MINDFUL MOMENTS

My cats are pretty adventurous so this evening I couldn't resist  putting them in my brothers Jeep which is full of furniture. I thought they'd only hang out in my brothers jeep for a few moments but no such thing. It's four hours later and they're still in the Jeep having some lazy time. My brother captured this cute moment with his I-Phone. Should the cats stay here at home or take a long journey with  my brother back to his place in his Jeep? Only time will tell what the cats want to do. For now they're enjoying lots of precious moments.

The other evening I went ballroom dancing and on one of the walls was a poem written by Cesare Pavese that said:                          I stood and gazed at those few words for several moments because I felt as if the universe was trying to persuade me to keep writing my blog on "Everyday Moments." Moments pass us by continuously and there's so much to remember about those moments as we reflect on our past. As I danced away on the hard wood floor doing the waltz, swing, tango, and salsa I couldn't help but think about those moments when I first learned to ballroom dance and how it brought me much happiness. One particular happiness occurred several  summers ago in Stowe, Vermont when I was teaching my friend to waltz during a Mozart concert performed at the Trapp Family Lodge by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Those moments dancing with him were one of the happiest moments of my life and I'll remember thos...

                                                                                                                                                                      My friend; the squirrel                                                        Just as I was pulling into the driveway, my friend dashed in front of my car awaiting her treats. I quickly went to grab some peanuts and the sweet creature stood on her hind legs crack...

On Wednesday I boarded the Amtrak train at 6:51 am for a day trip to a college town called Ann Arbor. It was one of the most fun-filled days I've had all year because so many interesting people and things came my way. I can't believe how much I packed into my 8 hour day; food tastings at Zingerman's Deli, research at the U of M law school library, a visit to two museums, an Indian lunch buffet meal, mingling with shop-keepers, trying on vintage clothing, finding the perfect pair of shoes at a unique shoe shop, brisk walking around the university campus, a cup of tea at a tea shop, attending a lecture, and a half hour of bliss in a  serene book shop. The best part came when I was seeking an answer to a question that was pondering in my mind the entire day. I got my answer at the book shop when I looked through some angel cards and randomly trusted the universe to help me choose the two cards that would give me the answer. What was the answer? Be Bold and Be Strong ...

Yesterday I took a rather long bike ride to get my heart pumping. While biking through a residential neighborhood a young girl who was biking alone gave me a big smiley "Hello." I was caught off guard but I found it to be so heart-warming and gave her a big smiley "Hello" back. Moments later I saw another young girl who was riding her bicycle with her father walking alongside her.  I gave her a quick gaze as I paddled along the street and she gave me a loud cheerful "H E L L O." I really wasn't expecting any "hello's" that evening and yet two different young girls who were complete strangers didn't find it strange to give a woman riding a bicycle a sweet "Hello." That's what I call a precious moment.                 H  E  L  L  O                                  

BC first started coming to our backyard during the cold winter month of December. He was big so we named him "Big Cat." For several weeks BC came by every evening at about the same time to get fed. The poor guy was very hungry and we knew he was a stray. No matter how hard we tried to get close to him he just wouldn't warm up to us. He would eat his bowl of food and disappear until his next meal. As time went out we slowly began to bond with the "Big Cat." BC would spend longer periods of time in the backyard & driveway keeping warm on the cozy rug we provided for him. BC allowed us to get closer and closer as time went on. My moment of happiness occurred last night during a rainstorm. In the middle of the night I could hear loud meowing. Suddenly BC appeared at my bedroom window asking to come inside the house. I opened the window and let the guy inside. Although he didn't stay long it was the beginning of trust between a stray cat and a human. I...

Although I try to minimize my multi-tasking habits it's not always easy. This was the case yesterday when a flood of responsibilities fell upon me one after another. I just needed a little break and my 20 minutes of bliss came to me when I walked through the doors of "The Boston Tea Room." "The Boston Tea Room" is not a place for afternoon tea and scones, it's a new age shop where you can purchase items such as aromatherapy candles, books, hand lotions, and tarot cards. They offer tarot card readings, meditation, Reiki energy healing, various workshops, yoga classes. Visitors can sit and relax at one of the tables and sip on a cup of complimentary tea. My intention of walking into "The Boston Tea Room" was to leave my yoga teaching certificate with one of the staff members in hopes of being contacted to teach yoga there. The young woman at the counter was so helpful and kind. She had me jot down some information for the yoga teaching posi...

It was a gloomy early afternoon when I left the fitness club where I teach yoga, nevertheless I was eager to take a brisk walk along the busy commercial street and check out some prospective places to look for a part time job. It began to rain and I got a bit wet so I decided to walk into a tropical fish shop. The whole place made me feel like I was on a Hawaiian tropical island, hundreds of exotic fish inside tanks in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Suddenly the owner of the shop appeared in his wheelchair. The poor man had no feet but he had a big smile on his face. He had such enthusiasm for his reptiles and pointed out to me where a lot of them came from; Africa, Australia, Mexico, Brazil.....and so on. His name was Lee and although he had a handicap it didn't stop him from having a zest for life. I was so inspired by Lee that I intent to write a little story about him and his shop. In that short time I spent in the tropical fish shop I got to meet some sweet turtles with ...

                                                            I was looking at a shelf of free books displayed outside a book shop when suddenly a homeless man appeared and started to talk to me. His pants were torn and he was carrying an old tote bag. His name was Henry and he was reaching out to someone who would just stop and listen to him. I wanted to listen to Henry so I chatted with him for several minutes. Poor Henry had a flood of problems; he was out of a job, he couldn't afford his rent anymore, his Mother had recently died and he was sick with cancer. He cried as he shared his life burdens with me and was so thankful that someone cared enough to even listen to him. I had no cash on me that afternoon but I did have a bag of ready made food treats that I had purchased earlier in the day. I handed them to Henry and sai...

I walked into a store and stared at the cookie display of my favorite cookies. Back in the old days when I had a steady paycheck I often rewarded myself with gourmet style cookies never worrying about the price. Today was different and I knew I couldn’t really afford these cookies. None the less I went to the check out counter to purchase the cookies. For some reason the customer was taking forever so I  moved to another lane to make my purchase. The cashier scanned the cookie package but no price appeared. She looked at me and asked me if I remember how much the cookies cost. I told her and instead of charging me the amount she just put the cookies in a paper bag and said "I'm going to give you these cookies for free. Enjoy them!" A simple act of kindness by a cashier in just a few moments time really made my day. I was short on money, really couldn’t afford the cookies but somehow a way was made for me to get my favorite cookies for free. This was truly a moment o...

My inspiration for starting this blog manifested when a health crisis slowed me down. After years of moving at fast forward and multi-tasking I came to a stand still and finally took time to notice things around me like the mother feeding her baby at the cafe, the butterfly resting on the flower, the homeless person yearning to find someone to chat with them....the list goes on. I decided to keep a journal of all the people, places, and things that touched my life and made me appreciate those everyday moments. I'd like to share those everyday moments with you on my blog called "Everyday Moments." Here's to those beautiful everyday moments!!