Rewording
Do you remember being asked countless times as a kid, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
I certainly do and I cannot remember what I said…probably something creative or strange, I’m guessing. For young adults the pressure is on and a well thought out plan for structure and stability are expected when this question comes in at 90 mph. What we wanted to do for the rest of our lives had better been good or we would be in for many follow-up questions with no way out. Kind of glad those days are gone. But wait…Fast forward through trials, errors, wrong turns and misjudgments to our own annual life audit which leads to the emotional beating up of oneself for a while. A common coping strategy may be something chocolate flavored or fermented. We all know by now that exercise and a healthy snack will keep us from our dark place, right? Yeah, that stuff usually follows the meltdown, but rarely saves us from it. Or there is always the advice from my feisty grandmother, “don’t look back if you can’t laugh, shithead.” (That’s her loving, lifelong nickname for me—not kidding, I have the birthday cards to prove it.) Anyway, at this point in the life audit, goals start to take shape and the vision boards get assembled adjacent to countless pro and con lists. “What do I want to do?” “Who do I want to be?” “What is my purpose?”
For some reason, these questions seem so strange to me today. As an avid pinner, I often use Pinterest as a vision board. It has become a mental break for me to look outside of myself to see beautiful products, ideas and lifestyles. It’s fun, but it can spill over and blur reality a bit.
This morning, I had a mini awakening and wanted to reword the question “who do I want to become,” and changed it to “who will I become from being me,” rather than what do I want to become. Arthur Ashe’s quote “start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can,” became more clear to me. If you think about it, “what you want to be” is like wearing clothes that don’t fit or planting lemon seeds and expecting carrots to grow. The phrases we use and the questions we ask ourselves and others are important so they need to be accurately worded.
Who did I become from being me? What version of myself will I become in 20, 30 or 40 years? It’s a journey not found on Pinterest boards. This is original and I am definitely still discovering new parts every day.
Happy New Year!
A Random Message From The Tao
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu ~ Verse 8
Translation by Jonathan Star
“The best way to live
is to be like water
for water benefits all things
and goes against non of them
It provides for all people
and even cleanses those places
a man is loath to go
In this way it is just like Tao
Live in accordance with the nature of things:
Build your house on solid ground
Keep your mind still
When giving, be kind
When speaking, be truthful
When ruling, by one-pointed
When acting, remember—timing is everything
One who lives in accordance with nature
does not go against the way of things
He moves in harmony with the present moment
always knowing the truth of just what to do”
The TAO TE CHING has been a grounding guide book for my life with its many twists and turns over the years. This particular book was left for me by a former partner and I think it was the greatest thing he gave me. People come into our lives for reasons we may never know with each of them having an impact in how we reshape ourselves once that relationship expires. I frequently refer to this ancient guide for navigation especially when I struggle to quiet those voices and moments of overwhelming anxiety. These verses have brought me great peace and I suggest anyone experiencing a conflict or feelings of emotional imbalance to open the Tao Te Ching to a random page and read the first verse they see. It is not a cure all however, it will create calm for that moment. One moment, one step, one action leads to another.
Lemonade
“How to Make the Best F’ing Lemonade” is coming soon to Amazon. This little book is filled with lemony recipes and insights to deal with life’s sour moments.
In 2012 I participated in the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project with my “How to Make the Best F’ing Lemonade” sketchbook contribution. Since then my little book has had a total of 9 views. I loved getting every one of those emails informing me that someone found my 5” x 7” black painted sketchbook in the sea of thousands of beautifully crafted works of absolute art. My little book is plain and simple, no pop up origami, no colorful illustrations of an adventure, notta one perfectly painted portrait of a loved one or pet, nor an eye catching cover so moving that one could see it clear across the room, nope, not mine. My little book is scrappy, black, hard to find and filled with the sour parts of life accompanied by tasty recipes to take your mind off of life’s many troubles. The Lemonade book, as I loosely refer to it, provides pivoting thoughts from a financial setback, job loss or relationship to playing like a child. The book will not solve all of life’s disasters, however, it does break up tension and inspire creative solutions to move on to the next chapter in life.
