Road trip to Winchester, VA

We traveled from MA to CT to NY to NJ to PA to West VA and VA. A total of 470 miles in eight hours. Wow! The drive was quite pleasant and uneventful. We had no traffic as expected on a Sunday. I enjoyed the rest stops for coffee and tea breaks.

I did try to get photos of the rolling hills in PA.

We are staying the night at the George Washington, which is lovely, quaint and quiet.

Best of all, we had the pool all to ourselves this evening.

We walked through the Loudoun Street Mall for window shopping which was very pleasant.

It's been a long time since I actually did any type of window shopping on the street, like that.

We ate at Thai Winchester which was quite busy for a Sunday night. The Drunken Noodle was particularly good!

I'm now relaxing in our room, checking email, skyping with friends.

Looking forward to Skyline Drive tomorrow!

This made my day!

My 21 year old niece emailed me this photo of a page in a journal she wrote for school when she was 8 years old.

I am touched by her thoughtfulness then and now; then to have wrote it and now to discover it and send it to me.

Thank you Liz! I am posting it here as one of my many touchstones of who you are; Source Energy in a physical body.

Appreciation for my friends & family.

I would like to acknowledge a number of people who made my recent trip to Trinidad memorable. Each of them took time out to nurture the relationship and I am most appreciative of their efforts:

Arshad thank you for graciously hosting me for a week in very comfortable accommodations. I enjoyed having the freedom to make myself at home and to visit with our father as well. I especially enjoyed the sno cone you and Amanda thoughtfully bought me in my absence. Thank goodness for freezers!

Glad you introduced me to Angostura Single Barrel Reserve. We are enjoying our gifts.

Amanda, so glad you came over to spend a night. I hope you enjoyed our impromptu tea party as much as I did. Your Dad did a great job of buying all those wonderful pastries and cakes.

Wasn’t the Saturday Nite Bingo the best fun? Thanks to Wendy for joining in. We really played for the fun of it didn’t we? ‘Cause no one took their winnings!

So glad we got to talk to Liz as well! Kudos for technology, no one is really far away.

Okay, so Ludo is not as short as I told you, but remember you have to listen to your elders but you do not have to heed them; you have your own guidance to rely upon.

Pappy, you look great!

Obviously you are allowing in your wellbeing and doing everything you possibly can to take care of yourself. Keep up your independence! I like that you prepare your own breakfast, wash your own laundry and make your own bed and shop for the things you want to eat.

I enjoyed playing cards with you. I know you are not too fond of the jigsaw puzzle, as I too couldn’t possibly spend so much time constructing it only to have it back in the box.

I prefer to spend my time creating things that will last a while…

I liked that everyone who came to visit added one more piece to the picture.

Keep up the crafting as long as you enjoy it. I am quite impressed with the dexterity of your hands to produce such neat work. I like that you are always occupied in something useful and fun to you.

Sheba, I shan’t forget Aladdin and the Trini Genie at the NAPA any time soon. The humor was belly busting.

I enjoyed your roomy breezy home; it is a delightful place to come home to.

You have to know that I returned for potato wedges before I left :)

The Sunday morning drive to Maracas Bay for breakfast:

Enjoying it on the beach:

Followed by a coconut water from a roadside vendor on the return journey:

Hydrangeas

Hibiscus

Ariane, so glad you came to see me girl! Besides Arshad’s vehicles, yours was the cleanest I’d ever seen – keep your car washer ;)

Oh and the Munch King coconut ice cream with a generous splash of Angostura Single Barrel Reserve is the ticket to a cool, smooth dessert. You can always add a cherry on top!

Farida, I value the time and effort it took you to taxi all the way to Tunapuna with hot breakfasts and loads of goodies for me to bring back.

I quite enjoyed your visits and seeing your family again.

Thanks also to Rishi for bringing me lunch twice and to Sandy for preparing fresh pepper sauce for me. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

STOP BEING SO RELIGIOUS

STOP BEING SO RELIGIOUS

What
Do sad people have in
Common?

It seems
They have all built a shrine
To the past

And often go there
And do a strange wail and
Worship.

What is the beginning of
Happiness?

It is to stop being
So religious

Like

That.

("The Gift" - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

A whiff of bliss

I have been doing my utmost to catch a whiff of bliss...

I am doing three things I love on a daily basis - cooking, cross-stitching and reading.

I love having the time to do all of these things which are so sacred to me.

Each one is a different form of meditation, requiring focus and attention.

All is well.

My Name Is Khan

I was inspired to watch this film today and I was not disappointed!

I loved the acting by Shahrukh Khan for this role.

This is my second feel good film of the week and I can hardly wait to see what else the Universe has in store for me.

The King's Speech.

