Thoughts on Japan

There is only one thing I can possibly talk about today, and that is Japan.

I cannot even start to describe the awfulness of what nature has subjected those people too.

The images of boat loads of scared kids being rescued, none of whom having the first idea where their parents might be, or if they will ever see them again made my eyes water, the interview with a broken mother, unable to find her daughter forced me to turn the TV off. I could bare it no more. Then I felt stupid and put the TV back on. How can you turn your back on such tragedy?

Devastation has now been compounded by the extra weight of man’s own destructive need for power. This has to be a stark reminder of how fragile our parasitic lives are on this amazing living thing called The Earth.

Man’s need for power has resulted in Nuclear power stations being built on fault lines – and no, in no way shape or form am I having a dig at Japan over this, almost every country on the planet would use Nuclear power if they could – mine certainly does. I’m not even against it, I’m an ex Navy man and I have no personal grievance with this power source, but sometimes you do have to stop and think for a bit.

Really though, is there no other way?

Isn’t there?

For these people to be subjected to the terror of this station melting down on top of everything else, just seems too much.

Nobody could possibly have prevented this Earthquake and the resulting Tsunami; nobody could have accurately predicted its strength or exact time. The shockingly high numbers of deaths are actually amazingly low, testament to just how well prepared Japan was for this.

Learn from the dinosaurs. We are only visitors here. The Earth will live long after humans have stopped. I don’t care what religion you are, you will know that to be true, even if you disagree on how that might come about.

If the human race is going to end, then let it be un-preventable. Let Mother Nature do it, or the God of your choosing, but let’s not do it to ourselves anymore.

Maybe I’m being a bit over dramatic, maybe I’m ranting a little.

Sorry.

But honestly, it has been a tough few years around the world for natural disasters, and though all of them have made me stop and think about how lucky I am, none of the TV imagery has quite caught my attention like this one has. Those kids in the truck were so little, they reminded me so much of my little Jamie. The thought of my son surviving such terror only now not to be able to find the one thing they will be desperate for – his mother’s arms – just brought me to tears.

Spare your thoughts and prayers, however you might say them, for the people of Japan.

They really do need them.

previously posted at www.Glenslife.com

Every Action Has a Ripple Effect: Sending Out Healing Thoughts

I usually post on Wednesday or Friday, but I've been feeling a bit numb recently and unable to write. I'm in a very odd place, I feel. On the one hand, so many things are opening up. Things I never dreamed could happen. My position in the world has shifted. I feel it. I know I am right where I need to be. I know I am on my path. But that doesn't mean it's all roses and daisies and sunshine and rainbows. Nope. Not at all. What I've found is that the more I open up to my path and go into my fear, the more challenges I am faced with. Sometimes I get sucked into the drama, which my husband calls Mara. I've written about Mara before. Mara comes in many forms and is there to distract or sway a person from their chosen path or course of action. If a person is not strong enough, he or she may fall prey to the ensuing drama that is all around and lose the balance of the mind. The key, I realize, is to keep on my path and keep my practice.

A tsunami and earthquake hit the city of Sendai, Japan, where I spent two years of my life, on Friday. While I tried to carry on with my day, it was a bit difficult. The bicycle path elevated above rice fields where I rode to the ocean on the weekend from my apartment is gone along with the fields and houses. I don't know if the students and friends I had there are alive or not. The ripple effects or aftershocks of this earthquake were felt inside my very own heart. It left me feeling hopeless for a day or so. While it seems this tragedy is on the other side of the world far from many of us, I realize it is not that far removed from any of us. We are all affected by anything that happens on the planet. The feelings, thoughts and words of one single person can cause a ripple effects across the entire planet. So what can I do about it? What is the answer to something so devastating?

Last night I found the answer after two days of feeling a bit numb and helpless. I am the answer. I found it while I was sitting in a movie theater near the University of Washington with a handful of other people watching director Tom Shadyac's movie called, believe it or not, I AM. The Los Angeles Times had this to say about it: "The accent (of the movie) is on big-picture optimism and the interconnectedness of all life..." And if we are in fact all "interconnected," as the movie suggests, then what we feel, say and do in this world is so important. The overwhelming state of the world at times can leave each of us feeling helpless. After all, what can "I" as a tiny human being, do to solve the world's problems?

On the outside, the truth is, probably very little can be done from my efforts. I can offer donations, monetary aid and prayers. I could fly overseas and roll up my sleeves and pitch in. Yes, there are certainly things I could do on the outside. But I know that the "real" work begins on the "inside." If each one of us takes entire responsibility for ourselves and our own feelings, thoughts and actions from the inside, then how different our world would be on the outside.

