It was a long winter......there were nights where the geo-thermal system needed help to keep up. There were creaks and whines from the old trucks when they had to go to town, & there were gloomy days with no sunshine at all.
There were also fires in the fireplace and a teapot.....wool socks and soups shared with neighbors. Facebook kept us updated and entertained.
Spring comes again, and the change of seasons brings me joy. I am amazed and grateful to witness the forest slowly waking up, and eagerly await the hummingbirds. The fishing is all top water. The angle of the sunrise once again lights my reading chair.
I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Happy spring from NW Arkansas!
Friday, March 22, 2019
Friday, April 6, 2018
The Audition
The Audition/April 2018
Three hopeful yoga teachers showed up to audition for a spot teaching in a local studio.
I was one of them. I first prepared an hour-long class, then learned three hours prior that each applicant had 15 minutes. Okay: slash! cut! skinny down! Reduce that hour to a concise, fast-moving, and well constructed 15 minute class! Practice it.....practice it again!
First up were two women who specialize in teaching pranayama and meditation. They presented an introduction to their program, and then left the studio.
The three prospective hatha/asana teachers set up, and a group of current teachers played the role of students. We were selected to go first, second and third at random.
The first applicant was as shiny as a new-minted penny! Although nervous, and laughing at her miscues, she did not let the pressure overwhelm her. She was so fun and playful, very free-spirited. Once her music came on, she visibly relaxed and brightened. She's going to be a good teacher once she has some experience.
The second applicant adheres to a strict and fairly rigid set of postures from a specific program most of us have heard of. Quickly-paced, flowing power vinyasa, followed, and she went a bit over time allowed. This teacher is obviously confident in her program of choice, and was firmly but knowledgeably hands-on. Great speaking voice and sequencing. Would have no trouble at all teaching power yoga.
My 15 minute segment was too similar to the second segment, so I elected to have the last 15 minutes be the deeper stretches and longer holds typical of the last part of an hour-long class. I chose to abandon my "lesson plan" for what seemed to be an appropriate end to the session, which had both advantages and disadvantages --as I was winging the middle 5 minutes!
It continues to be my experience that the yoga teaching community is supportive and encouraging. The beauty of the practice is the variety of sizes/shapes/types/personalities/backgrounds and approaches there really are.
Namaste!
Three hopeful yoga teachers showed up to audition for a spot teaching in a local studio.
I was one of them. I first prepared an hour-long class, then learned three hours prior that each applicant had 15 minutes. Okay: slash! cut! skinny down! Reduce that hour to a concise, fast-moving, and well constructed 15 minute class! Practice it.....practice it again!
First up were two women who specialize in teaching pranayama and meditation. They presented an introduction to their program, and then left the studio.
The three prospective hatha/asana teachers set up, and a group of current teachers played the role of students. We were selected to go first, second and third at random.
The first applicant was as shiny as a new-minted penny! Although nervous, and laughing at her miscues, she did not let the pressure overwhelm her. She was so fun and playful, very free-spirited. Once her music came on, she visibly relaxed and brightened. She's going to be a good teacher once she has some experience.
The second applicant adheres to a strict and fairly rigid set of postures from a specific program most of us have heard of. Quickly-paced, flowing power vinyasa, followed, and she went a bit over time allowed. This teacher is obviously confident in her program of choice, and was firmly but knowledgeably hands-on. Great speaking voice and sequencing. Would have no trouble at all teaching power yoga.
My 15 minute segment was too similar to the second segment, so I elected to have the last 15 minutes be the deeper stretches and longer holds typical of the last part of an hour-long class. I chose to abandon my "lesson plan" for what seemed to be an appropriate end to the session, which had both advantages and disadvantages --as I was winging the middle 5 minutes!
It continues to be my experience that the yoga teaching community is supportive and encouraging. The beauty of the practice is the variety of sizes/shapes/types/personalities/backgrounds and approaches there really are.
Namaste!
Thursday, August 24, 2017
A dog.
I was mowing below the deck with a push mower, push up, pull back, forward and return, back and forth, roar of the motor, the smell of the grass bleeding, looked up.
"DOG"! "DOG"! screamed my brain ....is it mean? Is it lost?
I said "go home!" loudly.
Nope.
Dog. Black, stocky with those light brown eyebrows and that soulful expression of a friendly animal, it turned out to be a "she". No collar. Well fed. Follows me...even as I continued to mow, shows no fear of the gasoline powered beast.
Grabs a flimsy stick....and NUDGES me! Smile.
So I grab a BETTER and STURDIER stick, and throw it. She fetches.
Then I remember I have a tennis ball handy! I throw IT...we have a winner! We play, I throw a dozen times or more, she retrieves the ball every time. She's fast, accurate and seemingly tireless.
