Laughing Ladybug Yoga

Usually, when people ask me the inevitable birthday question, “So, do you feel different?” I  have to admit that, “No, I really don’t.” But this year is a big exception. Today is my 40th birthday. I have to say I’m excited to be 40. I feel strong, healthy, optimistic, and happy.

Looking back over the landscape of my 30s, I can see now how transitional those years were. Extremely transitional. I quit smoking, got married, lost weight, and started studying myself. A lot of my 30s became about forgiving myself for things I did in my 20s!  These are all good things, but of course, none of them are easy changes to make. They all take an extraordinary amount of love and commitment, and they take loads of support from the people around me.

Starbucks was giving away free pastries today with the purchase of a beverage. The team I work with in the office, mostly made up of Starbucks fans, decided to take a trip to Starbucks as a group outing. Our building is on the southwest end of downtown Fort Worth, so the closest Starbucks is only a short walk away. 

About 9:30, we stepped out into the sunshine, our eyes squinting against the welcome brightness. The strong breeze ruffled our jackets and shirtsleeves, and it was a cool breeze, but paired with the warm sunshine, it made for lovely walking weather. What a perfect moment. 

I got my tall decaf Americano with steamed soy milk and a petite vanilla scone. While I waited for the rest of the team to finish up their ordering, sugaring, and half-and-halfing, I held my coffee under my nose and inhaled the deep, earthy fragrance.  I thought about how much I love working with these people, and how much I love that they’re willing to have a spontaneous field trip in the middle of the morning for free pastries and coffee. Another perfect moment. 

On our way back to the office, the church bells at one of the downtown churches were ringing. Not just ringing, but playing a song. A long song! They were the most beautiful church bells I’ve ever heard! So there I was, walking through a downtown cityscape that I love, in the cool breeziness of early spring, warmed ever so slightly by a sun that’s just bringing its attention back toward our hemisphere, hot coffee in hand, listening to what seemed to me to be spontaneous church bells. ANOTHER perfect moment!

You know, the truth is, every day is full of perfect moments like this. The trick (is it really a trick?) is to be conscious of them.

Last night, I took my sister Meredith to the Miley Cyrus concert for her birthday. It was a HUGE show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. We had a great time, in spite of the two hours we spent in the Problem Resolution line.

This was the first show the AA Center has done with paperless ticketing. There were lots of issues to get worked out and lots of problems to resolve, probably more than the Box Office was prepared for. Scanner equipment wasn’t working right, re-issued paper tickets were showing up on scanners as invalid, etc. Everything sending people back to the Problem Resolution line. We ended up there twice.  The staff was as helpful as they could be and was very apologetic about all the issues. I understood, even after our second 45 minutes in line, that everyone was doing the best job they could.

Many of the people around me were not as understanding. It was embarassing to me how rude and mean some of these people were: yelling at the Box Office staff through the closed blinds to open the windows, calling the Box Office from their cell phone while in line to complain about how long the lines were (and not nicely), and when not actively directing their negativity at the staff, grumbling to each other about how stupid this system is, and that they should let us go in a special door.

What a drain.

I thought I was going to witness an ugly concert mob during my first wait in the line when one lady walked up to the front of the line while we were waiting for the windows to open and announced that she was going to start a new line since there were 4 windows. All the ladies around me started yelling at her! One lady behind me even sidled up to me, I guess because I was being noticeably quiet, and said, “You’re with us, right? We’ll take her.”  Maybe that line-cutter was in the wrong, but was it worth all that? I just shook my head in amazement. I have never experienced adults acting in such a way. Maybe they were just doing the best job they knew how to do, too.

During my second time throug the line, I was behind a group with that same mindset of “they should treat me special because I have to wait,” but the lady behind me was much more easy-going. She kept telling her daughter, “We’re going to be fine.  We’ll be in our seats by 7. And even if we’re not, we’ll just miss a little of the opening band. We’ll be fine. No need to panic.” Some of my faith in humanity had been restored.  There were still people around that could go with the flow.

