Love - A Four Letter Word

Love. It’s that four letter word that the Webster Dictionary defines as, “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties”. But what is LOVE? It’s a phenomenon of sorts that people have been trying to figure out for centuries. It’s not something that can exactly be defined by a dictionary. Love is something that some people say happens once in our lives. “One day you will fall in love”. Here’s a thought. What if… what if we fall in love every day? What if love is not so much something that we save for that one special person, but something that is in us all the time? We are taught by society that love is this special thing, this hush-hush word that should only be used in special circumstances. I’m not saying that I am perfect. I find it hard to express love. I find it hard to even tell my own mother that I love her and how much I love her. Should it be that way? Should we be fearful to express ourselves? Love is nothing special. It is something that is inside of us and something that is around us all the time. The way we look at someone is love, the way we speak is love, the way we are is love. We are love. Let me repeat that. You, me, them, we are all love. Love is what we were born to do. When you were pulled from your mother’s womb and into the world, when you saw your mother’s face for the first time, there was love. Love is so simple, yet we strive to make it so complex. There are two basics in life. they are love and fear. And so many times we let the fear trump the love. We don’t tell someone that we love them because we are afraid. We don't act in loving ways because of our fears. Love scares us. We have all had rejection in our lives, and it brings about that fear. We fear that the ones we love will reject us. We need to get over that fear. We need to open our hearts to our family, to our friends, to our lovers, to the world. Love is not specific. It is universal. It is something that is the same despite color, race, culture or class. Everyone we come into contact with gives us an opportunity to experience love. So here it is, to all of you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Now, go tell someone you love them. Namaste

Take a Break

We all know that living in American can be stressful. There is a tendency to rush around ALL the time. No matter what, even if we have a day off, if we have a free hour, with nothing to do. There is a sort of obsession with needing to be busy. We like to brag to our friends about how BUSY we are. My friends do this and I admit; I do this. I’ll be talking to my friends and they will ask me how I’m doing, and my response is automatically, “I’ve been busy”. I say this, even when I’ve had a few days off. Why is it that we always have to be busy? We always have to feel busy? We tend to panic when we have nothing to do. Like it’s the end of the world and we will DIE if we just sit on our butts for the day. Well, why not just do that? Sit. And in sitting, I mean the kind of sitting where you are completely present and aware of what is happening around you. I know it’s scary, and I know it’s difficult. I oftentimes sit on my meditation pillow and things just start coming to my mind. “I need to do the laundry. I have to wash the dishes. I left the light on. I need to nap before work. What’s the point of this?” And so on and so forth. This is something called monkey-mind and we all go through it. But sitting in meditation, monkey-mind or not, we should still take a break from “busyness”. So, here’s a challenge. Take some time out of your busy day to just be.  Peace.

The Universe Knows

I am incredibly happy to say that on Thursday I accepted my first position as an RN on the cardiac floor of the hospital in which I work. But, I'm not here to talk about what my job will entail. I'm here to talk about what I have learned. My mom said today, that "what brings us to where we are, are the choices we make." I believe that to be true, but maybe in a different sense than what you may be thinking. I believe that the universe (some of you may call the universe your "inner guide," or God, or the higher power), has a plan for each and everyone of us. This is so evident to me. I have just accepted a position of my dream job as a nurse. Ever since I started working on the cardiac floor at my hospital, I have wanted to be a cardiac nurse, particularly caring for patients with heart failure. Well, my new RN job is on a floor with cardiac patients, many of them patients with heart failure. When I was offered the job, I was in disbelief, and I told my managers, "this job has been waiting for me. This is my job." They both nodded in agreement. I was onthe verge of giving up on that hospital, and JUST as I was about the throw in the towel, I was offered the position of my dreams. The universe has a funny way of doing things. When I was offered a job in hospice nursing, I couldn't shake the feeling that I shouldn't take the job, so I didn't take it. I had an interview in behavioral health and I was hoping and praying for a job offer. The interview went wonderfully, and the manger loved me, and then, all of a sudden, there was no RN position to be filled. I was frustrated, why had I even been interviewed? You see, all of these little "coincidences" of myself not being able to find a job led me to the job that I really wanted. This is a lesson, we may not always see it, but if we can let things be as they are, the universe can lead us to our true Dharma, or purpose in life. I had a rough time not being able to find work, but in the meantime, I took advantage of my extra hours and started back to school. I also got to go on vacation and see my sister in Poland, I got to spend ample time with my other family, and most importantly, I learned to delve deeper into my spirituality. Instead of victimizing myself in negative situations, I changed my perspective and utilized what I was going through, as a learning experience. I am learning that if we change our perspective, multiple doors open, and we can become calmer in times of hardship. When I was sure that I would not get hired at my hospital, and I was losing hope of finding a job anywhere, I decided to look at things differently. Instead of looking at the situation in an "oh-woe-is-me" fashion, I looked at it as, there has got to be something out there for me. I put my trust into the universe, and I told myself that I would get the job that I was meant to have. That is exactly how it happened. So, have faith in the universe. Sometimes in the most difficult of times, instead of trying to control the outcomes, we need to put our faith into something bigger than ourselves. The universe knows.