I don't even like dogs, but I'm enjoying this. She has bad breath. She slimes the ball, yuck. I walk to the fountain, "water"? I ask? "You sure are playing hard"!
Nope.
We play.
Finally I am done with the throwing and return the push mower to the garage
and hop on the riding mower. She follows. Looks at me. I drive up the driveway to mow there before it gets dark.
The tennis ball lays by the garage door.
She's gone.
Dog.
"DOG"! "DOG"! screamed my brain ....is it mean? Is it lost?
I said "go home!" loudly.
Nope.
Dog. Black, stocky with those light brown eyebrows and that soulful expression of a friendly animal, it turned out to be a "she". No collar. Well fed. Follows me...even as I continued to mow, shows no fear of the gasoline powered beast.
Grabs a flimsy stick....and NUDGES me! Smile.
So I grab a BETTER and STURDIER stick, and throw it. She fetches.
Then I remember I have a tennis ball handy! I throw IT...we have a winner! We play, I throw a dozen times or more, she retrieves the ball every time. She's fast, accurate and seemingly tireless.
I don't even like dogs, but I'm enjoying this. She has bad breath. She slimes the ball, yuck. I walk to the fountain, "water"? I ask? "You sure are playing hard"!
Nope.
We play.
Finally I am done with the throwing and return the push mower to the garage
and hop on the riding mower. She follows. Looks at me. I drive up the driveway to mow there before it gets dark.
The tennis ball lays by the garage door.
She's gone.
Dog.
Monday, July 31, 2017
She Lives Above a Chinese Laundry
A story by Cindy Ascanio, NW Arkansas, August 2017
Her name is Sanya and she is 26 years old. She lives above a Chinese laundry in a small
studio with any one window facing the red brick wall of the building next
door. Very little light comes through. The buildings are so close together and so very tall, it is often hard even to tell day from
night. At night the glow from city
lights gives the room a perpetual gloomy look.
The laundry owner is normally at work by 6 a.m. so Sanya never
needs an alarm clock (she doesn’t have one anyway). The washing machines and clothing conveyor
rattle are the first sounds that greet her each day.
Today though, there is only silence downstairs.
Sanya wakes from the same familiar, recurring dream and for
a moment is disoriented in the silence.
She realizes as she turns to look at her watch on the nightstand, that
it’s 9 a.m. and there are no sounds from the laundry. No machines, no voices, no tinkle of the
door chime, nothing.
The silence is a loud roar to Sanya, she imagines she can
hear her blood whooshing through her heart and brain. “What made me sleep so long?” she wonders. Slowly, as if she has been under the
influence of sleeping pills, she gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom,
flipping the light switch as she enters, but nothing happens. Flicking the switch up and down two more
times (just to be sure!), Sanya smiles to herself at that, and sits down on the
toilet. “Just a power outage” she
reassures herself, “there must have been a storm overnight, or maybe a car hit
a pole.”
Those thoughts are followed immediately by the desire for
food. Sanya is not usually hungry upon waking
but its three hours later than usual, and Sanya’s stomach growls at the mental
image of a big breakfast. “Dream on” she
thinks to herself, remembering that she only has one small muffin left in the
white paper sack she brought from the bodega a few days ago.She makes her way to the dim little kitchenette, removes the
muffin, and chews slowly and with pleasure.
Later that morning, Sanya starts violently, waking up still
sitting in her kitchen chair, muffin crumbs in front of her and in her
lap. “What on earth!” she thinks, “I can’t
believe I slept again just sitting down to eat”! She has no idea what time it is, her watch is in the bedroom
area, so she goes to get it, blinking away sleep and a sense of being out of
time, out of routine, out of sorts.
The dream she has over and over is not exactly scary, but
rather disturbing and sometimes follows her for a few hours afterwards. She wakes (in her dream), and she is the only
human left alive, everyone else is gone.
Like that tribe or civilization that just disappeared she muses, “what were they called? the Anastazi?” “Yes”, she thinks that’s right…..anyway,
poof, just gone one day.
Her watch reads 7:00 and she quickly calculates that it must
be 7 p.m. “Wow”, she thinks, “9 a.m. to
7 p.m., what on earth could be wrong with me? Am I sick?”
By 8:00 (a.m.? p.m?),
Sanya decides to go downstairs, is pretty sure she can walk a little bit better
now. She has only been into the Chinese
laundry twice, first when she rented her living space, and again about a month
later when she had to ask the owner for repairs to her leaking sink.
Her door opens to a hallway, then to stairs that split at a
turn, one way leads to street level, and the other to the laundry floor.
Both doors are locked (and sealed tight).
She tries again and again, but they are sturdy and won’t budge, her
final, frustrated kick at the street door was weak and only made her foot
hurt. And she was so tired.