The King's Speech is a stella movie.
It is the best acting I have ever seen. Colin Firth ought to be knighted for his role.
He is the most accomplished actor I have ever experienced.
Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, all gave great performances.
This is a deeply thoughtful movie, without all the Hollywood hyped up drama, action and deafening scores.
I have never before, enjoyed every second of a movie, as much as I enjoyed this one.
It's been a few hours now since I've seen it and I am still reliving every single scene so much so, that I do not need to see it again and yet I will.
I am very pleased to know that indeed they do make movies like they use to.

This is the best movie experience I've had ever.

Living well.

Quick, think of three people you know who are mostly pessimistic or unhappy.

What’s their quality of life?

What surprised me about this exercise was that three people immediately came to mind.

I felt delighted because it seemed natural for our relationship to drift apart, since we view the world from entirely different filters.

And you know, there is nothing wrong with that; you can continue to love and appreciate another, without having to get caught up in their personal miseries.

Physically distancing myself from all the dramas and traumas of the world, has allowed me to focus entirely upon my own happiness. This attention to what’s good and how can I feel good now is an ongoing mind training with me which has netted me a rich life.

A shift in thinking thoughts is all that’s needed to unlock the fabulous life that is ours for the taking.

Sole ownership

I have sole ownership of my vision, therefore here is what I want:

To think clearly at all times.

To keep what I want in focus.

To remember that when I focus upon what I want from a place of clarity and knowing, I will not only feel ease, but everyone else will have the best possible outcome based on their vibrations.

I get what I think about

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of the things I have been thinking about and I am very pleased with the results.

I was thinking of more fun activities to do, more friends to do it with, more great places to eat, more new places to visit, more good books and movies… more, more, more of the good life!

I went sledding for the first time over the weekend,

Discovered a fantastic new restaurant that served the best pizza I’d ever tasted.

Completed reading a most wonderful book and watched season 2 of In Treatment.

Deliberately intending what I want to think and feel is the surest way to get what I want.

This works only if you work it. What do you want?

Crazy like snow.

This is a photo of the deck from above. You can see the amount of snowfall on the table.

I am really glad I get to be indoors, where it's dry and warm.

I love watching the snow fall in the woods. It heightens my appreciation for food, clothes, fuel and shelter.

M.A.L.

This year, I am looking forward to being an eager hands-on participant of My Adventurous Life.

I know it’s going to be fantastic!

I am eager about what’s coming!

I already have evidence of it. It’s only the 1^st day of the year and it is warm and sunny outside. I have already found one thing I want to giveaway ( I did promise myself to find one thing a day).

I have a wonderful dinner date with friends tonight.

I have the most cheerful conversations with a few beloved relatives.

I am eager about working out today.

I am itching to begin reading my TBR pile of books.

I am raring to start my East Coast/West Coast road trip.

Life is good and getting better!

10 blissful things I plan to do this year.

1. Go to bed before 10 every night..
2. Read 50 pages a day.
3. Drink more herbal teas.
4. Wake up early each day.
5. Meditate for 15 minutes each day.
6. Spend more time outdoors.
7. Find one surprising thing in each day.
8. Create more beauty in my world.
9. Take more photos.
10. Listen to great music.

Paring down

I am starting my minimalist adventure in a few days.

I am doing it because I feel that a relocation is in the cards and I want to be prepared.

I realize that I only need things I use on a daily basis, while the rest of it is just taking up space.

I plan on both selling and freecycling my stuff.

I also want to train myself to use this laptop for journaling. This is going to be difficult, because I adore using pen and paper which takes up a lot of boxes!

I am thinking of posting photos of the items I am relinquishing and writing a short paragraph about it. This feels like good therapy to me.

Right now, the whole idea sounds like fun to me. We'll see how it unfolds.

10 things I did today.

I read 50 pages of The Red Tent.

Created 2 bracelets and 3 pajama necklaces.

Cooked a three-course dinner.

Tidied my work desk.

Admired my Christmas tree.

Decorated the breakfast table.

Took a nap.

Made stovetop cocoa with cinnamon.

Watched a movie on Netflix.

Wrote two pages in my journal.

Sharing for the fun of it.

When it comes to sharing, there is nothing I enjoy more than to share material objects or my knowledge and expertise with others. It feels exhilarating to me.

I’ve been teaching the girls next door to cook from scratch. Together, we have the greatest fun. I think of us as cooking up fun on a weekly basis.

Thinking up unique ways to share is a fun pastime of mine. Acting on impulse is the best feeling of all. It surprises both the receiver and I. Mostly, I am surprised at how good it feels to see the other person’s reaction.

Short story podcasts

Today I had the distinct pleasure of listening to a series of short story podcasts from The New Yorker. It was absolutely delightful to hear some of my favourite authors reading other favourite authors! Ah what fun this was! I downloaded them to my ipod from the itunes store. There is a brief discussion at the end of each story.

Chasing happiness

Today I chased happiness for the fun of it. First I stayed in bed until I had finished reading a book I started last night. My mate kept me fueled with delicious café lattes.

