Presence!!!

I knew it would happen, I just knew it! I would set an intention for blogging daily about what I was most grateful for each day of November. I made it a few days into the month and then the present moments sucked me in!

 I found myself thinking "oh, I love this today, I need to write to the world about my passion" but, then, I got sucked into the moment of life, mostly mazi and her addicting personality.

  I never made it to the blog post that day.  Mazi is the queen of presence and keeps me from wandering about in my head. 

This month has been different for us. Jj got a new job with a corporate charter company and he is away from the home days and nights at a time, sometimes as far as Mexico.  The goodies are fun, and the moment he arrives home is anxious excitement while also feeling the anticipation that at any moment he could be called off again, for days at a time...it sort of leaves me focused on the present moment and giving that my full attention.  I miss him soo much when he's gone, I get a little lonely. 

Mazi is so curious about the world and making sure she gets it all right...child there is no such thing as right...it's just what it is!

She keeps me close and she stays curious!  I'm thankful for that too, I love our close relationship! 

For the last two weeks I have been most thankful for the ability to be present! Present to hear my breath. Present to know my daughter deeply!

 Present to hear the wind and rain...it's presently raining...and just present in life right now.  I'm searching for constant practice of samtosa (contentment).  I'm not often content.

 This practice I must be very aware of. If I focus on mazi, my body, and our small journey I can touch and taste it and I'm suddenly at ease with what IS for if I never feel content here and now in a place where I'm completely out of my element then I've really failed at learning what true presence really is! It is a cakewalk to be present when I'm on a sunny, clean, private perfect beach or even better on the top of a snowy pure white ridgetop with thin, clean, crisp air.  Warm from the climb and a touch of the suns rays on my winter skin....inhale...exhale! Ya, that's easy to be present to! 

Oh boy, I just flopped that moment of being content in the rainy south, stuck in my car at a grocery store while my child sleeps in the backseat and I write a blog post!!!!! Oops!

Tea!!!

I LOVE tea!!!

 When I get a good cup of tea nothing else matters in the world. I am awakened from the flavor, the warmth and the effects on my body.   It's like I've always known tea was the perfect medicine for me, each time I take a sip I feel an old friend saying hi' I'm here!  

Today I found a perfect place to savor my thankfulness and Love for tea. High Garden Tea in Nashville has blown my mind!!! The shop is so quaint and rustic, comfort in every corner and BULK everything!! Love it dearly!

Oh how much I enjoy becoming grounded again. I thank the Earth for her healing nature and I am so glad I return to her first for advice or guidance when I'm in need of external medicine. She has always healed me. 

Tea glorious tea!  

I am cleansing all month of November and tea has become my bestest friend! 

Music!

Its everywhere we go from elevators, hotel lobbies, restaurants, social events.  From the moment our family wakes to the time we hit our pillows and even throughout the entire night sometimes, we have music playing at our house.  

Music has marked the most precious moments of my life and it's a reminfpder of the most painful as well.  I love it, I love my life soundtrack and I enjoys seeing what the new hits become as we grow and mature...hopefully it's not all Disney hits and sing a longs, but ill take those too!  

Music is the medicine that once in your in sinc with an emotion it brings language and vibration together to penetrate deep into each cell creating the most perfect explosion and release of emotion and built up energy! Oh the magic it holds.  As simple as that. I. LOVE. MUSIC!!

...and so does my musically talented and loving family!

Growing Pains!

I

The Peek family has been experiencing lots of growing pains. JJ got a new job and we are all transitioning to a new routine that is difficult for all of us.  We will be seeing less of JJ as he will probably have to be gone for several overnight trips during the month, as well as it is unpredictable to know when he will fly therefore leaving us living at the seat of our pants knowing that at any time he could have to take off and work for days. 

 Mazi has grown very attached to her daddy, his presence equals lots of rowdy play, laughter and fun. 

 I can't always give that to her as mothers also need to do house work, clean, cook and other tasks that aren't so fun for the wee folks.

 I love having JJ around cause he is warm and a great snuggler, nights with him are comforting and he almost always rubs my feet and body if I sit next to him on the couch, but I also love his time spent with Mazi.  That gives me time to catch up and sometimes even take a personal hour or two in the middle of the day to...breathe, bend and BE!  

Also, we are dealing with Mazi's growth spurt she's in.

 Mazi has grown an inch in three weeks, making nights restless and sometimes painful.  I massage her legs at night to help her cope, which takes away some of my own sleep and that isn't so easily made up!

 I will forever help her though if she needs my help in the middle of the deep dark night. 