Sanya returns to her studio and goes to the window. She has never opened it, and it will not open
now. She considers breaking it with a chair
or end table, but dismisses these thoughts immediately. The window is thick glass, with wire mesh
inside, and has been painted many times.
“Lock-picking” she thinks, “What do I remember about
lock-picking?” Well, there are tumblers,
and if a thin wire or blade is manipulated just so, the lock should open. “Who are you kidding?” she thinks, “YOU don’t
know squat about locks.”
Sitting down, Sanya gets a whiff of herself and decides to
take a shower and think things over.
Once undressed (which seemed to take a very long time), she lifts the
shower handle, but nothing happens.
“Oh no”, she whispers….”the water is off too?” That thought brings tears to her eyes, and
in despair for the first time, she flops down on the bed to have a good cry over
her (now) seemingly desperate circumstances.
Hours (days?) later, she awakens to murky light and a
ravenous hunger. She uses the toilet, it
flushes but doesn’t refill, and searches her small space for food. There are dried beans, some stale crackers,
and – yes! peanut butter!
After the meager meal, Sanya sits down in her easy chair and
tries to decide what to do next. But it’s so hard, her brain doesn’t seem to work, she can’t concentrate, or even hold a
thought for long…..and in a few minutes, Sanya goes back to sleep.
………………………………………..
The discovery of the blue planet was a lucky one, they were
nearly out of fuel and starting to worry when they found it. Plans to settle on the little world came
together quickly. First was release of
the base gas layer, extending around the planet from the surface to a height of
about 20 feet. A mixture of sofamide
and marchuload, the gas was deadly to all living things. It hovered, and settled around every
structure, it permeated all matter (it fused locks and turned metal into rigid
rock-like stuff that would be ground into raw material later). Next was the ash (but that’s not what it was
called). It settled too, but down through the
air, falling softly like a gentle snow. This
chemical worked more slowly, testing each layer of atmosphere from the surface
up and adjusting composition and strength as needed to transform oceans, mountains,
skyscrapers, dams, and bridges.
To the human race, and the living creatures on the planet, it was an attack of devastating and total
effectiveness, but to the settlers, it was no different than spraying a nice
yard of carefully tended grass to eradicate every insect living in it, ants,
chiggers, ticks, spiders, centipedes and the like.
Within two days………..the little blue planet was lifeless…and
ready for occupancy.
END
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
A professional career....1987-2017
ERP Systems (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is business process management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources.
In the early years of my banking career, an analyst or accountant would request a report generated on a mainframe computer and it would be delivered the next day. (In my world, this was Sarah's job....and she ruled it like a queen). You got what you got.....and were grateful for it.
Now, the power of report-writing is in the hands of the user, open-source databases and built-in functions for designing and delivering the information desired, and how it looks / how it's organized.
Cloud-based information systems, retention and access....data is hosted by third-parties, and is in their hands.
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)
Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are a common set of principles, standards and procedures that companies must follow for presenting financial statements. It is a combination of authoritative standards and commonly accepted ways of recording and reporting accounting information.
I remember researching GAAP in my step-dad's offices, a full library of printed books in burgandy covers.....hours in the library, and in his conference room.
GAAP was codified and has a revised topic numbering and reference system. A good portion of it is online, by subscription, and research takes place like common search engines in use, text strings and phrases in the search area usually take you to the appropriate topic.
The Tools
Of course, the Microsoft Suite of products rules my work environment now, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Access.....have all come about since I began using ledger books, small computer systems (Compaq 386!) and lots of pencil to paper.
While my office is certainly not paperless, data is more integrated, uploaded, downloaded, scanned and available on a screen instead of paper.
Physical Presence, Offices
Remote, online and tele-commuting are popular (but unheard of at the start of my professional career). Working off-site, from home and available 24 hours a day. The ability to work closely with others from anywhere in the world....use of digital signatures and documents.
Friday, December 11, 2015
another year in Wichita
My hometown of Wichita, Kansas is known as a "good place to raise children", and frequently makes it onto lists of reasonably priced cities to live in............
I've been here nearly 55 years.
One morning in early June, I received a call from my boss at work ...."Cindy, can you come in my office for a moment?" When I sat down at her table, she was the one who broke the news of my friends murder: Local paper coverage
Later in the summer, my Uncle Larry was admitted to the hospital, and less than a month later, he died there. The staff was excellent at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice
Beth ended 30 years of service "on the street" carrying mail....and transferred to the customer care center - where she plans to finish her career with the United States Postal Service in May 2017.
After more than 16 years working in a beautiful office building, the holding company staff is relocating so that one of the subsidiaries can occupy the entire building. We are moving to a smaller suite across the parking lot.
Goodbye to the view of the pond, the swans and the sunset........
..hello cubicle life....