When I did rise out of bed, it was noon and I was hungry for homemade French bread. This was followed by the inspiration to bake French bread and cook chicken gumbo with spicy Andouille sausage. I promptly got dressed in my work out clothes and proceeded to knead the bread dough in the mixer, while checking for the ingredients for the gumbo. Oops no okra, but no worries, hubby offered to run to the store that is 25 minutes each way. While he is gone, I worked out for an hour, which was very energizing. Next I showered, played Christmas music on the Apple TV - cool radio stations there - while I chopped and chopped all the ingredients for the gumbo.

While the gumbo was simmering, I watched Blindside, which was the most inspiring movie I’ve seen this week. The food was absolutely delicious and reminded me of Mr. B’s bistro in N.O. I’ve got to return there for a foodie reunion with myself.

After the fun I had today, I’ve decided to make chasing happiness my official goal because the rewards are priceless. I love the feelings of joy, inspiration, eagerness and glee that courses through my veins when I focus on doing what makes me happy.

Not bothering.

“Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”

-Winnie the Pooh

I am struck by this quote because I have that attitude of 'not bothering' down pat.

When I cannot relate to some dire situation which I have no control over, I truly can't hear the person I am listening to.

I love the life I have!

I understand completely that I am the creator of it and I especially like the fact that if I am not pleased with any aspect of it I can change that too!

When things are going well I acknowledge it is all my doing and when they are not it is also all my doing. Either way I take full responsibility for all of it.

What I have noticed is that when I take responsibility for all of it, I don’t spend anytime in blame, anger and resentment of others. And as a result, I can quickly create the life that I do want. Everyone gets off track at one point or another but the trick is to get back on as quickly as possible.

What's good in your life?

Thank you for asking!

I love this question! It encourages me to zero in on all the things that are going well for me. I spent a wonderful weekend! We had a most leisurely, blessed Thanksgiving Weekend. It was extremely casual and relaxing. We planned nothing that required effort or appointments. We watched my most favourite TV series- Season 1 of Glee, How to Train Your Dragon and Flipped. We played dominoes and Can’t Stop as well as with our regular electronic toys and gizmos. I also got a 4^th generation Ipod, replacing the 3^rd generation I’ve had for a year now.

I am abundantly blessed and expect things to continue to go extremely well for me.

I look forward to more great relationships, to my upcoming week in Orlando especially the much-anticipated Harry Potter theme park.

I am on a different plane since I’ve been listening to my Guided Meditation cd. The experience is unique to every individual and so I won’t go into the details of what doors have opened up for me.

I bought a couple of mp3 songs which I’ve played a gazillion times and counting.

They put me right into the Vortex!

So, what’s good in your life?

My trail.

I am wise enough to follow the trail of good feeling thoughts and actions today.

An effortless day.

The things that made today special are:

I woke up in the vortex, which is always what I most want.

I received a hefty check from some jewelry someone bought.

I loved receiving the check because it included a tip and a note about the quality of my work. It also indicated that when you do what you love from inspired action, money would flow easily and effortlessly.

I was delighted to hear my father speak of how much he enjoys having his son spend some quality time with him. I was thrilled for both of them.

I was able to buy the first season of Glee for a fraction of the cost. Glee has become my

‘At home Broadway Musical Fix’.

I had some contrast that clarified what I really want and that is always a good thing as nothing ever goes wrong.

I received yet another book from PBS!

Apple TV now has Air Play as of today!

My new meditations.

I am so thrilled with the new meditation cd from my favourite teachers that I can hardly contain myself never mind my words.

I received the cd on the 15^th of November and began by reading the book and listening to the meditations immediately.

It is by far the best meditations I have ever experienced.

Ever!

What makes it so special? Every single time I listen to one of the fifteen-minute segments I can feel my body literally releasing resistance as things pop, space is made and body feels boneless. Weird right? But oh it feels so very good!!!

The other thing is how smoothly the rest of my life is flowing without me having to lift a finger.

I have been practicing this stuff for thirteen years, so I am not saying that the meditations are what’s causing this avalanche of good feelings and good manifestations.

What I am saying is that the meditations have accelerated the rate at which I am manifesting a quality life.

The bad news is that I want to tell everyone I know, even if they are not interested!

Screwy right?

But that’s how enthused I am about this tool.

I intend

"It is my dominant intent to look for things that feel good today. No matter where I'm going, no matter what I'm doing, no matter who I'm doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for what I'm wanting to see, to look for things that feel good." –Abraham-Hicks.

This is one of my favourite quotes from Abraham. I have about a thousand, but this is in the top five. Impressive right?

I intend to look for and listen to uplifting music today.

I intend to spend some time outdoors.

I intend to teach the girls to cook Italian food.

I intend to continue reading my current book.

I intend to receive uplifting news today.

I intend to have only uplifting conversations.

I intend to continue with my daily meditations.

I intend to resume my workout and yoga practice.

I intend to compile a list of books for PBS.

I intend to tend to my wellbeing.

I intend to appreciate, appreciate, and appreciate