Sunday Sadhana

To me, sadhana is a daily spiritual practice allowing time and space for an individual to turn inward.

As Yogi Bhajan (of the Kundalini yoga tradition) says, "Sadhana is self-enrichment. It is not something which is done to please somebody or to gain something. Sadhana is a personal process in which you bring out your best."

Sadhana could be taking a walk in nature, doing breath work or yoga asanas on a mat, spending time meditating or chanting, reading and reflecting on a poem, journaling or simply watching the sun rise.

Please accept this post as a possible starting point for your own practice today.

“What is on the other side of the tiny gigantic revolution in which I move from loathing to loving my own skin? What fruits would that particular liberation bear?”

— Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

43 before 44 — Four months and counting

How did it get to be August 23rd already?

I was not ready for August, and I’m certainly not ready for August to almost be over. (Though I AM ready for jeans and sweaters. I’m pretty much always ready for jeans and sweaters.)

Anywho, another month. More updates on my 43 before 44 list! I’ve completed items that are in bold. Italicized content shares some details about my progress.

• 43 BEFORE 44 •

1. Take a hand-lettering course — I researched popular hand-letterers, purchased this book by The Pigeon Letters, a few pens she recommended, a Rhodia pad, and am considering taking one of her online classes.
2. Eat outside on average two times a week — This came as a result of a story on outdoor living I wrote for Springs magazine. And so far, so good. I’ve also been lugging my computer outdoors and working in the fresh air some days.
3. Do a Georgia O’Keeffe tour around New Mexico (Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, etc.) — Done (connected to No. 19). Blog about the trip yet to come.
4. Install and use an outdoor clothesline — I’ve been researching what style we want. In the meantime, I’ve been drying some clothes outside on my drying rack.
5. Watch every episode of MASH — OMG, this is three years running and still going. Maybe this year will be the final year? I swear there are just a FEW DVDs remaining.
6. Read at least 100 books — I've read 31 books so far (five others in progress) — my favorites this month were this and this.
7. Continue to refine Project 333 to my own version of a minimalist closet project, to include purchasing a few pieces of sustainable and ethical clothing — I keep culling clothes — I’m currently working with a capsule that started at 45 items, and sits now at 35. What's been most fun about this though has been helping friends with their process — did you see my recent post on this topic? And researching ethical clothing companies.
8. Attend the Santa Fe Opera
9. Visit Meow Wolf in Santa Fe — Done, as a part of a road trip with a good friend! (Photo above from one of the Meow Wolf rooms).
10. Hike Hanging Lake
11. Stay at the Beaumont Hotel in Ouray ... and hike Blue Lakes while there — On the calendar!
12. Attend Judith Lasater’s Advanced Restorative Yoga teacher training — Not going to happen this year. In the meantime, I’m looking at taking another online program with Judith or maybe another teacher.
13. Choreograph a country line dance
14. Take a birding and/or bird banding class
15. Take a surfing lesson
16. Plan for and install "Garden 1.0" at new home — In progress.
17. Begin planning "Garden 2.0" for 2018
18. Get will and living will in order
19. Go off-the-grid, no-tech for an extended period of time — Also done. Also will blog about this in the near future. I feel like I'm still processing the experience and am letting it steep for awhile.
20. Learn to make pizza, Roman Villa-style
21. Keep up my #newrecipeaweek commitment — Favorite new recipe? These banana pancakes were fantastic.
22. Learn to play an entire song on my ukelele
23. Plan my next international trip
24. See the sandhill crane migration in March/April 2018
25. Go storm chasing
26. Go on a train trip
27. Visit Best Friends Animal Society in Utah
28. Plan and host at least four game nights with friends — One on the books.
29. Revive Soup Night
30. Learn to fix clothing (beyond sewing on buttons)
31. Plan for a fun photo shoot
32. Place freelance writing with at least five new publications (a mix of print and online) — One down — I’ve joined Lifehacker’s team of freelancers. This post has had more than 116,000 views so far, which is RIDICULOUS!
33. Blog one to two times a week — In progress.
34. Take a glass-blowing class
35. Visit a new-to-me monastery
36. Learn some fancy cake frosting skills
37. Stay overnight on a houseboat
38. Hike with Ollie and Stephen
39. Take a basic embroidery class
40. Train Finnegan to do a just-for-fun trick
41. Memorize a favorite poem — This and No. 42 are also both the result of No. 19.
42. Begin a 'favorite poetry' journal
43. Wear a watch regularly to reduce my cell phone dependency — Pulled out my casual running watch and purchased a new dressy watch. I'm super into this right now.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? CAN I HELP WITH YOUR BIRTHDAY/BUCKET LIST IN ANY WAY?

Leave me a note in the comments below. And I'll see you back here on September 23 for my next update.

Sunday Sadhana

To me, sadhana is a daily spiritual practice allowing time and space for an individual to turn inward.

As Yogi Bhajan (of the Kundalini yoga tradition) says, "Sadhana is self-enrichment. It is not something which is done to please somebody or to gain something. Sadhana is a personal process in which you bring out your best."

Sadhana could be taking a walk in nature, doing breath work or yoga asanas on a mat, spending time meditating or chanting, reading and reflecting on a poem, journaling or simply watching the sun rise.

Please accept this post as a possible starting point for your own practice today.

“There is history to be found everywhere. Whenever and wherever you walk — and it’s great to walk, widely and often — someone or something has almost definitely gone before.”

— Sarah Baxter, A History of the World in 500 Walks

What I’m reading

Here with a quick round-up of what’s on my “literal” and virtual bookshelves.

Books

• I’m halfway through, and really enjoying, this new novel by the author of The Good Thief.
• A fascinating historical look at the 1878 American Eclipse (Side note: Planning to view the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse? I interviewed the author, David Baron, about his travel tips for 5280.com.)
• Up next for me: This memoir (pictured above) about a woman’s struggle with toxic mold — “Julie Rehmeyer felt like she was going to the desert to die.”
• Cannot wait for Brené Brown’s upcoming book. It’s in pre-sale now!
• Also excited for Anne Bogel’s (of Modern Mrs Darcy) new book on seeing the world through the lens of personality. Also currently in pre-sale.

Online

• Elizabeth Gilbert posted this on her Facebook page, and the bold line below really resonated with me:

What's happening in Virginia is appalling and repulsive. And it's not just happening in Virginia. It's happening all over our country. Racism is not new, and it isn't going away. The Alt-right and neo-nazi movement is getting stronger, in this current permissive political climate. Your silence — our silence — is nothing but fertilizer for that dark old hatred. Not sure what you can do to help? There are no perfect solutions, but the list below offers a good place to start. It is better to do something awkwardly and nervously than to do nothing at all. [Here's the link with the list she provided.]

• If everyone ate beans instead of beef.
• Freelancers deserve praise too.
• More eclipse reading. (This one’s a classic from Annie Dillard, and if you want it in print, it’s a part of this 2016 collection.)

What have you been reading lately?

Sunday Sadhana

To me, sadhana is a daily spiritual practice allowing time and space for an individual to turn inward.

As Yogi Bhajan (of the Kundalini yoga tradition) says, "Sadhana is self-enrichment. It is not something which is done to please somebody or to gain something. Sadhana is a personal process in which you bring out your best."

Sadhana could be taking a walk in nature, doing breath work or yoga asanas on a mat, spending time meditating or chanting, reading and reflecting on a poem, journaling or simply watching the sun rise.

Please accept this post as a possible starting point for your own practice today.

“Things usually work out in the end.” / “What if they don’t?” / “That just means you haven’t come to the end yet.”

— Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle: A Memoir