2015 comes to an end........still living and working in Wichita, Kansas.
I've been here nearly 55 years.
One morning in early June, I received a call from my boss at work ...."Cindy, can you come in my office for a moment?" When I sat down at her table, she was the one who broke the news of my friends murder: Local paper coverage
Later in the summer, my Uncle Larry was admitted to the hospital, and less than a month later, he died there. The staff was excellent at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice
Beth ended 30 years of service "on the street" carrying mail....and transferred to the customer care center - where she plans to finish her career with the United States Postal Service in May 2017.
After more than 16 years working in a beautiful office building, the holding company staff is relocating so that one of the subsidiaries can occupy the entire building. We are moving to a smaller suite across the parking lot.
Goodbye to the view of the pond, the swans and the sunset........
..hello cubicle life....
2015 comes to an end........still living and working in Wichita, Kansas.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Giving it Away:
The object of my attention from the third class was a young teacher in training, willowy, long ponytail, earnest and open.
The next week, I brought a tiny yoga book to give to her.....101 Poses...and I received a spontaneous hug.
In the weeks that followed, I gave away several more books, then moved on to videos.
The regular teacher noticed, and they both may have wondered if I might be dying, or nuts, or both......but then one night I just mentioned that I was moving and that my new house would not hold all of my books.
I've been blessed.....and now have exactly what I needed: someone to pass along my yoga books to. To her, it may seem that I appeared as if by magic, but this was intended all along, just waiting for the right circumstances to present themselves.
so much fun.
The object of my attention from the third class was a young teacher in training, willowy, long ponytail, earnest and open.
The next week, I brought a tiny yoga book to give to her.....101 Poses...and I received a spontaneous hug.
In the weeks that followed, I gave away several more books, then moved on to videos.
The regular teacher noticed, and they both may have wondered if I might be dying, or nuts, or both......but then one night I just mentioned that I was moving and that my new house would not hold all of my books.
I've been blessed.....and now have exactly what I needed: someone to pass along my yoga books to. To her, it may seem that I appeared as if by magic, but this was intended all along, just waiting for the right circumstances to present themselves.
so much fun.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The summer lake house.
While very modest-looking from the entrance (mom asks "honey, does the cabin have a coffee pot?"), this two level house overlooking Lost Bridge North is a beauty. Hardwood floors, a large kitchen, great deck w/view and privacy all contribute to the rural feel.
Since you might know I count things, here's "how I spent my summer vacation.":
17 visits (from Wichita, it's a 600 mile round-trip not counting running around while there, back and forth to Rogers, Garfield, Eureka Springs or the campgrounds), or an estimated 12,000 miles!!:
March 25 (closing), April 11, 20, May 3, 11, 24 (Memorial Day week), June 7, 21, July 3 (Fourth of July), 19, 26, August 16 (week), Aug 30-Sept 1 (Labor Day), Sept 6, Sept 13, 21 (week) and October 13 (week).
THATS A LOT OF MILES!
Spread the trips among our trucks and vans, rental cars, once riding with family.
28 different guests: Derek Rana, Kings, Morrisons, Maylene and Kevin, Roz and Bob, Schraders (total of 5), Pattie, YB, Beau and Brian, Jeanne, Amy, Lisa, Tash, Margaret, Shelley and Gina, Ron and Madeline....
THATS A LOT OF GUESTS!
Now it's time to turn it over to the caretakers for the winter, and settle in to wait for next spring and summer!
 |
| Shaffer Road entrance/driveway |
Since you might know I count things, here's "how I spent my summer vacation.":
17 visits (from Wichita, it's a 600 mile round-trip not counting running around while there, back and forth to Rogers, Garfield, Eureka Springs or the campgrounds), or an estimated 12,000 miles!!:
March 25 (closing), April 11, 20, May 3, 11, 24 (Memorial Day week), June 7, 21, July 3 (Fourth of July), 19, 26, August 16 (week), Aug 30-Sept 1 (Labor Day), Sept 6, Sept 13, 21 (week) and October 13 (week).
THATS A LOT OF MILES!
Spread the trips among our trucks and vans, rental cars, once riding with family.
28 different guests: Derek Rana, Kings, Morrisons, Maylene and Kevin, Roz and Bob, Schraders (total of 5), Pattie, YB, Beau and Brian, Jeanne, Amy, Lisa, Tash, Margaret, Shelley and Gina, Ron and Madeline....
THATS A LOT OF GUESTS!
Now it's time to turn it over to the caretakers for the winter, and settle in to wait for next spring and summer!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Shaffer Road
Yes. After years of searching...the right property presented itself. While searching through real estate for sale in the Beaver Lake area, one picture of a deck looking out over the lake was interesting enough to click on. It was mid-summer 2012. Many of them do sell quickly; so when one appeared, it was worth a closer look. Unfortunately, things at home and work got in the way and the property was forgotten. Then again in the fall.....the picture came up again in a search...this time the real estate company had done a much better job of presenting the property, the pictures were sharper and more descriptive.
