Saturday, June 30, 2012

movie fun adventure

I've seen some fun movies lately. Here are a few you might enjoy.

The Art of Getting By:


Newlyweds:


Our Idiot Brother:

Saturday, June 23, 2012

week adventure

002

I actually got my camera out of my bag this week. That's got to be a good sign! Thought I'd share some of the things that caught my eye...

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

purpose adventure

I watched an Eckhart Tolle video about finding one's life purpose last weekend and it really affected how I experienced this past week. Here's the sequence that has stuck with me:



I laughed with complete recognition when he described how most people drink a glass of water. That's definitely how I've lived so much of my life. But I really am starting to feel the violence of that. The more time (and it's a second by second practice for me) I'm spending being present in each moment and seeing that as my purpose, the more whole I feel. It's pretty powerful! And definitely fits with my Less theme for the year.

Seeing each moment as enough and gathering my energy from where it leaks into the past and future has such a good, healthy feeling to it, when I'm there. It also feels great not to have such a sense of striving and to see life as a friend and not a big self-improvement project that I'm responsible for.

At the same time, it's been helpful to remember one of my favorite lojong slogans through all of this: "Abandon any hope of fruition." It's amazing how I can turn even befriending my life and surrendering to the moment as something to strive for. I would love to learn to relax into all of this instead of constantly pushing for it. But I'm encouraged when I read these types of reminders and know I'm not alone.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

marigold adventure

marigolds

I played hooky this week and went to see a movie that everyone is suddenly talking about: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. And I am in LOVE!!



Although I've never been there, I love many things relating to India, including the music, the food, the colors, and the spirituality. It wouldn't surprise me at all if I end up someday living for a period of time in an ashram there. And like the characters in this movie, it will probably be in my later years.

The cast is amazing: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith. And totally delightful Dev Patel, who reminded me the whole time of my dear brother (I mean that in the best way possible). Plus, it is just a stunningly beautiful movie - perfect for the big screen.

And if you need any more convincing, it has lines like this in it: “We get up in the morning and do our best. Nothing else matters.” Run, don't walk, to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

on adventure

on

After my lovely, lovely lazy weekend, this week was ON full force. But the good news is that it all went well and now I have a day to catch my breath. And next week has the possibility to be a much calmer affair, thank goodness.

Part of what made this week go well, despite the quantity of things that needed to be done, was that for the most part I kept one thing very simple - what was going through my mind. Instead of adding crazy to crazy, I found I was able to tap into a spacious, quiet mental state (once I noticed the usual mental circus performers getting assembled). And it was quite a relief.

I had a great moment recently when this point was really driven home for me. The week before last when I was leaving for work I noticed that I didn't hear the familiar hum of our radon fan. So I called and left a message for the fellow who put it in and when I was looking up his number online noticed some less-than-happy Angie's List reviews, so I jotted down a number for a better-rated company as a back-up plan. Sure enough, I didn't get a call back that day, so the next morning before calling this new company I thought I'd just look at the fan and exhaust tube to see if there were any clues there. And I'm so glad I did, because right next to the fan I saw the switch pictured above. And guess what? Yes, some little creature had knocked the switch to OFF. So I did the logical thing and set it back to ON, listened to the fan start right up, and we've been in business since. So simple. And it reminded me that so much of my life could be that simple and that I have a gift for over-complicating things. Anyway, this image has stuck with me lately and so I've just tried to set the switch to ON and keep going.

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