The recipes sprinkled about are lemon flavored snacks, blender drinks and libations for those tougher moments.
“How to Make the Best F’ing Lemonade” is a tiny book of inspiration for your personal development tool box for life’s messy moments. “HTMTBFL” will be available for download soon!
#brooklynartlibrary #sketchbookproject #lemonade #howtomakethebestfinglemonade #book
2020 Clarity
tina natalini Feb 9 2 min read
Clarity
Every moment is an opportunity to decided to create a balanced mind, body and home. A new year and a new decade can provide inspiration and maybe a side of clarity for making lifestyle adjustments. Here are a few simple ways to get moving in a new or slightly different direction.
MIND
Move into a breathing meditation to tap into the amygdala (fight or flight/defense response) in order to calm the central nervous system. Try this simple breathing technique from Wim Hoff: (See link below the post for a full demonstration to the Wim Hoff Method) 1. Take a deep breath either through the nose or the mouth 2. Exhale completely 3. Repeat 30 times
BODY
Move energy through the body with child's pose and side bends first thing in the morning and before going to sleep at night. Restorative yoga or yin yoga is a great way to start a yoga practice and supports in recovery from an injury with the permission of a qualified health professional.
1. Child's pose - Sit on feet with knee spread apart, lean forward and stretch arms long above head
2. Shavasana - For a deeper stretch, support the spine with a bolster, blanket, yoga block or towel and allow arms to open out to either side (See product links to amazon below post)
3. Tai Chi - Create mental and physical strength through pushing and pulling energy to and from the body while breathing rhythmically. The movements are subtle yet powerful. Benefits include; overall health (improved functioning of the lymphatic system and blood pressure), meditation (improves focus and reduces stress) and self-defense (improves balance and heightens awareness).
HOME
Move the "out the door" items; keys, work bags, shoes, kid's bags, projects, outdoor clothing...all the things that detour the morning routine and sets the day of up for stress. Stress leads to poor judgement, choices and results that separate us from our goals and creating balanced wellness.
Moving energy and objects creates new patterns. Patterns are set ups can lead to a desired outcome and are key in transforming a lifestyle.
Links:
Wim Hoff Method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzCaZQqAs9I
Yoga Bolster https://www.amazon.com/YogaDirect-Supportive-Rectangular-Yoga-Bolster/dp/B006M98Z1Y
Tai Chi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxcNBejxlzs
*These are unsponsored links. OM SPACE does not gain monetarily from purchases made from links to any retailer provided. OM SPACE is not responsible for the outcome of any products or services mentioned in blog posts.
#2020 #the20s #clarity #2020visions #declutter #design #wellness #wimhoffmethod #yinyoga #restorativeyoga #mind #body #home #o_m_s_p_a_c_e
Hellooo, is this thing working?
tina natalini Oct 15, 2019 1 min read
Ding Ding Ding…
OM SPACE has a YouTube channel of one minute mindful meditations. This first batch of videos are without sound. The absence of sound can create an uncomfortable feeling especially if you're used to some kind of background noise. Sitting for one minute watching a video without sound forces you to stay present in the moment. Those fidgety feelings should fade after the first video.
When sound is absent our mind fills in what we know to expect.
The next batch of videos will have sound so subscribe to be notified when they are posted. Then, comment about what comes up for you and how you felt during the videos. Good, bad, uncomfortable or indifferent. We are all working through things and if becoming more mindful and present is one of your goals, this is a baby step in getting there. Just like any new practice, there will be flexible, smooth days and stiff, ridged days so be kind to yourself and accept where you are each day.
Namaste,
OM SPACE - one minute mindful meditations...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-m9ALwlBtuklNLo343AtXg?view_as=subscriber