It was worth a visit. Why was this house still on the market? Was there some flaw that could not be determined by the advertising layout? The price seemed to be reasonable.......
In late fall there was finally time to drive down and see the place in person. After the tour - knew the house was right.....but hesitated to make any offer - by this time the holidays were right around the corner, all funds fixed and locked down for the year (you know, capital gains and such). Told the agent that it would be 2013 before any decisions were made.
As it turned out, the property was still available and with a couple of weeks of negotiations and some repairs, the deal was finalized.
Closing is March 26th.
Yes.
It was worth a visit. Why was this house still on the market? Was there some flaw that could not be determined by the advertising layout? The price seemed to be reasonable.......
In late fall there was finally time to drive down and see the place in person. After the tour - knew the house was right.....but hesitated to make any offer - by this time the holidays were right around the corner, all funds fixed and locked down for the year (you know, capital gains and such). Told the agent that it would be 2013 before any decisions were made.
As it turned out, the property was still available and with a couple of weeks of negotiations and some repairs, the deal was finalized.
Closing is March 26th.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Ending 2012
2012 marks the end of my yoga teaching career here in Wichita -and what a great experience it was to be able to teach yoga for these past few years. I had the opportunity to work with the elderly, upward-bound high school students, and spend one very memorable evening with a bunch of 12-year old Girl Scouts and a few of their moms. I met many special yoga students at the Heskett Center
There were times it seemed impossible to juggle my full-time job, my love of travel, my big ole’ yard and all the housework while also planning and teaching yoga classes, sometimes 3-4 per week. My secret: Stop, breathe, find the richness and beauty of this precious life, and take the moments as they come – each one a gift.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Losing a co-worker, and life's "what-ifs"
Losing a co-worker is hard, especially if it is unexpected. The Company Chairman died in late August after being very ill for a few weeks, but then the staff and I were surprised at the loss of Gary, our Treasurer, from a heart attack one bright and sunny October morning. Not only did we lose an associate at work, but he had no family. It was his "work family"that made the arrangements for the service, cleaned out his office, and my boss will likely be the executor of his estate.
As we age (gracefully?) together at work (most of us are just a year or two apart) we were immediately and starkly confronted with our own mortality. I, of course, turned to yoga to remind me that nothing is permanent, and as soon as we think things will not change, we suffer, because of course they always do.
Here's the rub: we work, for years, and hopefully we save for an expected retirement, a time to travel or enjoy life with hobbies, volunteer work, friends, and the activities of our choosing without the stress of a career. But of course we know many who are not on this path....they live from check to check -with very little saved for the future. Then we hear or know stories of people who grind it out year after year with large retirement funds that they never get to spend because they die young, get cancer, or have a car wreck.
As we confront these possibilities, we have to make choices......choices that can have an immediate impact on our lives. Lot's of "what-ifs" - starting with the very real possibility that none of us will live to retire to that life of "choice"....so what if we enjoy it right now? This moment is really all we have, there is no future that's real, guaranteed, or even possible at this very moment. "The Power of Now" by Eckart Tolle is an interesting and thought-provoking discussion (some of it is in question and answer mode) down this very road. I recommend it to anyone thinking about the future that they might not ever have.
As we age (gracefully?) together at work (most of us are just a year or two apart) we were immediately and starkly confronted with our own mortality. I, of course, turned to yoga to remind me that nothing is permanent, and as soon as we think things will not change, we suffer, because of course they always do.
Here's the rub: we work, for years, and hopefully we save for an expected retirement, a time to travel or enjoy life with hobbies, volunteer work, friends, and the activities of our choosing without the stress of a career. But of course we know many who are not on this path....they live from check to check -with very little saved for the future. Then we hear or know stories of people who grind it out year after year with large retirement funds that they never get to spend because they die young, get cancer, or have a car wreck.
As we confront these possibilities, we have to make choices......choices that can have an immediate impact on our lives. Lot's of "what-ifs" - starting with the very real possibility that none of us will live to retire to that life of "choice"....so what if we enjoy it right now? This moment is really all we have, there is no future that's real, guaranteed, or even possible at this very moment. "The Power of Now" by Eckart Tolle is an interesting and thought-provoking discussion (some of it is in question and answer mode) down this very road. I recommend it to anyone thinking about the future that they might not ever have.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Waving to the Man in the Wheelchair and his Dog.
