My very good friend, which is something I do not say often, Kelly, who is also a yogi and a love guru, intuitive and certified Bach Flower expert, great knitter, talented writer, an amazing singer...., (yes, her depth level can be intimidating) several months ago sent an incredible book. Honoring her sense of importance on the subject and her opinion I set off to read “The Secret Power of Yoga” by Nischala Joy Devi right away. Mind you several months ago yoga was only a dream I could escape to. At the start of the book I began to see this book as THE source for understanding of (my) LIFE so I started to flag all the pages where I found lines that resonated with me, they begin on page 8, hope you like yellow because this book is looking like a little chickie full of little yellow paper feathers, can we say Post-it loves me? and I’m not even finished reading yet. This is the first time I ever do this to a book. Why? How did we both know it would be(come) so important to me?
The point is how did she know? That’s why we are very good friends, we are in sync even though we are thousands of miles away and really only get to see each about every 2 years or so. My days of traveling to Paris yearly have long ended and Kelly doesn’t live there anymore, “if Madonna calls I'm not here” but what fun, amazing incredible memories we share of my adventures among the French. “eh, oui?”
Good friends how can you define them? They really have just appeared and remained in my life, these are the relationships that easily survive the new cell phone number/email address ax, forget about the Facebook “friends” spring cleanings, these few stay around even when they are far, far away because the time we have shared together has been that meaningful. Who else but a very good friend could lived through countless stories from ridiculous to crazy to funny and still only encourage me the whole time to be better, do more and point out all my strong points, first, before sharing their truth feelings about what’s going on. Who needs a yes man? A true friend tells the truth.
How easily we become “friends” with all the mediums we have to connect with people we may be the generation with the most (vicarious) friends. I’m all for the phenomenon that is social media but there has to be some distinctions between friendship levels, right? Am I a friend snob?
I remember the first day of school, first grade, when we had just returned to live in the states and I wore a blue polo dress with the word LO
VE patched on the left side. I was so shell shocked I didn’t speak to anyone for a few days. The transition had been from Brooklyn to Colombia back to Brooklyn in about the course of 2 years. I learned to read but in Spanish so I was put in first grade instead of second. I realize now how different I was then. Years later my friends would all say how special they thought I was because I didn’t seek to be anyone’s friend, I guess that’s a big deal in first grade. I was shy then and it was my self-control to just observe and not speak out of the traumatic changes that was interpreted as powerful. Well I’m not shy anymore and certainly don’t hold back on my tongue now, can it be that I was wiser as a child than I am today?
Still I’m grateful for all the people I know and that want to be friends with me on Facebook or in real life, lol. I say thank you when I see a person who has accepted a friend request usually they find it funny or weird. I set out accepting most friend requests on FB, now, because of the radio shows, I’m slightly more cautious but that was not the idea at first I even said a few times “what’s the harm in having a few more friends on FB?”
The only harm is not knowing who your friends really are in real life...Je'taime Kelly e Mihai!
p.s. Mihai is Kelly's husband and soul mate to say he is just as great as her is not fair to him because he is also as special.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
“Ask and you shall receive…”
It is true. It is written…
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.Philippians 4:6 Be careful [NKJV: anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:19 But [NKJV: And] my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.his sight.1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
I asked for guidance, for MY path to unfold before me because I’m lazy like that (hey if given the chance to ask might as well right?) and also because the daily surprise factor has got me hooked. Hooked into the NOW and a calm I surround myself in, it’s a personal kind of calm, it’s cool and it can hang, like a good enjoyable friend who never lets you down. I’ve achieved Cool Calm in hot and sticky Miami!
I asked for yoga one Friday morning, several quick clicks on the Mac and I was registered for a 200 hour teacher training course which started the next day hhhmmmm, at a studio about .25 miles from my house I had never been to hhhmmmm. When I got there a warm and sincere smiley faced woman greeted me and come to find out the style of yoga the studio practices is exactly the kind I like. Hhhmmm
It’s a 10-week Saturday/Sunday course that frees up my week hhhmmmm when one of my daughters found out I would be taking the course she wanted to join. Not wanting to dish out more big bucks and testing the depth of her true desire to practice yoga. I gave her information on a special program at a different yoga studio. She made the call hhhmmmm turns out MY yoga studio will be working with the SPECIAL program studio later on in the course so lets just in a few months say my daughter and I can possibly be working together through yoga with the same special program studio hhhmmmm hhhmmmm hhhmmmm
Do you see it? You let go and follow a whim, your hearts desire, an idea..mine was to do yoga. The desire to build a disciplined yoga practice is my goal and how better than to learn to teach yoga as you work on your goal and get in shape- is what I thought to myself.