I am the answer and so are YOU. It may sound new agey or weird and at one point in my life I might have scoffed at this very idea and thought, "Now that's wacko." But I don't believe that anymore because my own experience has shown me differently. I have seen how the words I write can have a tremendous effect on the people around me. I have received e-mails and comments from people all over the world on many occasions letting me know that they can relate or that they feel these things to be true or that the words I have written were exactly the words they needed to hear. This hasn't happened once, it's happened dozens of times. And I realize that my words are NOT the important thing at all. In fact, the words themselves have very little to do with what is happening here. The truth is, we are CONNECTED...all of us! We all breathe this air. What is happening here is about intention. I have good intentions in me which were somehow awoken by my choices and situations I encountered in life and those intentions are waking up the intentions in you and your good intentions are also awakening the intentions of those around you as well. And it just keeps going and going.....None of us can OWN these words or this goodness or the dhamma or the scriptures or the laws of nature or ANY OF IT. We are all in it, we are all a part of it and what we do here is so important. It starts with you!

So now, a year before my book is about to launch, I am coming up against some Mara or obstacles, if you will. I feel I am being shaken. My new point of reference in the universe causes unease for some people around me. Thankfully, the number of people who feel unease in what I am doing and want to shake things up is no where near the number of people who have supported what I am doing. So I have to say to YOU out there who have encouraged me: THANK YOU....your intentions and the ripple effects of those intentions have been felt! Keep shining and keep spreading your good intentions, you don't know what a positive effect it can have on you, the people around you, the world and beyond! We all play a part in this and it doesn't matter where we come from or what we believe or who we follow. We are all in this together.

Also on my blog: Lessons from the Monk I Married

365 Lessons-Lesson 12: Don't Give Up, The Best Is Yet To Come

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Only 353 more days to go.....oh, Lord! This was what I thought as I sat down at my computer this morning. Fortunately, I have a bulletin board at my desk that has little pieces of paper, messages, letters, pictures, postcards and notes that encourage me to keep going.



This lesson from today is brought to you by a fortune cookie...that's right! According to my mother, my grandfather, who is no longer with us, use to also save the fortunes from his cookies and pin them up. It must be hereditary, because I do the same. He is was one of the most inspirational people I've ever known. He graduated from MIT, worked for RCA and helped with the development of the colored TV. After retirement, he traveled the world helping people in other countries develop in electronics. He was very positive and he had a very opened mind. He always believed in me and he often sent me articles from the Christian Science Monitor related to whatever I was doing and wherever I was. He donated to have a church built in his community and he also attended a multi-faith conference at Stanford University where he saw the Dalai Lama and other leaders of different religious organizations. I think he was ahead of his time.

Also on my bulletin board is a letter from my grandfather dated 12/06/96, he died three months or so after this letter was written. He wrote, "I was very pleased to learn in-depth of your travels and interests. You are a remarkable person and I am extremely proud of you. I like your ideas of writing a book. If possible, I would like to read it." I am sorry he won't get a chance, but his words seem to spur me forward. They shoot out at me, reminding me to keep going.

So, I made a bookmark of fortunes from cookies at various restaurants I have visited over the years. I know, it sounds a little wacky...but I like it. Some of the fortunes come from the Yogi Tea bags. I saved the ones I liked and taped them to a piece of handmade Korean paper. One of the fortunes on that paper reads, "Don't give up, the best is yet to come." Hence, our lesson for today.

I also have a card on my bulletin board from a friend. She gave it to me when I decided to quit the company where we both worked. It was my first job after college. It was sort of an "ideal" job...good pay, benefits, vacation time, 9-5...but I felt I was suffocating. I was ready for something more after less than a year working there. That was 1993, I believe. The card read:
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it."-Goethe. I'm happy to say that that friend is now an avid reader of this blog and one of my biggest supporters today. Thank you...you know who you are ^_^!
I took a leap of faith. I quit my job and worked in a few restaurants locally, traveled to Mexico to teach English for a year, went on my own down to South America and hiked on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world.

(hiking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru in my early 20s)

I went all over Asia, lived in Japan and even climbed Mt. Fuji.

(Climbing down from Mt. Fuji, Japan after the sunrise on the top)

I met a monk who became my husband, traveled to India and the Taj Mahal, opened two yoga schools in South Korea...I just kept going!

(The Taj Mahal, India)

(First yoga school, Seongnam, South Korea)

So when I feel like giving up, I remember these things. I remember that so many people believed in me. I remember that whenever I took a leap of faith against all odds, because it felt right, I was rewarded. I remember that all the obstacles, money and time it took to see my dreams become a reality were worth it. The more I started living like this the more it became a way of life. Even if there is still a faint little voice in the back of my head telling me that it would be easier to stop, I don't think I can. I've walked too far down this path and now I feel I want to share it. Here are some other quotes worth requoting:

Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.-Winston Churchhill

I used to work at the International House of Pancakes. It was a dream and I made it happen-Paula Poundstone

Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there-David Zucker

Always listen to the experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it-Robert Heinlein

If you never try, then you'll never know just what you're worth-Coldplay(On the top of Mt. Fuji, Japan)

Peace friends......may you all be happy and peaceful and live the life of your dreams!