My drive to work takes me on a road we call the "Canal Route". It's a divided road, three lanes each direction, with a large concrete drainage system down the middle. Several walkways cross the highway and on one walkway in particular, I usually see a man in a wheelchair with a blanket on his lap. Next to his chair sits his dog, still and patient they watch the cars below. Each morning, I roll my window down and wave to him......and he waves back. I started waving before he actually saw me a while ago, I would lean forward and place my hand close to the inside of my windshield. I guess he couldn't see me so I started rolling down my window part of the way and waving to him from there, and sure enough, he started to wave back.
After the wave exchange, I continue my drive to work and sometimes my thoughts stay with him....who is he? Does he wish he was on his way to work like the rest of us at that time of the morning, or is he content with his life now, a spectator to the morning rush hour? Does he still drive at all?
And I sometimes wonder what life will be like "after career", with all the time in the world to take a dog for a morning outing, to watch traffic, to let my gaze rest on the chaos of the swiftly moving cars below me.
On the days that he is not there, I wave at him in my head. May he be well. May I be well. May we meet someday for a handshake, and not just a wave.
After the wave exchange, I continue my drive to work and sometimes my thoughts stay with him....who is he? Does he wish he was on his way to work like the rest of us at that time of the morning, or is he content with his life now, a spectator to the morning rush hour? Does he still drive at all?
And I sometimes wonder what life will be like "after career", with all the time in the world to take a dog for a morning outing, to watch traffic, to let my gaze rest on the chaos of the swiftly moving cars below me.
On the days that he is not there, I wave at him in my head. May he be well. May I be well. May we meet someday for a handshake, and not just a wave.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time to retire.....
I have taken a seat to the teachings
Now return to the place where they start
The beauty is all on the inside
An intention, a posture, my art.
A shift in perspective is welcome
I stay quiet and listen again
For to know where it is that I am from
Is to know where I'll be at the end.
Now return to the place where they start
The beauty is all on the inside
An intention, a posture, my art.
A shift in perspective is welcome
I stay quiet and listen again
For to know where it is that I am from
Is to know where I'll be at the end.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
I must have missed January......?
Winter has not arrived in Wichita yet this year........January slid by with new yoga students at Linwood and a pretty big group at Edgemoor. People still wearing shorts! Dry though, very dry.
Sold the Bobcat on 1/31/12. 11 years of great times with this one, but it has a very nice family to live with (in Oklahoma) -with kids! Excited, rambunctious, young kids! Never knew we had that much stuff inside until I had to unload it all!
February begins, 55-60 degrees every day, sunshine, light winds, wearing light jackets and sweaters to work and to yoga.
Sold the Bobcat on 1/31/12. 11 years of great times with this one, but it has a very nice family to live with (in Oklahoma) -with kids! Excited, rambunctious, young kids! Never knew we had that much stuff inside until I had to unload it all!
February begins, 55-60 degrees every day, sunshine, light winds, wearing light jackets and sweaters to work and to yoga.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Holiday Letter 2011
Happy Holiday’s to you in 2011!
This was the year Beth had back surgery, and was off work for 137 days. As she was recovering from the spinal fusion procedure, we both turned 50 years old, (we are only 9 days apart). I went to the lake with Beth, Jeanne, Bobbie and Larry, and some of Beth’s friends came out the next day. We kept a campfire going all weekend, and although the weather was cool and cloudy, it only rained a little bit overnight the first night. Bobbie took this picture when the sun came out the next afternoon:
This was the year Beth had back surgery, and was off work for 137 days. As she was recovering from the spinal fusion procedure, we both turned 50 years old, (we are only 9 days apart). I went to the lake with Beth, Jeanne, Bobbie and Larry, and some of Beth’s friends came out the next day. We kept a campfire going all weekend, and although the weather was cool and cloudy, it only rained a little bit overnight the first night. Bobbie took this picture when the sun came out the next afternoon:
The” 5-0” at Marion Lake
For Beth’s birthday, I threw her a surprise party at a local hotel. She had the whole weekend for role-playing with her best friends. We reserved a big room next to the lobby to play (and eat) all weekend long.
Our annual trip to Arkansas’ Beaver Lake was enjoyable –great weather this year…..no burn ban. I could add many more pictures of Beth’s fish-catching ability, she caught fish everywhere…..the freezer is stocked.
White bass
Even with a record-setting heat wave over the summer, we still went camping at least once in every month between April and October!
There were no international yoga retreats this year, but I made time for yoga weekends. I made a trip to Tyler, Texas to support YogaBeth’s workshops. She invited a guest teacher from Colorado to three different studios where she teaches. In September I made the trip to Estes Park for the Yoga Journal Conference by myself, sharing a cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies with a yoga teacher I know from Wichita. She had her two dogs with her, and they were great company while I was there.