Classes are free you are expected to attend and observe and eventually critique, I can be there every day, 5 minutes from my door….I must be on the right path this is so simple, right? Or is it how it should be how when we carry ourselves on a higher plane and work to bring those around us to a place where their vibration level is raised? I NOW feel free, helpful and as if I have a purpose: to share knowledge and heal.
How do I know? I don’t know. I’m just guessing, playing what can happen from here like games in my head. And then reality hits: day 2. “Oh, yeah right I can do that pose! And teach it? (next year, maybe)…what have I gotten myself into? I wonder and aloud as I watch the “sequence video” my body can’t do that! So as if I would be diverting anyones attention away from my lack of yoga practice my evil former tv producer head comes out (why, why, why?!)
“Ashley we’re making you a new video” and in a tone which was as if I had all the answers and yet can I hold a solid tree stand? Answer: NO. Hello? Yeah I’m in deep but the teacher is great, real (she curses), extremely knowledgeable and caring- I can see why her class is full on a Sunday morning and how you get that kind of body
…you work at it, everyday, step by step, asana by asana…. Namaste.
*May the by product of this course be an awaking of the hot chick with the flat belly and tight hamstrings who lives inside, that she may not be too obnoxious in her flaunting off all the of hours of sweat put in and if she is; even better!..oh boy if you didn’t like me then, wait till you see me… 10-weeks from now...lol!
** May the by product of this course truly be an awaking of a steady self-disciplined yoga practice.
I asked for guidance, for MY path to unfold before me because I’m lazy like that (hey if given the chance to ask might as well right?) and also because the daily surprise factor has got me hooked. Hooked into the NOW and a calm I surround myself in, it’s a personal kind of calm, it’s cool and it can hang, like a good enjoyable friend who never lets you down. I’ve achieved Cool Calm in hot and sticky Miami!
I asked for yoga one Friday morning, several quick clicks on the Mac and I was registered for a 200 hour teacher training course which started the next day hhhmmmm, at a studio about .25 miles from my house I had never been to hhhmmmm. When I got there a warm and sincere smiley faced woman greeted me and come to find out the style of yoga the studio practices is exactly the kind I like. Hhhmmm
It’s a 10-week Saturday/Sunday course that frees up my week hhhmmmm when one of my daughters found out I would be taking the course she wanted to join. Not wanting to dish out more big bucks and testing the depth of her true desire to practice yoga. I gave her information on a special program at a different yoga studio. She made the call hhhmmmm turns out MY yoga studio will be working with the SPECIAL program studio later on in the course so lets just in a few months say my daughter and I can possibly be working together through yoga with the same special program studio hhhmmmm hhhmmmm hhhmmmm
Do you see it? You let go and follow a whim, your hearts desire, an idea..mine was to do yoga. The desire to build a disciplined yoga practice is my goal and how better than to learn to teach yoga as you work on your goal and get in shape- is what I thought to myself.
Classes are free you are expected to attend and observe and eventually critique, I can be there every day, 5 minutes from my door….I must be on the right path this is so simple, right? Or is it how it should be how when we carry ourselves on a higher plane and work to bring those around us to a place where their vibration level is raised? I NOW feel free, helpful and as if I have a purpose: to share knowledge and heal.
How do I know? I don’t know. I’m just guessing, playing what can happen from here like games in my head. And then reality hits: day 2. “Oh, yeah right I can do that pose! And teach it? (next year, maybe)…what have I gotten myself into? I wonder and aloud as I watch the “sequence video” my body can’t do that! So as if I would be diverting anyones attention away from my lack of yoga practice my evil former tv producer head comes out (why, why, why?!)
“Ashley we’re making you a new video” and in a tone which was as if I had all the answers and yet can I hold a solid tree stand? Answer: NO. Hello? Yeah I’m in deep but the teacher is great, real (she curses), extremely knowledgeable and caring- I can see why her class is full on a Sunday morning and how you get that kind of body
…you work at it, everyday, step by step, asana by asana…. Namaste.
*May the by product of this course be an awaking of the hot chick with the flat belly and tight hamstrings who lives inside, that she may not be too obnoxious in her flaunting off all the of hours of sweat put in and if she is; even better!..oh boy if you didn’t like me then, wait till you see me… 10-weeks from now...lol!
** May the by product of this course truly be an awaking of a steady self-disciplined yoga practice.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hello. Remember me? How’s it going?
HHHhhmmm.. Yes, for me as well, life has just been amazing lately….
It has not been because of a lack of subject mater to share in this space that I haven’t written a blog to share but more because I have been working on living the NOW (it can be a difficult thing to do) and not always through the eye of my cell phone, camera, webcam, that I have purposely not written about the amazing happenings of life. Is it Selfishness? A case of bad writer’s etiquette? Amateurish or what? Can we just call it a, “Writer’s Silent Moment?”
Let’s fast-forward to this moment, on The Monicles #43: truth is that a cycle needed to be closed and it was, a wound need to be healed and it was.