The change in temperature has brought about the cold rain, oh how I would take cold cold snow over cold wet rain! I love the cleansing of the earth, but it's hard to be outside.  Both Mazi and I really enjoy our outside time!  

All in all growing pains=growing change and if there is one thing I love and embrace, it's change.  I know this change will lead to great things.  I feel that to be true!  I know that there is unconditional loving experiences ahead and that warms my soul. For now, I am thankful for the pain! 

The rainbow only comes after the rain!

BOOKS!!

I am very glad we humans desired to communicate so much that we created language and writing and learned to steal trees for paper and place all our words into collective phrases and paragraphs that transpired into books! 

To hold a book, flip through its pages and  smell the fresh print is truly a pleasure of mine. As much as I love the instant information on the World Wide Web I am even more in love with reading a book. Holding it in my lap, closing myself off so no one can see my face and letting my mind focus and absorb the knowledge that's being poured out through language. 

I rarely read novels, but those too blow me away as I'm taking a drift on a journey.

 I prefer non-fiction and simply can't get educated enough...if only I could retain the information better!!! 

I only wish I had more time to dedicate to reading. 

Reading a book, sipping a beverage and releasing my mind to words is such a pleasure for me!

Thankful for BOOkS! 

...and mazi kinda likes them too!

Technology!

Yes, I am very thankful for technology! It is because I live in this day and age I can be miles away, even continents away from dear family and friends but still connect daily! All I need is a small little device that fits in the palm, yes palm of my hand and is no thicker than a pack of gum. 

I can access information in seconds on any subject I choose...and it always correct, ok maybe not always, but it's helpful when I look at the right sources. 

I can take great photos and videos of my growing family and document my journey of life to share with all those I love! 

I have my favorite songs readily available when ever I need to blast them into my ears and dance like a wild woman!

I can help my Mazi get through long drives in the car with entertainment and educational videos, or help her tolerate those times when she just has to be with mom and it's kinda boring and her patience is really really tried! 

Or when I simply need to clean the house or cook dinner and she has already been playing with her toys and just needs to relax and kick back letting her mind drift off to colorful frozen land...

whatever it is this age of technology has really helped me out and I am glad I live in a time where I have access to it. 

Now just like anything else in life, too much of it can be a HUGE problem! It needs balance and it is easily getting out of balance hurting our social skills and our activity level and our brains for that matter (electromagnetic waves)! But the yogi in me teaches me to create my own balance and seek out long stretches in nature with no distraction from technology, to practice deep breathing and meditation with no distraction, to paint, draw or garden with no distraction. We all get to control our addictions and balance ourselves out. I enjoy practicing this skill in my life and teaching Mazi the same. 

Thank you technology, thank you Apple! This part of the advanced world is one I really embrace!! 

Gratitude!

Last month was such an intense roller coaster of emotions, events and energies. I felt them so strongly that I'm certain it was a planetary shift that is occurring. The moons are bringing change and awareness is more important now than ever before. 

I ended the month of October on a good vibe, knowing that I must keep my intentions and actions aligned so I don't get sucked into this chaos that is surrounding me. I see people everywhere struggling internally through physical illness, emotional distress and lots of depression and disconnection. On my journey, I have created intentions for November to first deepen my awareness and connection to my own physical body, cleansing and honoring it's function.

Then, to my spiritual awareness to the collective consciousness and allowing myself to be receptive and courageous to act on the energies that are needing to be here on this planet as we evolve into even more healing. We are globally out of balance in every way!!! 

Does this make sense to you? Good! No, you too have inner work to do too, we all have our part physically, mentally, and spiritually! 

November is the month of gratitude! I'm staying aligned to feel it daily, hourly and to put out there what has sparked the flame of my heart each day. I have put off writing for my words would have been negative and full of strong emotions that would come out harshly! We do to need more of this energy out there, even though it's real, it's what we are all facing right now. I tend to want to speak of the light of life. But, even as I speak this light I too feel the dark of my soul transforming. 

We have our religion, even if we say we have none, religion is any belief of any form. I find my strength is my Yoga!

I am so fully grateful to have this practice in my life! I have never found a more perfect place to safely transcend and face my biggest challenges of life then through my Yoga practice. It is on my mat, where I practice my life skills and my control of thought and useless old thought patterns. 

This early November morning as I make my way to the yoga studio for a private lesson, I am filled with a warm heart for my love of Yoga!! I see today my true self, I see my students true self and I see our ability to be humbled through humility. I feel the Divines light and I am present! Thank you Yoga for connecting me every day!