Biking at Lake Estes
I started teaching a new yoga class at Linwood Recreation Center, turning over the Edgemoor yoga classes to a friend of mine who had been away from teaching for a couple of years and mentioned that she wanted to teach again. It’s well-attended and I love the time slot….I can go home from work for a little while before class starts and I don’t have to change clothes in my office bathroom with the cold tile floor!
I bought my first boat in 2011, a kayak. No batteries, motor, tires….toss it in the truck, carry it to the water, and paddle!
Lake Afton, late summer
Mom and I are wrapping up the year with one more adventure - a mother/daughter weekend in San Francisco. A little yoga for me, and some sightseeing for us both. I had asked friends there to “stop the shaking” before I arrived (they had been having earthquakes in the Bay area)……and unbelievably, the next weekend: we had one right here in Wichita! It originated in central Oklahoma, and I absolutely felt it underneath the house that night. I was completely surprised and amazed at the event….my first-ever experience of an earthquake.
I hope you and yours have a great 2012!
Monday, November 21, 2011
What will you do when your suntan fades......
I once put a song on a music mix for a friend of mine called: "What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades?" by Beulah. Cute song, and it will make you smile.....but there is a note of seriousness (at least for me) contained within the lyrics. Like this:
The days are getting shorter
And what will you do when your suntan is fading and the summer's gone?
Do you feel afraid?
This goes back to a time when I was at a crossroads. I was re-locating to another city, all the familiar faces and places were going to be gone, and my future was unknown, so it was pretty scary. The last few evenings I spent with my friends before I left were crisp and cold, it was dark very early, and you could see your breath in the air. Believe it or not, over 30 years later, and I still have that sense of foreboding at least one time or another in late fall. It may catch me as I leave work and it's already dark. It may appear with a gust of cold, biting wind, or the smell of leaves burning. With yoga, I have learned to see this as only a groove, a pattern, a memory, and I know that there is really nothing to fear. When that feeling happens, I take a deep breath, count my blessings, and embrace it. Yoga teaches us so much more than how to do a proper forward bend........
The days are getting shorter
And what will you do when your suntan is fading and the summer's gone?
Do you feel afraid?
This goes back to a time when I was at a crossroads. I was re-locating to another city, all the familiar faces and places were going to be gone, and my future was unknown, so it was pretty scary. The last few evenings I spent with my friends before I left were crisp and cold, it was dark very early, and you could see your breath in the air. Believe it or not, over 30 years later, and I still have that sense of foreboding at least one time or another in late fall. It may catch me as I leave work and it's already dark. It may appear with a gust of cold, biting wind, or the smell of leaves burning. With yoga, I have learned to see this as only a groove, a pattern, a memory, and I know that there is really nothing to fear. When that feeling happens, I take a deep breath, count my blessings, and embrace it. Yoga teaches us so much more than how to do a proper forward bend........
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Retirement
Some great speakers crossed the stage in front of me this past week, Terry Bradshaw, Bill Cosby, Lou Holtz, Colin Powell, Rudy Guliani.....all brought to Wichita for a motivational seminar. One speaker was talking about retirement: "GONE are the days when you work for the same company all your life and retire with a pension!" he said. "You have to take control of your own retirement now!"
Not too long ago, my friend's uncle died....at 68. The funeral was held two days after he died in the hospital, which was two days after he was admitted, a quick and unexpected death from a stroke. Now while we might envy the man a fairly trouble-free way of leaving this earth, I learned that he had retired early, at 64.
Four years. Four short years to spend differently than our lifetime (it seems) of getting up every single morning, rain or snow, heat or wind warnings, with not enough sleep, with a headache, needing a break, and going to work every day. Four short years free of the grinding routine of his job (even those that love their work must admit that sometimes, it is just an existence/chore). Did he have plans to do things after retirement? Yes. Of course he did!
That fact was never more stark, never more personal, never more timely than at this man's funeral. I calculated, I extrapolated, I visualized and I dreamed of spending more than four short years in the next chapter "after my professional career" (AMPC).
AMPC, I plan to help a not-for-profit. I even have the general type of non-profit selected - either homelessness or feeding the hungry. While there are few paying positions in this area, I am called toward it, and know I'll find a way.
So what's holding me back at my age? Some of it is fear, AMPC, health insurance is no longer a luxury, it is a necessary as shelter and food (if you have assets that are at risk that is, my indigent brother will be served if he needs health care, with no way to extract payment from him afterwards). The leading reason for bankruptcy is medical costs.....not credit card debt.
The small population here is another obstacle. To put it in perspective, I used to attend the Susan Komen Race for the Cure here in Wichita. The event would draw about 7,500 people. I visited Little Rock, Arkansas.......their Race has 45,000! Forty-five Thousand people!
So.........if I live now, because tomorrow is not promised to anyone, and if I am going to do what I am called to do, I would have to change some things!