There was a life(time) that was brought back to memory because I AM and it was. A release was set free as it need to be and it was, love is/was abundantly shared and felt and it is, tears were shed in all flavors of joy, sadness, laughter and they cleansed and so it was when I went to a family reunion in the tiny town of Santa Rosa de Cabel, Risaralda, Colombia, South America.
“Oh, no! Not a family reunion to “celebrate” the 10-year anniversary of my mother’s passing?!
“Why not?... It’ll be “fun”…. Everyone is asking about you…”
“No way, I’m not going -it’d be like ripping my heart out, throwing it on the ground, stepping on, kicking it and then why not just stab it a few times and then jump up and down on it- painful?”
But I went it was meant to happen.
TYLER PERRY, THE MALE OPRAH: I BELIEVE IN YOU, MAN! FAMILIES CAN LAUGH AT EACH OTHER LOVE AND COME TOGETHER IN THE END
It was simply an amazing journey, on so many levels. I AM so grateful for having gone. I AM so glad I had the courage to test my level of tolerance to the situation. I thought that seeing my aunts and cousins faces, being in my mother’s town would make me very sad but instead to see their faces was a chance to see different glimpses of my mom in their gestures and appearance and they saw her in me, (!) I really wasn’t prepared for that view…but wow.
I went following the wisdom/advice of my dearest friend Kelly, who said to me,
“Go. Love and be loved”
And so I did and also… somersaulted down a hill, twice, a dip in the “not so clean” river, walked barefoot through the countryside breathing in the cool mountain air, met and worked with a Shaman, learned about the Mayans symbols, stuck out like the Gringa that I AM and loved every moment of it, even when the overwhelming emotions of the reason we had come together knocked me down, I was grateful to be within the love of family, familiar ground and my roots meant to heal and be healed and to say the things we should never leave unsaid: you are loved, forgive me, I love you.
It has not been because of a lack of subject mater to share in this space that I haven’t written a blog to share but more because I have been working on living the NOW (it can be a difficult thing to do) and not always through the eye of my cell phone, camera, webcam, that I have purposely not written about the amazing happenings of life. Is it Selfishness? A case of bad writer’s etiquette? Amateurish or what? Can we just call it a, “Writer’s Silent Moment?”
Let’s fast-forward to this moment, on The Monicles #43: truth is that a cycle needed to be closed and it was, a wound need to be healed and it was.
There was a life(time) that was brought back to memory because I AM and it was. A release was set free as it need to be and it was, love is/was abundantly shared and felt and it is, tears were shed in all flavors of joy, sadness, laughter and they cleansed and so it was when I went to a family reunion in the tiny town of Santa Rosa de Cabel, Risaralda, Colombia, South America.
“Oh, no! Not a family reunion to “celebrate” the 10-year anniversary of my mother’s passing?!
“Why not?... It’ll be “fun”…. Everyone is asking about you…”
“No way, I’m not going -it’d be like ripping my heart out, throwing it on the ground, stepping on, kicking it and then why not just stab it a few times and then jump up and down on it- painful?”
But I went it was meant to happen.
TYLER PERRY, THE MALE OPRAH: I BELIEVE IN YOU, MAN! FAMILIES CAN LAUGH AT EACH OTHER LOVE AND COME TOGETHER IN THE END
It was simply an amazing journey, on so many levels. I AM so grateful for having gone. I AM so glad I had the courage to test my level of tolerance to the situation. I thought that seeing my aunts and cousins faces, being in my mother’s town would make me very sad but instead to see their faces was a chance to see different glimpses of my mom in their gestures and appearance and they saw her in me, (!) I really wasn’t prepared for that view…but wow.
I went following the wisdom/advice of my dearest friend Kelly, who said to me,
“Go. Love and be loved”
And so I did and also… somersaulted down a hill, twice, a dip in the “not so clean” river, walked barefoot through the countryside breathing in the cool mountain air, met and worked with a Shaman, learned about the Mayans symbols, stuck out like the Gringa that I AM and loved every moment of it, even when the overwhelming emotions of the reason we had come together knocked me down, I was grateful to be within the love of family, familiar ground and my roots meant to heal and be healed and to say the things we should never leave unsaid: you are loved, forgive me, I love you.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Account Executive? Okay, just to see the genes being passed on
Yes, so sorry to break your bubble but at one point or another in your life time as a parent you will repeat certain words, phrases or programming you grew up with and probably secretly swore you would never say to your own kids if you ever have any, but then you do and you say it.
