones day a little easier, a bit brighter, and sometimes all it takes is a smile. Give more when you think you cannot give and more will come to you. Search you soul for what you can do to help another soul today, tonight, this holiday season, and this coming year. Thoughtful kindness feels so good ... it becomes a habit and that kind of habit can save our world. Just try it out for a few days ... goodness always feels better than the alternative!

One World, One Family

Last night Derrek and I went to grab dinner in the bar at our favorite hotel In Aspen, The St. Regis. As we sat there by a warm fire eating a delicious ham a gruyere cheese sandwich, we noticed 2 other parties in the bar and grinned ... each was super multi-ethnic. Black, Asian, White, Indian ... I have to say rather unusual for Aspen but wonderful to see! Our world is melding, melting into one family like chocolate melts into cream and makes a decadent ganache! It warmed our souls to see old barriers disappearing on this cold winters night.

With Gratitude for Human Kind
~L&D~

2 "GOOD" THINGS THAT ARE VERY BAD 4 U!

This video is one of the BEST Derrek has sent me because the information is very important but not widely known. It's not fun stuff to hear, but there is a reason many countries in Europe have banned fluoridation in their water! Also, think twice before getting a flu shot this year ... the flu is better than pumping your body with mercury which is in thimerosal, the preservative used for most flu shots! Yikes! You can find thimerosal free flu shots, but it's hard.

49,275 Things We Are Thankful For!!!!!

Derrek and I are thankful for so many things it's hard to count! But there are 4 basic things we are most thankful for ... simple things, crucial things, though we often take them for granted! We are very lucky, very fortunate because every day since we were born we've been blessed with enough food, clean water, shelter, health, and love. It's easy to forget that many people don't have all 5 of these necessary luxuries everyday. We have been blessed with them 365 days a year for 27 and 31 years respectively ... giving us around 49, 275 things to be thankful for!!!!!!

With Gratitude for Great Food and Friends
L&D

Don't judge ... just listen.

This is pretty interesting considering the information is coming from a member in the catholic church. No judgment here ... just take it all in ;)

A TOUR THROUGH OUR REALITY

Derrek sent me this video ... another amazing clip he found at stumbleupon.com. Take a few minutes to watch and walk away with a new view on what IS and what is not REALITY!

Derrek's Creation Story

TIBETAN REINDEER

Recently, my man has taken his hobby of crafting leather and copper to a new level. He is a creative to the core and has a passion for animals, especially D.O.G.'s ! This summer he opened D. Haft, a boutique company that makes custom dog collars. He's worked SO hard and I could not be more proud of my insanely talented man ... so yes, I'm shamelessly promoting him here on our blog.

DOME

However, besides wanting him to succeed, there is another reason for this post. Derrek is happier than he's been in a long time and we both feel it's because he is constantly creating and working on something he's passionate about. When you are painting or writing or even building a website, when your mind is fully engaged, you live in the present moment and it is in the moment that we find bliss.

If you have a special dog in your family this is the perfect Christmas gift for any extraordinary pooch. You can see more of D's work by click here. Feel free to call him if you want to create a unique dog collar of your own!

NOEL

With Gratitude for Creative Spirits

~L~

Post Office Angel ~ Best Story of the Year!

I got this in an e-mail forward from a special friend of mine who I met while doing yoga in Aspen. Someone sent it to her and I am thankful she shared it with me. Pass this story on to anyone you know ... we can all appreciate this type of gift! The letter brought a smile to my face and even Derrek got a little teary eyed as I read it to him. Let's ALL try and be as kind and thoughtful to fellow human beings as a person was to this little girl!

With the deepest gratitude for earthly miracles

~L&D~

THE E-MAIL READ:

"This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' ....in an unfamiliar hand writing. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies'. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank yo ur mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

The White Envelope

Tonight I was in Carl's Pharmacy ... an iconic store in Aspen where you go to buy everything from organic eye cream and cheese whiz to art supplies. I was at the check out counter purchasing 3 of my favorite Alba lip balm (BEST LIP STUFF) when I remembered I needed an envelope. I asked the clerk where I could find them, but they were located upstairs and honestly, I was just feeling too lazy to make the climb and told him so. He turned around, shuffled through some papers and handed me a white envelope. "Do you just need one?" he asked. "Yup, just one. Thanks." Right then, I remembered the Karmalized cash, still in my wallet. I thought about giving him the dollar as thanks for the good karma but then I saw a little plastic bucket for a kids charity. "Perfect! What a great way to begin circulating this karmalized dollar," I thought and dropped it in.

WiTh GrAtItUdE for small acts of kindness
~L~

What We REALLY Are ... No Offense

This little video is definitely worth the 4 minutes it takes to watch it! You'll laugh, you'll be slightly offended, you'll question your purpose as a human here on earth, and you'll think ... how interesting and silly, but true this is! At least that's what I thought. What do you think? Enjoy the show.

Karmalized Cash

I came up with this idea last week after a perfect stranger paid my $10.00 parking fee since I held the elevator door for him. I took the $10 and wrote around the perimeter, "This is $10 is an act of good karma. Pass it on to someone in need or use it for a special good deed." I wrote the same thing on a $5 and $1 bill. I believe the "rate of return" on this small investment will be priceless. 1 bill passes through thousands of hands and is seen by thousands of eyes before it gets put out of circulation. If only 1/3 of the people who get this "Karmalized Cash" actually pass it on for a selfless reason, many lives will be touched and karmalized!

I haven't given my Karmalized Cash away yet ... but there are tons of ways to use it ... give your coffee bar person a $10 tip, leave the bill in a random place and let someone else discover it, or just hand a few Karmalized $1 bills to people on the street and say ... pass it on. The money will help those who need to spend it and hopefully be used for good deeds by those of us who can afford to give it away. An amazing teacher once told me "Give like you have it, and one day you will. Then give even more." Make some Karmalized Cash today and you'll know when it's time to give it away :)

With Gratitude for Selfless Acts

~L&D~