These are dangerous words........being written and spoken by a person who has lived in the same city her entire life (except for college), a person who has had the same type of job her whole career, and who lives in the first house she ever bought -more than two decades ago.
And yet.......there is my study and practice of yoga.....a practice that sustains me, teachings that I continuously attempt to incorporate into my life, and the calm and confidence that they instill. It will work out. Even on the cusp of great change, clear-seeing is possible, and the right choices will seem natural and organic.
Wish me well......
Namaste.
Not too long ago, my friend's uncle died....at 68. The funeral was held two days after he died in the hospital, which was two days after he was admitted, a quick and unexpected death from a stroke. Now while we might envy the man a fairly trouble-free way of leaving this earth, I learned that he had retired early, at 64.
Four years. Four short years to spend differently than our lifetime (it seems) of getting up every single morning, rain or snow, heat or wind warnings, with not enough sleep, with a headache, needing a break, and going to work every day. Four short years free of the grinding routine of his job (even those that love their work must admit that sometimes, it is just an existence/chore). Did he have plans to do things after retirement? Yes. Of course he did!
That fact was never more stark, never more personal, never more timely than at this man's funeral. I calculated, I extrapolated, I visualized and I dreamed of spending more than four short years in the next chapter "after my professional career" (AMPC).
AMPC, I plan to help a not-for-profit. I even have the general type of non-profit selected - either homelessness or feeding the hungry. While there are few paying positions in this area, I am called toward it, and know I'll find a way.
So what's holding me back at my age? Some of it is fear, AMPC, health insurance is no longer a luxury, it is a necessary as shelter and food (if you have assets that are at risk that is, my indigent brother will be served if he needs health care, with no way to extract payment from him afterwards). The leading reason for bankruptcy is medical costs.....not credit card debt.
The small population here is another obstacle. To put it in perspective, I used to attend the Susan Komen Race for the Cure here in Wichita. The event would draw about 7,500 people. I visited Little Rock, Arkansas.......their Race has 45,000! Forty-five Thousand people!
So.........if I live now, because tomorrow is not promised to anyone, and if I am going to do what I am called to do, I would have to change some things!
These are dangerous words........being written and spoken by a person who has lived in the same city her entire life (except for college), a person who has had the same type of job her whole career, and who lives in the first house she ever bought -more than two decades ago.
And yet.......there is my study and practice of yoga.....a practice that sustains me, teachings that I continuously attempt to incorporate into my life, and the calm and confidence that they instill. It will work out. Even on the cusp of great change, clear-seeing is possible, and the right choices will seem natural and organic.
Wish me well......
Namaste.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
I swept the floor.......
My first Karma class:
I arrived at Karma studio early (work ends at 5, class is at 7, the drive is maybe 3 minutes......so there's no chance of my ever being late to this one!), grabbed my mat bag and a couple of blocks from the back of the mini-van and went inside. Every day now the place is taking its shape, becoming its own, changing, sporting new art and decorations on the walls. Shakira was blasting out of the speakers and Rebecca called out "we're dancing! come in and join us"!
One student arrived a few minutes later, did a little clothes shopping, and then we started the class. Rebecca unrolled her mat as well, and the three of us spent an hour on standing poses, supine stretches and then final relaxation. I have a Walkman, not an iPod, so I let Rebecca choose the music, Celtic (and how DO you really say that word? "sell-tic" kell-tick"?) as it turned out, and it did the trick.
The instructors are expected to help to clean and close the studio at night, so I followed the reception desk staff into the back room to find a broom, swept the floor and brought in the cardboard sign just outside the entrance for the night.
Here's hoping more Wichita yogi's will try a gentle Friday night yoga class to end the week and kick off the weekend!
Namaste, Cindy
I arrived at Karma studio early (work ends at 5, class is at 7, the drive is maybe 3 minutes......so there's no chance of my ever being late to this one!), grabbed my mat bag and a couple of blocks from the back of the mini-van and went inside. Every day now the place is taking its shape, becoming its own, changing, sporting new art and decorations on the walls. Shakira was blasting out of the speakers and Rebecca called out "we're dancing! come in and join us"!
One student arrived a few minutes later, did a little clothes shopping, and then we started the class. Rebecca unrolled her mat as well, and the three of us spent an hour on standing poses, supine stretches and then final relaxation. I have a Walkman, not an iPod, so I let Rebecca choose the music, Celtic (and how DO you really say that word? "sell-tic" kell-tick"?) as it turned out, and it did the trick.
The instructors are expected to help to clean and close the studio at night, so I followed the reception desk staff into the back room to find a broom, swept the floor and brought in the cardboard sign just outside the entrance for the night.
Here's hoping more Wichita yogi's will try a gentle Friday night yoga class to end the week and kick off the weekend!
Namaste, Cindy
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