I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

photo credit: stock.xchng

Maya Angelou once wrote an autobiography by the same title– a fascinating book that you should read if you haven't already, but that isn't what inspired this post.

No, it was reading the following words from Buddhist monk, Nichiren Daishonin:

"When a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to get out."

It is the amount of truth in this metaphor that renders its power. The "truth" being that if we can just stay close to our true nature, if we can continue to uplift others and create beauty despite our own suffering or limitations, our courage will be inspired and strengthened so we may break free and improve our own life circumstances.

And even when we are not aware of our substandard life– because a cage may be all we've ever known– if we continue to strive to add value to the world around us, new possibilities will come into view. They will inspire and motivate us to stretch beyond our current way of being, until one day we have found a way out of our cage... out of our small lives... allowing us to experience a freedom we've never known before, turning our ignorance into a spectacle for us to observe.

And the ones who are free... they are bound to the ones who are not. The joy they feel as their wings spread and carry them to new lands is never taken for granted. It is something they cannot withhold from others. All they need is to hear a song from a cage.

Another One Off My "Bucket List"

I've practiced yoga at 6:00 a.m. before, but never in the hallway of a hotel. It's not something on my bucket list, but what followed was: my husband and I running our first half marathon. My yoga practice not only warmed up my muscles, it focused my mind. I wasn't 100% sure if I could run the whole thing and I needed to cast away all doubt.

My husband and I (pre-race)

I drank my daily concoction of "greens"  that my husband packed for the both of us, ate a few slices of apples and then we were off. I felt confident I had enough energy to sustain me, given the amount of carbs I  had accumulated in my system from eating a large pasta dinner the night before.

With my step mother and our daughters in tow, Kevin and I made our way through the hotel lobby to catch the first taxi we saw. We could've easily walked to the start line, but... it was pouring rain. 

Great. Better stay dry as long as we can, I thought.

The good news was as soon as the run began the rain stopped. At that point, I could release the envy that crept into my mind and targeted everyone wearing a garbage bag. 

Within the first 15 minutes, my iPod quit working for reasons unknown. At that point, my crutch of comfort was taken away. No longer could I depend on the playlist of power songs I carefully put together the day before. No problem. The people, the music and the cheering put a smile on my face for the first 7 kilometers, until my right knee started hurting really bad. Then the people, the music and the cheering became necessities. I observed onlookers banging cowbells, which prompted me to begin yelling "MORE COWBELL!" so they would make more noise and distract me from the pain.

After 7 kilometers, my body was no longer running the show, my mind was:

My knee is really hurting. I hope I don't damage it.

It'll be okay. Just keep going.

But this totally contradicts the yogic view of honouring my body. I'm going beyond my limits.

Yes, but from a Buddhist view I'm overcoming an obstacle.

 Aww screw it. I didn't come all this way or bring my stepmother and children here to see me walk across the finish line. My yoga practice will make for a quick recovery. I'm not quitting.

Then I thought about olympic athletes, athletes with physical disabilities, and a co-worker who recently completed a half-iron man, which is 70km of running, biking and swimming, while she was sick. And when those thoughts didn't work, I recited a Buddhist mantra. Despite the feeling of my knee* threatening to give out at any moment, it held up and my husband and I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 22 minutes.

This is what my half marathon experience has taught me:

1. Showing up counts as effort and builds momentum. Some people would rather talk about it than actually show up.
   
   
2. Showing up may count for something, but doing the actual work to achieve your goal requires conviction, perseverance, and people cheering from the side lines.
   
   
3. As Rachel Berdan (the co-worker I spoke about earlier) advised... "trust your training". The effort of your past actions will determine how ready you are to pursue your goal. Which leads me back to lesson #1- you can't just show up.
   
   
4. There was a sign someone was holding up along the route that read, "Losers never start. The weak never finish. Winners never quit." This kinda sums up lessons 1-3.
   
   
5. Rachel was right. When I stood at the start line, I realized I had been waiting for this moment and I was ready for it. All of my training brought me to this point, which confirms that any and all action toward any goal or dream means eventually you will not only show up for your moment, but you will finish it.
   
   
6. When you lose momentum or you feel like giving up, turn to your cheerleaders and encourage others along the way. I found myself spontaneously shouting at everyone around me, "Come on! You can do this! Don't quit!" You can try to lift your self up, but you gain more when you lift others up with you.
   
