This has been a very Tufts weekend, full of former peers I haven't seen in about a year sprinkled with a few peers I never even knew and topped off with a visit from the one and only Joggles. It was all very good and fun, and Joggles is absolutely one of the best people I know. And hopefully I'll be seeing more of those former peers because they happen to live quite close to me! It was really nice to hang out with them again.
Lately, I've enjoyed the process of reconnecting with old friends in the now and seeing how we've changed and how we've stayed the same. It's amazing that one and a half years has passed since graduating, because in some ways college feels so far away but in others it feels like the past year and a half has FLOWN by. Time is such an interesting concept. The idea of being on time always, and there being a certain amount of time between things, and that this is all very important. Who really knows? I think the construct of time was created for organizational purposes and now it's become this important thing that we couldn't live without. Just for a minute, imagine your life without TIME.
Okay, good. A busy few weeks lie ahead! This week is working and making presents and submitting my NYU application! Woooo! I'm very happy to have everything complete and ready to hand in. It took lots of work and focus to get everything ready by Dec 18th, and I'm very proud of the fact that I did it. Whether I get in or not, I pulled this entire application together in two months, and it feels nice to be submitting it.
Then next Monday, flying to KY with Dave! We're in KY for 3 days, then flying from there to Mexico City together and spending 5 days and 6 nights, including New Year's Eve, in the City that is Mexico. We are freakin' excited! And don't worry, there will be blog entries about the tales of speaking Spanish again and the trips throughout the countryside and the crazy nights salsa-ing in clubs. Estoy muy excitada!
So to all, Happy Holidays. Enjoy your time off and your time with family, and all the fun of celebrations. Much love!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Now Focus on the Coffee Table
In my yoga class on Wednesdays, I have this really amazing teacher who has been practicing for almost 10 years and truly understands how to help and teach other people. She's incredibly wise and sweet...I've learned a lot from her already. And to top it all off, she is absolutely gorgeous.
One thing I love about her is that she brings a holistic approach to her classes. We meditate in the beginning and do breathing exercises together. She then tells a story relating to the philosophies of yoga or describes another yogi's teachings. And then we do the physical poses, ending class with meditation.
This past Wednesday, not only did she help me do two moves I had never done before, but she also described an incredibly interesting mental exercise that her friend shared with her. Apparently over the weekend, she was having a tough time with something that made her feel negative and angry, and kept dwelling in these feelings. Her friend told her to look around the living room she was sitting in and notice all the individual things, like the plants, the coffee table, the rug, the books, etc. Then, she was instructed to take out every object one by one until the space was completely empty. She spent a few minutes in her mind removing each thing, and then sat in the empty space, noticing how open and big it felt. Her friend then told her to put the objects back in, one by one. After this, he said to her that the space was still just as large and open, it just had things in it now. He instructed her to look around and notice all the things while also noticing the space. Next, he told her to focus in on the coffee table, so she stared at the coffee table for about a minute in silence. This wise friend of hers then said, "Now this is what you're doing in your life right now. You are focusing in on the coffee table, on this one issue, and you're ignoring everything else in the room. Even when there's something big and stressful going on in your life, there are still other things of equal importance also going on. Now look around and notice the other things in the room." She did this, noticing the plants again, the rug, the couch she was sitting on. And it made her look at all the other things in her life that were going on, and helped her realize that she was zeroing in on the coffee table, even though there was so much else happening in the big, open life of hers.
This story really stuck with me. I've recently adopted this very Buddhist philosophy (as a result of my yoga classes) of trying to look at all of my emotions as another emotion I experience and then move on from. Frustration, anger, sadness and pain are all emotions, just like happiness, pride and excitement are all emotions. Rather than dwelling in one of these, which thus takes away from experiencing whatever else is happening in the room/life, it's best to recognize the feeling, experience it, and then move on. Getting stuck in an emotion, whether it's positive or negative, really doesn't help anyone. It only takes the stuck person out of the present moment and keeps her in the past emotion. And if that emotion is negative, then it keeps her in a really bad place that effects her interactions with other people. But on the other hand, if she stays in a positive emotion, this can also negatively effect her interactions. Rather than getting worked up about an event and its emotions, or overjoyed about an event and its emotions, I want to experience all events and emotions as simply events and emotions. This is a really interesting and difficult practice!
I have yet to try the exercise I described, but just hearing about it really helped me. I want to try it sometime soon, to see if it opens the space around me a little bit more and helps me look at all the aspects of my life instead of just the few I typically focus on. And who knows... maybe it will help me see my tiny, cozy apartment as an enormous loft with plenty of space for dinner parties. We'll see.
One thing I love about her is that she brings a holistic approach to her classes. We meditate in the beginning and do breathing exercises together. She then tells a story relating to the philosophies of yoga or describes another yogi's teachings. And then we do the physical poses, ending class with meditation.
This past Wednesday, not only did she help me do two moves I had never done before, but she also described an incredibly interesting mental exercise that her friend shared with her. Apparently over the weekend, she was having a tough time with something that made her feel negative and angry, and kept dwelling in these feelings. Her friend told her to look around the living room she was sitting in and notice all the individual things, like the plants, the coffee table, the rug, the books, etc. Then, she was instructed to take out every object one by one until the space was completely empty. She spent a few minutes in her mind removing each thing, and then sat in the empty space, noticing how open and big it felt. Her friend then told her to put the objects back in, one by one. After this, he said to her that the space was still just as large and open, it just had things in it now. He instructed her to look around and notice all the things while also noticing the space. Next, he told her to focus in on the coffee table, so she stared at the coffee table for about a minute in silence. This wise friend of hers then said, "Now this is what you're doing in your life right now. You are focusing in on the coffee table, on this one issue, and you're ignoring everything else in the room. Even when there's something big and stressful going on in your life, there are still other things of equal importance also going on. Now look around and notice the other things in the room." She did this, noticing the plants again, the rug, the couch she was sitting on. And it made her look at all the other things in her life that were going on, and helped her realize that she was zeroing in on the coffee table, even though there was so much else happening in the big, open life of hers.