My only brother and his kids recently visited after a few years of not seeing each other. It was great to have them and see the kids; how they have grown but what more is to see your family characteristics whether personality traits or physical features and the more dominate genes are inescapable. From my perspective, I can now see how we all fit together in some complimentary way collectively as a group, united by my parents’ children i.e. 2 older sisters, 1 older brother, I AM the youngest by 10, 9 and 6 years difference, can we say…. “Oops?” it’s all okay and meant to be, we are family.
his kids
To see the obnoxiousness my brother calls humor passed on to his kids is very cute, same joke, 93485908r90 years later, we still laugh because its still that bad of a joke or that my brother ALWAYS SAYS IT….and that becomes the joke and a million years it’s still funny? Family things. I’m sure they see their cousins the same way, “Tina Moni, do you know that Bri looks a lot like you?” I remember when my other set of niece and nephew and my kids would end up playing hide and seek for hours, hours-hours every time they would see each other, they probably would still play today, the big kids that they are, if you gave them the chance.
When I was growing up 6 people in a 3-bedroom apartment and as the youngest, I would say space or privacy was the privileged you flatly were denied not only due to space but my authoritarian parents – try to say that to your kids these days. I would escape to the bathroom to read but even that precious alone time was limited since we only had one bathroom.
Six years ago my brother started his own business. He took my fathers salsa aji recipe and started on his quest to manufacture it. Salsa aji (ah-hee) is the typical staple to accompany meats and empanadas and most meals in the coffee region of Colombia, South America where both my parents are from. Fast forward to now after serious hard work and dedication my brother's production and distribution has grown so much (thank God) that you’re now looking at the only, un-official, Sales Account Executive/Marketing Manager for EMY”S Salsa Aji dot com.
I prefer not having a title, or a business card I just see my brother’s need for help period and my place to lend him a hand. His real help are his shadows, his kids, who at 10 and 12 can spit out pallet calculations and store minimums like seasoned used car salesmen. I was so impressed what a role model for them and inspiration to go out and create their own businesses and live what it has taken all these years, that’s priceless education on many levels.
So, I’ve sold houses before why not salsa? Plus, it’s not available in Miami where the diverse large Latin culture living here would definitely embrace it, sounds like a no-brainer, right? Time to hit all the gourmet stupidmarkets (as they are known in my house) but stupid no longer because they will all want to share a taste of my colorful heritage on their shelves…may it be with the blessing of the Supreme Being salsa aji sales seeds get planted and flourish in Florida as well. Amen.
Salsa aji, anyone?
My only brother and his kids recently visited after a few years of not seeing each other. It was great to have them and see the kids; how they have grown but what more is to see your family characteristics whether personality traits or physical features and the more dominate genes are inescapable. From my perspective, I can now see how we all fit together in some complimentary way collectively as a group, united by my parents’ children i.e. 2 older sisters, 1 older brother, I AM the youngest by 10, 9 and 6 years difference, can we say…. “Oops?” it’s all okay and meant to be, we are family.
his kids
To see the obnoxiousness my brother calls humor passed on to his kids is very cute, same joke, 93485908r90 years later, we still laugh because its still that bad of a joke or that my brother ALWAYS SAYS IT….and that becomes the joke and a million years it’s still funny? Family things. I’m sure they see their cousins the same way, “Tina Moni, do you know that Bri looks a lot like you?” I remember when my other set of niece and nephew and my kids would end up playing hide and seek for hours, hours-hours every time they would see each other, they probably would still play today, the big kids that they are, if you gave them the chance.
When I was growing up 6 people in a 3-bedroom apartment and as the youngest, I would say space or privacy was the privileged you flatly were denied not only due to space but my authoritarian parents – try to say that to your kids these days. I would escape to the bathroom to read but even that precious alone time was limited since we only had one bathroom.
Six years ago my brother started his own business. He took my fathers salsa aji recipe and started on his quest to manufacture it. Salsa aji (ah-hee) is the typical staple to accompany meats and empanadas and most meals in the coffee region of Colombia, South America where both my parents are from. Fast forward to now after serious hard work and dedication my brother's production and distribution has grown so much (thank God) that you’re now looking at the only, un-official, Sales Account Executive/Marketing Manager for EMY”S Salsa Aji dot com.
I prefer not having a title, or a business card I just see my brother’s need for help period and my place to lend him a hand. His real help are his shadows, his kids, who at 10 and 12 can spit out pallet calculations and store minimums like seasoned used car salesmen. I was so impressed what a role model for them and inspiration to go out and create their own businesses and live what it has taken all these years, that’s priceless education on many levels.
So, I’ve sold houses before why not salsa? Plus, it’s not available in Miami where the diverse large Latin culture living here would definitely embrace it, sounds like a no-brainer, right? Time to hit all the gourmet stupidmarkets (as they are known in my house) but stupid no longer because they will all want to share a taste of my colorful heritage on their shelves…may it be with the blessing of the Supreme Being salsa aji sales seeds get planted and flourish in Florida as well. Amen.
Salsa aji, anyone?
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