   
7. Never have a go at anything big alone. Having my husband running beside me kept me strong. Nothing beats approaching the "finish line", whatever that may be,  and seeing the faces of loved ones cheering you on, knowing they are witnessing an epic moment on your timeline.
   
   
8. Overcoming obstacles as a couple keep a marriage strong, especially ones you choose. That could mean eating healthier, getting out of debt or renovating a house. Carefully placed stressors make you work as a team.

So tell me... where are you in your half marathon of life? Watching others, while merely dreaming about pursuing that goal or dream? Have you showed up, but without doing the training only to say, "why bother?" or have you been working tirelessly with a vision of crossing the finish line? Maybe it's time to actually run. If you've been running and obstacles are in your way, don't give up and make sure you rely on those positive people you've surrounded yourself with. And... if you've crossed the finish line, maybe it's time you started helping others to do the same.

*After all is said and done, my knee is fine. And yes, yoga provided a quick recovery time– although on "day 3" of recovery I was sitting at an all day retreat for work and I kind of seized up. Mental note: stay moving post half-marathon.

Do Good Anyway

It's been well over a month since I've finished reading "A Simple Path" by Mother Teresa, but these words, which appeared on one of the last few pages of her book, have stuck with me. They are important words that I would like to share with you:

No matter what, there will always be critics and naysayers of the good you are trying to do. There will be situations to make you think you've made a mistake and you'd be better off going back to living a quiet life– but you mustn't. All of the good things in life are good because people like you have exposed their heart and voluntarily made themselves vulnerable. Courage is always noble.

But, if you do get the wind knocked out of you or you stumble and fall, there's nothing wrong with taking a rest. Undesirable experiences are necessary for growth. They provide the required space to fine tune your vision and reevaluate your approach. Although it may be tempting, please don't give up. There can never be enough good in the world and you have something worthwhile to contribute– even when it seems pointless.

It's Not Just Positive Thinking... It's Work.

  The mind is powerful. We've heard it all before: when thoughts are focused and backed by will we can create anything. The will is a mental muscle. The problem is most of us have fat heads. Our thoughts are scattered and we do little to exercise our minds beyond the building of our perpetual "to-do" list.  Sure, many of us can proudly declare that we've set goals and have achieved them, but that doesn't necessarily mean the mind is strong.

The true ability to create anything doesn't just come from setting and accomplishing goals, it comes from being able to choose the quality of thoughts, which thereby increases the quality of not only what you create, but the quality of who you become in the process of creating. What good is it if you finally make your million dollars, but you're full of anger? Or if you lose that extra 20 lbs, but you're full of guilt? The why you want to create is more important than the what. The why is what will provide sustenance to your will, because if it's compelling enough it will be what pushes you to walk through the fires you are bound to face.  Becoming healthy so you can look good on the beach isn't as compelling as so you can physically enjoy life to the fullest.  Working toward that dream job so you can buy a new Mercedes-Benz isn't as compelling as so you can help more people with the extra money you earn.

Whenever you are trying to create something new, the creative process raises sensitivities that will either encourage you to reinforce existing bad habits or redefine who you are. The key is paying attention to your tendencies toward feelings of inadequacy or failure, which usually translates into anger, jealousy, shame, guilt, etc... basically all the feelings you don't enjoy feeling.

Self-defeating thoughts are bound to make an appearance, but it's up to you whether or not you accept them. Think of them as a function of self-preservation. They are merely a retaliation to your attempt to deviate from your current belief system, which defines who you currently are. It's an obstacle... a test to see how you will choose to proceed and just how strong your will is. It's also fork in the road. You could push through on will alone, but when you accomplish your goal, you'll just be the same person at a different spot. Insecurities from prior unchanged beliefs will continue to pester your mind. Worse yet, if you push through merely on will, the how to achieving your goal may also have a hefty price: How many relationships did you damage along the way? How many morals did you have to compromise? What harm did you bring to your body?

The real problem is when these self-defeating thoughts occur and you make the mistake of accepting them as wise thoughts. Once they're accepted, your actions will follow. The trick is to take those thoughts and put them under a magnifying glass. See how they've managed to run your life thus far; influencing the decisions you've made and the people you have allowed into our life. Maybe it's even some of those very same people speaking your negative thoughts for you. The biggest question you could ask is not How am I going to change all of this? But rather What do I need to change within myself to move forward? Maybe it's to be more forgiving of your past mistakes or more compassionate toward your imperfections. Whatever virtue is waiting to be retrieved will bring forth wisdom and in the end, a much better version of you.