This story really stuck with me. I've recently adopted this very Buddhist philosophy (as a result of my yoga classes) of trying to look at all of my emotions as another emotion I experience and then move on from. Frustration, anger, sadness and pain are all emotions, just like happiness, pride and excitement are all emotions. Rather than dwelling in one of these, which thus takes away from experiencing whatever else is happening in the room/life, it's best to recognize the feeling, experience it, and then move on. Getting stuck in an emotion, whether it's positive or negative, really doesn't help anyone. It only takes the stuck person out of the present moment and keeps her in the past emotion. And if that emotion is negative, then it keeps her in a really bad place that effects her interactions with other people. But on the other hand, if she stays in a positive emotion, this can also negatively effect her interactions. Rather than getting worked up about an event and its emotions, or overjoyed about an event and its emotions, I want to experience all events and emotions as simply events and emotions. This is a really interesting and difficult practice!
I have yet to try the exercise I described, but just hearing about it really helped me. I want to try it sometime soon, to see if it opens the space around me a little bit more and helps me look at all the aspects of my life instead of just the few I typically focus on. And who knows... maybe it will help me see my tiny, cozy apartment as an enormous loft with plenty of space for dinner parties. We'll see.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Bunny
If any of you have traveled to the Bedford L stop, you have probably witnessed the glory of The Bunny... a young, goofy yet attractive man dancing wildly in the streets wearing various outfits, from bunny costumes to striped overalls to pirate hats to plaid pants with polka-dotted shirts. His moves are energetic and fun, sometimes in one place and other times up and down the sidewalks of Bedford Ave, all the way from Metropolitan to N. 12th. Sometimes he crawls, other times he hops, sometimes he runs and bops in place. He often has a boombox with him, blasting out classic rock or some 80s song that he exercise/dances to. He interacts with people in an exaggerated, comical way, making large facial expressions and rarely falling out of character no matter how they react. He also brings a bin full of costumes so that he can change midway through into whatever ensemble best fits the mood. I would love to dig through it one day and see what crazy shit is in there!
I'll probably have to work my way into his trusted network, though, before he'll let me dig through his costumes. But I think I might join up and dance with him one of these days. I'm sure he would love it. In fact, he already invited me! About two weeks ago on some drunken night, my friends stopped into a deli and The Bunny was dancing on the corner. I commented to the deli employee about how much I love watching The Bunny, and the employee started raving about how sweet he is and how he's this dedicated performance artist who cares so much about his art. My theories were either insanity or drug abuse, so after learning this info, I danced my way over, joined him in his interesting hop, and asked what was up. He told me he's an artist who loves to dance and thinks performance art needs to be brought to the streets like music and visual art have been. Can't protest with that! Time Out New York can't protest with that either...an awesome picture of him with a half page interview is in the latest edition. According to their story, he doesn't use drugs. I wonder.
So, everyday The Bunny makes me smile. And one day I will join him. Apparently he has already found a friend though! She's a mime who hangs out further south on Bedford and performs her skit on the street corner, and I heard from my newfound coffee shop buddy that they've bonded and sometimes perform together. Only in New York. I love it. Watch out... maybe I'll be there with them next week, dancing in sparkling slippers and a Cinderella dress!
Also, I'm going to take a few sentences to brag. I'm completely average when it comes to the verbal and math sections of the GREs, but when it comes to the writing section, I just found out that I am perfect!! I scored a 6 out of 6 on the writing section! Yay! Even though I've said for the past two months that this test is complete bullshit, my ego is still boosted.
I'll probably have to work my way into his trusted network, though, before he'll let me dig through his costumes. But I think I might join up and dance with him one of these days. I'm sure he would love it. In fact, he already invited me! About two weeks ago on some drunken night, my friends stopped into a deli and The Bunny was dancing on the corner. I commented to the deli employee about how much I love watching The Bunny, and the employee started raving about how sweet he is and how he's this dedicated performance artist who cares so much about his art. My theories were either insanity or drug abuse, so after learning this info, I danced my way over, joined him in his interesting hop, and asked what was up. He told me he's an artist who loves to dance and thinks performance art needs to be brought to the streets like music and visual art have been. Can't protest with that! Time Out New York can't protest with that either...an awesome picture of him with a half page interview is in the latest edition. According to their story, he doesn't use drugs. I wonder.
So, everyday The Bunny makes me smile. And one day I will join him. Apparently he has already found a friend though! She's a mime who hangs out further south on Bedford and performs her skit on the street corner, and I heard from my newfound coffee shop buddy that they've bonded and sometimes perform together. Only in New York. I love it. Watch out... maybe I'll be there with them next week, dancing in sparkling slippers and a Cinderella dress!
Also, I'm going to take a few sentences to brag. I'm completely average when it comes to the verbal and math sections of the GREs, but when it comes to the writing section, I just found out that I am perfect!! I scored a 6 out of 6 on the writing section! Yay! Even though I've said for the past two months that this test is complete bullshit, my ego is still boosted.
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