Vitameatavegamin

 There's a lot going on but, with a little humor, I'm making it work. lol

Headed to Vegas, where rehearsals are fun-filled and salads are thirty bucks.

Laughter helps everything.

Have a great week everyone!

Love, 

T

Hold the Rope

Early in the week, I watched an episode of Psych. (Did you ever see that show? It’s hilarious!) The main character, Shawn, had been challenged by a serial killer to a battle of wits, and was trying to keep his usual brand of lighthearted humor despite the seriousness of the situation. He encouraged his best friend, Gus, to help him out by keeping that spirit of goofy humor alive. Gus obliged by acting silly in the most serious of circumstances. By outward appearances, Gus seemed to have lost his mind – LOL. It was unclear whether Shawn just wanted to make him look like a fool or really needed his support in that manner. The show cracked me up, as usual.

(from Psych Season 3, Episode 16 "An Evening With Mr. Yang")

By “coincidence,” the day after watching that episode some close friends and I had to deal with a challenging situation in which it became very tempting to lose our cool. We adopted a similar coping mechanism. To safeguard against falling into the perils of negativity, we adopted a system I call “hold the rope.” When one friend has to deal with some unpleasant situation, another holds the rope. One dives in while others stand in pure love, positive energy and good humor. It’s like having a lifeline. That line is meant to guarantee safe passage into the depths of worldly un-pleasantries and back. Like a harness, it’s a support system.

Let’s face it. Challenges exist. Whether it’s a confrontational coworker, a less-than-pleasant circumstance, or a personal relationship problem – sometimes it becomes a challenge to stay in a positive state of mind. I heard someone on the news this week say that the way to fight hate is with love. It can require serious effort to keep your spirit in a place of love, no matter what comes barreling at you from others. I try to remind myself that there is always something to be learned from ANY situation and that ultimately, a positive outcome can be found. I believe everything can be met with the force of love and that if we are strong enough, in faith and spirit, there is nothing and no one with any real power over us. Keep loving, keep staying strong; that is the plan.

This week, when something is challenging, I’ll ask a friend to hold the rope for me – and I will volunteer to hold the rope for another if they need.  We can stay in the land of love and positive energy if we just give each other a helping hand. If we can manage to keep a smile, we’ll be alright.

With Love,

Namaste

T

Oh Happy Day

So I'm standing in line for the restroom at a Starbucks in NYC...

and I looked down at my phone as I remembered a hilarious video I have in there.  I knew that there was some explicit language at the end of that short clip, so I made sure my phone was on mute before I played it.  I wanted to play it to make sure it was in fact the video I was thinking of before I forwarded it to a friend.

I hit the "play" button and was immediately horrified to realize that the sound WAS playing out loud and frantically began hitting the volume controls in an effort to quiet the playback before the expletive rang out for everyone around me to hear.  (It wasn't actually that bad and might not have mattered at all, but I didn't want to offend anyone.)  I only had a matter of seconds.

The exhilaration and panic of those seven seconds was somewhat like a roller coaster ride.  I couldn't turn down the volume fast enough and was racing for the sake of my utter embarrassment.  It was one of those ridiculous moments where I was fighting a losing battle, and what I was about to lose was my dignity.  (Did I mention that it was a video clip of ME and that I was the one who used explicit language at the end?)

As the volume slowly declined and the footage rolled on like a steamroller right over my pride, the inevitable language played loud enough for the people close to me to hear (although I couldn't be certain that they had in fact heard).  I laughed out loud at the ludicrous situation AND the hilarity of the video.  I laughed hysterically.

At first I wasn't sure WHY the girl next to me started laughing too.   Did it matter?  I was in the throes of a laughing fit!  As my eyes glanced up to meet hers, I laughed even harder and so did she.  Then she said, "Funny video?"  (Alright then, she HADN'T actually heard anything specific from my phone, I thought.)  I said, "I couldn't turn down the volume fast enough," but I'm sure she didn't understand what I meant.  Then, still laughing and just as she left to enter the restroom (she had been in line in front of me) she added, "adults don't laugh enough."

I was left outside the door in my giggle fit to realize and think, "Wait a second, did she just call me an ADULT???"  This cracked me up even harder, and just then the guy coming OUT of the restroom saw how hard I was laughing and HE started laughing too.  As he walked off smiling, I continued down the humor road.  I realized the oddity of the fact that three total strangers were standing around in a NYC Starbucks laughing, and that I was the only one of us who knew WHY - and then I thought THAT was funny.  I remembered with a smile how contagious happiness can be.  I couldn't have wiped that smile off my face if I tried - AND WHY WOULD I WANT TO TRY THAT?

Earlier that day, I had been talking to a friend about how we are all responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness by the choices we make and he had sent me this quote:

"Happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors."

- The Dalai Lama

Later that day, another friend of mine said,  "Happiness looks good on you."

As the week progressed I tried to hold on to that happiness.  It was a great week filled with family and friends and truly joyous moments.  There were times when I just took a deep breath in, and felt filled with gratitude.  Simple things like a campfire, the smell of coffee in the kitchen, cars in the driveway, flowers in the yard, and the smile of a child, all signified grand abundance.  Life was good.

You couldn't have taken that feeling of gratitude away from me if you tried - AND WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO TRY THAT?

Here's bidding you a wonderfully happy week...

Namaste,
T