It may take several sessions of chipping away at your obstacles. Chances are you will experience taking a few steps back for some of the progress you make. It may seem like all of this is slowing down your process, but if you persevere you'll find it's actually transforming who your are. It's hard work building a solid foundation, but in the end, it's what will turn your vision into your new reality.

"I'm a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us."
 
- Jack Canfield, co-creator of "Chicken Soup for the Soul".

Occupy London: If You Don't Like Sleeping in a Tent...

Occupy Wall Street Protester

 The Occupy movement has taken a hit in London last week. How they move forward will determine whether or not Occupy London fizzles and fades completely or transforms into a force to be reckoned with. I think Larry Cornies has very succinctly summed up the way I feel about the whole movement in London, so I won't bother to try to say it all again in my own words. I do know that if I were in NYC I would've joined the protest being that Wall Street is one of the main arteries of corruption in the U.S. and globally –although I probably would've only lasted a week before I became restless and felt like I needed to see some progress and then wandered off trying to find a way to make it happen. I guess I'm impatient that way.

However, I do believe all of the Occupy protests serve a purpose and need to happen.  Every angle needs to be covered if we are to create lasting change. Protesting is necessary, activism is necessary, education is necessary, informed personal choices are necessary. Above all else, dialogue is necessary. It won't happen over night, but if we're relentless, change is inevitable.

I've been asking myself, what can I do to contribute to the Occupy movement? I can: stop participating in things that are contributing to the problems we're trying to put an end to and start supporting the things I would like to see be a part of the world we're all trying to create. No, I'm not part of a mob when I do it, but it's still effective. I know you also have a vision of a better world, but what are you willing to do to make it a reality in your personal life?

As I continue to take action upon action toward making my vision a reality, my life continues to transform. The twenty-something I used be no longer resembles who I am now. Never would I think I would stop eating fast-food and drastically reduce the amount of meat I eat or get rid of Javex, Tide, Vim, Glade ( etc., etc., etc.) for natural household alternatives. I do need to start walking and riding my bike more and I know I will because everything I do means I'm breaking a cycle and contributing to something better. It takes patience and effort to create a new habit, but I'm committed. That's how I plan to Occupy Earth.


If it's the environment you're concerned about, what are you doing to stop harmful chemicals from the commercial products you use to no longer go down your drain or pollute the air in your house or seep into your skin? If you buy it, they will make it.

If it's community, when is the last time you have volunteered? Got to know your neighbours? Spoke to your councillor? Joined a grassroots initiative that was working to create positive change? If you knock on the door, someone will answer it.

If it's the corporations you are going after, why not turn your attention to local businesses instead?

Last week on Twitter, J.D. owner of P'lovers tweeted about the 3/50 project which is a simple action we can all take. Pick 3 local businesses and spend $50 at each of them each month. The economical and ecological impact is worth it. And although I'm not physically at the Occupy protest in our city, this is one of the many ways I choose to show that I agree something has got to change with how our world operates. It's something we can all do and with the Christmas shopping blitz in full effect, what better time to start than now?

If you go to the 3/50 project page they ask you to think about the three independently owned businesses you couldn't live without. I have more than three that I like to spend my money at, but here are my top picks:

P'lovers
Curiosities Gift Shop
Jaydancin



What three independently owned businesses would you not be able to live without? I would love to hear from you so I can discover new treasures to support in our city and thereby also support sustainability, fair trade and eco-conscious production.

I would also like to hear some of the actions you have been taking to create the world the Occupy movement is making space for. The more we share, the more we learn. I look forward to your positive and creative suggestions.

Whatever social issue or problem you would like to see change, there is something you can do about it now, so get busy!

P.S. Complaining doesn't count.

It's Big, It's Grey... and It's Yours.

We all have something in our lives that we would call an elephant: it's that one big thing we would love to do, but make a million excuses not to do it. There's major risk involved. A lot of hard work is required; maybe more than we've ever been asked of ourselves. Do you fear the elephant?

4 years ago, I decided to leave the profession of teaching to pursue... Ha! I didn't know and to some degree I still don't! But I had enough reasons back then to make the move. Now, don't get me wrong... it took two years of consideration and uncertainty before coming to that point, but it certainly prepared me for the raised eye brows and head shaking I got when I made the announcement. "Are you nuts? Summers off, a great pension... why would you give that up?" "What about all of your education? You're just going to let that go to waste?"