Sometimes Suffering is NECESSARY

So, I really, really have decided to start blogging again. After so much back and forth, I think that it's about time for me to actually start following through with writing my blog. I have been doing a lot of 'internal' work, so to speak. I think that in trying times, going inward is sometimes one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. I am still looking for a nursing job. It has been very frustrating to put out so many resumes and applications and hear nothing back from anyone. I have come to notice that with all the rejection, it has been my ego getting hurt. I have learned that sometimes suffering is necessary in order for growth to occur. I am also learning that the universe has some sort of a plan for me. I'm not one hundred percent sure of what it is, but I have to trust that in the end things will work out as they should. I hope to eventually be able to reach out to a great number of people who need my help. I believe that we all have so much to give to the world. I sometimes ask myself, 'how can I be of service to the world?' A lot of times the answer is that I can serve by practicing as an RN, but there is that voice inside of me that is telling me that I have a much greater destiny than that. I'm not saying that being a nurse is a small feat, far from it, but I believe I am getting a message from the universe that is leading me on a different path. I am not sure where this path will lead, but I believe I will end up loving whatever it is that I end up doing for a living.

7 Rules of Life

Last week at one of my yoga classes, my instructor read us something called "7 Rules of Life." So, here are the 7 Rules of Life. 1. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 2. What others think of you is none of your business. 3. Time heals almost everything, give it time. 4. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 5. Stop thinking too much, it's alright not to know the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it. 6. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you. 7. Smile. You don't own all the problems in the world. ~ Whisper of the Heart Let me know which one rings true with you. :) Namaste

Expect Less

I know that it's been a while since I've written, but I've decided to pick up the writing again. I'll update you on what's been going on. I became an RN in June of this year after graduating from nursing school. I had two interviews for positions at the hospital in which I was working as a tech for the two and a half years I was in school. A week after the interviews, I was told that I got neither of the jobs. I was in shock. I said to myself, "I worked me a** off. Don't I deserve the job?" Well, the world doesn't always work out the way we think it should. I still have not found a job. I am still working as a tech at the hospital. And yes, I am still bitter at times. I am trying my hardest to stay positive about the future, because the great divine has a plan for me. I'm not sure what that plan is, but today I heard a little voice in my head telling me that I should start blogging again. So, here I am. Letting you know that I am back. As a message for people going through hard times, because in our own ways, we are. Stay strong, and stay positive as best as you can. Live with less expectations than you currently have. There are so many times that we let ourselves down. I'm not saying that you shouldn't stay positive about things, but I'm saying that because I was expecting to get that job, I fell into a deep depression. I'm still working on that. Key word, I am working on it. So I will leave you with a quote:

Every day is a new beginning, take a deep breath and start again.

Anonymous

Breathe and Respond

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?_r=4&pagewanted=2&smid=fb-share
Before you read this post, please read the article above.
Maybe some yogis would beg to differ about what the article has to say, which talks about risk of injury in the yoga practice. But from experience, this article is bluntly honest. At least 8 months ago I injured my hip from practicing seated forward bend. My hip popped out of the socket three times. Every once in a while, the pain in my hip comes back. This was and is a difficult lesson to learn for some (including myself). When your insructor tells you to listen to what your body is telling you, please listen to your body. If you are feeling pain in a pose, adjust yourself in a more comfortable and SAFE manner. There is no reason to be impatient with your body. Yoga is about reliquishing the ego. Yoga is not about being the most flexible in the class, it is about bringing your attention within. And in the asanas, it means becoming present to the way your body feels in a pose. There should be no pain in yoga. Listen to your body, it's the only body you have, no returns, no exchanges. So, during your next yoga class, instead of looking at what the person next to you is doing, look within yourself. The practice is about you, not the others around you. The asanas are connected with the mind, with mindfullness, with your inner peace and eventually with the people around you. But start from the basics. Let go of the ego, listen and respond to your body.

Namaste