Warm chocolate pastries
all night they rested in the cold oven
frozen rectangles on the verge of freezer burn
lay quietly on parchment paper
over the course of the required nine hours
while I slept
they defrosted, rose and grew
to almost 4 times their frozen size!
In that early morning wakefulness,
I stumble into the kitchen to turn the oven on
memory served me and I wanted to get a head start
The oven light clicked on and they began
the final leg of their journey
into fullness, their greatest potential
becoming a reality in my toasty oven
the white pastry dough
became golden like the rising sun
and their baked delight
swam into the air and nestled
into every nook and corner of our walls
If I closed my eyes tight enough,
I could imagine being in my very own bakery
The timer dinged and the baked chocolatey,
ooey-gooey goodness rested on the stove
until it was safe enough to handle
and then they were promptly devoured
by my daughter as she read her fiction book,
crunching the flaky crust
The smell lingered on
long after the chocolate croissants
were devoured and gone
Tag: journey
The future blooms
The impossible dreams
of yesterday
have a way of unfolding
with song
and a bird’s wing
the future blossoms
still unseen
It did not deter or quiver.
In jubilant chorus,
They chatter above the orchard
willing unseen blossom
turn to fruit
Transforming what was barren and bare
Into green lush unfolding.
Patience is what I heard that day
Patience and the impossible will unfurl
and unfold like a new blossom bursts
and reaches towards the sun
Just one leg in its glorious journey
becoming and unbecoming.
In jubilance, I hear them sing
Rest big or small
a cozy space
to breathe
a lavender-scented mask
luxuries but not necessary
I am grateful for this space
this cozy place to rest
I am the author of my story
The captain of my ship
I steer toward calm waters
I hold steady during the storms
They come and go
as is life’s journey
rest is my anchor
rest is my healer
So long ago I read the quote,
"I am my own healer"
Little did I know it would be
many years – decades –
before that intention became my reality
I choose rest
Today it is my birthright
to heal and feel
I am one with the earth
The Golden Star
Six planets align in the night sky
Their rotation and route mapped out
by my ancestors
Math never lies
There is predictable safety in their patterns
We try to guess which one is the brightest
Is it Jupiter?
Is that Saturn’s rings – Yes!
The golden star above my house
and the dark silhouette of trees
Can Saturn see the earth?
Is it a blue star in their sky?
The trajectory of me, a mere earthling
looking up and seeing a song of the ancients.
They say a star’s light took billions of light years
just to twinkle in my eye
What an impossible journey
but here it is Painting and lighting up the dark sky
so many stars
at least 12 – 15 by my counting.
It is cold, the dead of winter
– not in the cosmos –
the sleep of winter is just my experience
what seemed a billion lifetimes ago
is not so far from what I can see
counting and marveling at the light
in the quiet of the night.
There is magical possibility
in the incredulous impossibility
What was once expressed as a ball of
gas and light has not been long forgotten
It shines above me now
It has a story to share
to those who look upon it
My ear is open to hear your tale
My heart is open to believe
I see you now
A hand holding mine
We keep each other warm through this night.
The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on
How do I get back into flow? Is there a kink in the system? Like a hose with a knot The full force is slowed. Not completely stopped, But there is a definite blockage, A detour. And my resourcefulness gets turned on. It lays dormant when life feels easy, Downstream, and at one with the current. Less debris Less diverged channels. Life has its interruptions. Where the flow is now a trickle Does that mean my journey is at its end? Am I fixated on the muddy tracks of water, The stagnant spots? If I look closer, as the sediment has settled, Things can be clear when I focus. Sometimes rest, not resourcefulness, Is in order. To lie in the earth To watch the clouds To catch my breath To feel rested and recharged, then I’m ready To begin the journey again.
Becoming a Kundalini yoga teacher
After 15 plus years of wanting to take yoga teacher training, including Kundalini yoga, I have stopped saying “no” to myself. I always thought time and money were a deterrent: I couldn’t go away for a month-long teacher training with a full-time job and small kids. I couldn’t travel an hour plus several weekends a month for a whole year to train. For the last couple of years, I’ve received invitations and advertisements to become a yoga teacher online. Still, the timing, the money, and the online course didn’t feel like the right fit. And, finally I found the right teacher and the right online course. Today is one of those days when you know that your life is about to be forever changed. I am enrolled in a 200-hour YTT online, six-month kundalini training! My main intention as a kundalini yoga teacher is to be an inspiration to others. By being my authentic self, living my life on my own terms, l hope to inspire others on their path. My past kundalini yoga experiences have always made me feel better, even among the challenges. And I want to guide my students to have their own profound healing experiences. All the pieces of my life have clicked into place so I can fully immerse, embrace, embody and experience this training. Best of all, I have the support of my husband. He said when I better myself, the whole family benefits. I’m ready to embark on this life-changing journey!
“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way” Thich Nhat Hanh
If happiness had a clear, unambiguous course of travel, Would you follow it to the T? Would you not get distracted by what lies before you On the path as you travel to get there? Would you go by car? Perhaps that pace is too fast And one sideways glance away, you might miss The next mark on the road. I’d choose to go by foot. I imagine that happiness is like A hiking trail with blue square postmarks. Some are new and bright blue. They are easy to decipher. Along the more difficult terrain, The marks may be dull and faded. Can we trust that we are being led to happiness? What means happiness to me May not be happiness to you. So we must have a clear definition of what is happiness Before we embark on this journey. Or perhaps it is the course of travel itself That illuminates the path to joy. Is happiness the end point?
They say
Who understands me but me when I say this is beautiful. When the path looks crooked and torn with rocks, stumps, roots and uneven ground. I take the first step. They say I should be afraid and not wander out too far, not go out of my comfort zone: the safety net that has become a leash tethering me to this spot training me to be okay with this small plot. They say I am reckless, foolish and asking for trouble. I lace on my sneakers and head out the door. The sunlight streams through the tree branches A lighted beam pointed toward freedom: Freedom from thinking small Lighting the path to discovering my own voice and inner strength. They say the path is dangerous. Its twists and turns unknown to an untrained eye. I do not need a compass in my pocket to show me the way. I have always known this journey. I may return to it again and again Reminding myself of my true worth. My true north is an innate part of me. It cannot be scared, beaten or numbed away. I will always resurface and be a companion and a guide to my own suffering and fears of being lost, Filled with doubt or shame, Guilty for taking the first step. I am in my corner. They say it is for my own good. It is uncomfortable to go against the grain. I show up again and again Not only to prove them wrong But to show up for me. I am on my own side and free to be me.
Healing Insights 