My sister and I also had some additional issues to creatively solve. She’s diabetic and had to do her insulin shot and eat by a certain time. Fortunately, she had packed a peanut butter sandwich in her purse in case of emergency (a smart diabetic move), so I knew we had that as a back-up plan. We just kept gently modifying our plan as the situation changed. Ultimately, we were in our seats by 6:40, she did her shot and ate her sandwich in her seat by the time the show started, and we had an awesome time being in a Miley State of Mind.

So here’s my hope. My hope is that next time you find yourself in what could be a stressful situation, you stop and think about the ones you might percieve as making it stressful. Are they doing the best job they can? Is it really worth throwing a fit? Maybe it’s the universe giving you the gift of an opportunity to practice patience and kindness. Maybe it’s an opportunity to learn that things really do work out, even when they seem impossible.  I was just glad to be there with my sister. And in the end, this is what it was really all about for me:

Meredith, after the show.

If you’ll remember my post from August 8, I was musing quite heavily on the power of bacon. Some of you had wonderful insight into why bacon is so good. It turns out there’s a scientific basis for the appeal that bacon has to us! http://www.mrbaconpants.com/science-proves-why-bacon-so-popular/

Why is bacon so good?

I was vegetarian for about 4 years, until my body started crying out for chicken. I struggled with this craving for months before finally understanding that if my body was needing it, there must be a reason. I started listening to the wisdom of my body. This was about 5 years ago.

I do eat very mindfully.  Though my diet is no longer 100% plant-based, I do make sure I have at least one vegetarian day during the week and I’ve recently started having one vegan day. My meat consumption is usually lean chicken or fish, and of course, I always thank the animal for the gift of its life. I rarely eat red meat. This kind of mindful eating isn’t rooted in guilt, but in the interest of my physical, mental, and spiritual health, and in ahimsa, or non-harm, having compassion for myself and the creatures and earth around me.  ANYway. . .

Weldon found a great little diner on the west side of town. (Finding great little diners is one of Weldon’s biggest strengths.) They have full breakfasts for $4.99. Their decaf is good and fresh and they serve real half and half, not non-dairy creamer. And their bacon, oh my stars their bacon. . .

They serve the best bacon I’ve ever eaten in my entire life any time anywhere.

Usually I forego breakfast meat and ask for a side of fruit. But this is the kind of diner that doesn’t have a side of fruit. So I figured I would get the standard bacon and give it to Weldon. I took a bite, just to try it before I handed it over to him. And oh me oh my. It’s cut thick, but not too thick. Tender, yet crispy on the edges. Not tough or chewy like some diner bacon can be. And the flavor? Smoky and genuine, the bacon-y goodness coming through loud and clear. No burned taste, no fatty taste. Just honest, real, good bacon. I ate all 3 pieces they had generously loaded onto my plate. (That’s worth 4 Weight Watchers point, for you that keep up with that sort of thing!)

So what it is about bacon that can take a healthful and benevolent yogi and turn her into a shameless carnivore? Maybe it’s my deep southern heritage. Maybe it’s because I live in Texas. Or maybe it’s just because bacon is goooooood.

Weldon’s answer: “Pigs is magical.”

OK. Maybe. Farm pigs do carry the energy of some kind of Zen-like bliss. They’re pretty happy with what they’re given, their lot in life. They’re very accepting. But ham ain’t this good. And neither are pork chops. It’s something about the bacon.  Maybe it has to do with where the cut comes from. American bacon comes primarily from the pork belly. I’m not sure what that would imply. Is it that the part of the animal closest to the earth is the most magical? Or is it something particularly about THIS bacon at THIS diner?

I told the waitress how much I was enjoying the bacon and asked her, “Why is this bacon so good?” A look of panick and perplexity swept across her face and she stammered, “Because. . .  we. . . cook it. . .  well??” Then she qualified her answer with a quick, “Idon’tknow,” and a shrug of her shoulders. And she walked away.

She obviously doesn’t share my angst about this question.

So you tell me, good people of the world: why is bacon so good? Where have you had your dream bacon? Maybe we can answer this together.