What seemed like a hasty decision to others, was actually well thought out. I mean, I had two years of behind-the-scenes contemplation. The one truth I couldn't surpress was no longer being happy in my career. Too many underprivileged kids were falling through the cracks. From what I could see, education was becoming a business and children where being treated like cardboard cut-outs. I knew with every ounce of my body I needed to make a change, but I was scared as hell to do it. I worried about what other people would think. I worried about what I would "do" next, but regardless the pain pushed me out of teaching and miraculously my happiness moved me forward.

Happiness asked me "What do you REALLY love to do? What are you REALLY good at? What are YOUR gifts to share?" Then something bigger asked me "Why are you here?" That last question I'm still trying to answer in greater detail, but in general I've come to answer it as "to live in joy and to leave the earth and humanity better than when I arrived".

Now that I'm on the other side, I often look back at how much I agonized over making that decision and I always smile with relief. My life has been nothing short of amazing and it just keeps on getting better. Increased community involvement, television appearances - even co-hosting a series (that not even I could watch because I'm not a cable subscriber), meeting a multitude incredible people and working for a company that cares.

Trying to leave the earth and humanity better than when I arrived is a BIG elephant, but like the saying goes, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at time. And... in hindu tradition, Ganesh is a deity resembling an Elephant, also known as a destroyer of obstacles. If that's so, how can something be an obstacle and an obstacle remover? Looks like an opportunity to me.

Special thanks to Aaron Robb, who challenged me to write a blog post that included the words "fear the elephant".  I promised to do it if his next blog post included the words "in the babbling brook". My mission has been completed :)

Ready for a Radical Change?

When I take my last breath I will know I have lived to my fullest potential and with no regrets.

We all get lazy sometimes and that's okay, but when it becomes chronic we become miserable and life becomes mediocre. Usually, we blame everyone and everything around us when in fact, we are being called to change; called to be more than what we currently are. We've grown and the discomfort of our life is just a signal that it's time to move on –metaphorically or literally.

Most people get stuck in complaining about something and then go back and forth between things going well (complaining stops) and things going bad (complaining resumes). It takes a cancer diagnosis or a job loss to start pondering the course one's life is taking.  But instead of waiting for that major, earth shaking, painful incident to happen, why not just get tired of complaining and decide to do something about it before the power of choice is taken away?

Deciding to do something is like a switch going off in your head and in that fraction of a second you know with every ounce of your Being that it's a done deal and you'll never go back to the way things were. To put it simply: all lasting change starts with a radical change in thought, not action. To say "I need to lose weight" is really only a "should" and will lead you to putting yourself temporarily on a diet. To say "I need to exercise" is really only a "should" and will lead to you purchasing a gym membership and neglecting to go.

A life changing decision is a change in values or beliefs and is usually preceded by frustration. "I am sick and tired of feeling this way!!! I will NOT go another day feeling these aches and pains in my body because of my weight" is a decision that inspires a strong commitment to action.

But, maybe you just aren't that sick and tired yet. Okay... fast forward 10 years from now and see your life as the effect of today's actions. Be honest with yourself –no sugar coating allowed! If you don't like your weight now, how will being overweight affect your quality of life 10 years from now? If you are broke now, how will having major debt and no savings affect your quality of life 10 years from now? If all of your relationships are full of drama now, how will you be functioning a decade from now? And remember, the more conscious your decisions, the more responsibility you have. Are you ready for that? Let's not forget that every decision made always affects more than just you. Can you negotiate the cost of a bad decision?

By glancing into your future you can educate yourself now and take advantage of an opportunity to make choices that will change your life's path. Just think, if tomorrow you took your last breath, would you be able to say, "I gave it my all" or would you be begging for a second chance?

I know you're out there...

On some level, all of us are craving change. Perhaps you have felt your wheels spinning because the desire for change was there but you didn't know what to do with it. It's time to stop spinning and just make your move! Whether it's big or small, all action counts and is instrumental in creating change.

I found this TED Talks video (my favourite source of information) featuring Seth Godin, an entrepreneur and well-known blogger, speaking about using the internet as a tool, bringing like-minded people together to create major change. The power of one isn't really the power of one; it's the power of many and it is the power of truth. Speak your mind and share your heart, but you're going to ruffle some feathers. Do it as a 'tribe' and there's nothing to fear.

Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and for the next 20 minutes enjoy this little pep talk.

Seth Godin on the tribes we lead | Video on TED.com