Yes, this means YOU.
😊
A message for us all
What many kids need now
I’ve shared blog posts from this writer before, though it’s been a while. But this one really hit home for me.
Reading it brought to mind memories of how bad I felt for some of my dearest friends in high school because they struggled with academics and felt “less than” someone like me, for whom good grades came easily.
Mind you, I wasn’t really learning that much more than they did. I simply had an aptitude for test taking and knowing what teachers wanted to hear.
My friend, Linda, worked so hard all the time and got C’s while I took home A’s. I so admired the way she created beauty around her in everything she did, but in her mind that didn’t count for anything.
In those moments I knew in my heart there was something wrong with the whole school paradigm and it made me rather cynical for a long time.
Anyway, this is a long blog post, but I think it’s well worth reading — especially if you have anything to do with teenagers.
“Dear Rachel, I’ve read #LiveLoveNow, and it helped so much. No more ranting at my child. Instead, I’ve become her sounding board, able to listen and offer pieces of advice. I listened to the audio book and towards the end, there was a message you gave your daughter about academic pressure. Can you please tell me where in the book that is? I’d like to write it down for my daughter. Thank you for your words of wisdom that helped me be better.”
Messages like these give me life. I sent the parent the passage she described, and I am overjoyed to know she is using it as a template to write a personal affirmation for her child.
On page 232 of #LiveLoveNow, I write:
“There is a great, big world outside the walls of your school and academic life…
a world where skills like relating, managing, critical thinking, leadership, risk-taking, and initiative are needed…
where attributes like compassion, integrity, perseverance, honesty, and ambition will needed to make important changes and breakthroughs happen.
And there you will be, using your skills and your attributes to better the world.
I will never let grades, scores, or reports let us lose sight of your purpose or potential.”
My friends, these words are not just “words in a book.”
I remember exactly where I was standing in my house and what time of day it was when these words were born. My daughter had come home from school visibly upset. In a moment of deep self-doubt and fear for her future, I said those words to her. And I immediately knew they meant something when this teenager, who is not much of a hugger, collapsed into my arms. I had the privilege of feeling my daughter’s breathing return to normal. That’s what can happen when we speak of possibilities instead of limitations.
We can start with these seldom mentioned truths many kids could use right now.
Average grades do not mean you are an average person.
Below-average grades do not mean you will have a below-average life.
You are more than the grades you receive.
You are more than what you achieved today.
There is more than one path to success and prosperity.
Written by Rachel Macy Stafford
Author of “LIVE LOVE NOW: Relieve the Pressure & Find Real Connection with Our Kids Today”
Tulip magic
We finally made it over to Crystal Hermitage to experience “Springtime at Ananda” in the gardens and…yes, it’s beyond incredible. Positively astral!
There have been so many photos shared on Facebook that I had resolved not to take any. But…one simply can’t resist trying to capture the beauty.
So, here you go…
Easter blessings and joy
What a beautiful and joyous Easter it was…starting with this amazing altar!
Blessings and joy to all. 🌷🐥💗😊
Mandala thoughts
Today was all about slowing down and coming back to center.
Last night’s Oratorio was the kind of deep and powerful experience that needs time to integrate and reflect on in order to fully comprehend it.
Somehow the process made me think of a mandala, because the bits and pieces of the experience — the initial vision, the challenges, the hopes, the compromises, the highs, the lows, the people stuff, the music itself, the thrill of performance — all have their perfect place in the intricate complexity of the whole.
A much needed day of resting and doing a whole lot of nothing was a good start to the process.
Tonight – Oratorio, Christ Lives!
All the final details are in place.
Now it’s time to rest, relax, and focus on feeling and looking our best for tonight’s performance.
I can hardly wait.
Oh, yeah! The performance is from 7:00-8:30pm (PDT) in the Temple of Light at Ananda Village.
Here’s the link if you’d like to watch it online: https://youtu.be/7RiSPCoTPfw
Like riding a bike
I played flute tonight on our final rehearsal before tomorrow night’s Oratorio and came away with the thought that maybe playing flute is similar to riding a bicycle.
What I’m referring to is the saying that “you can never forget how to ride a bike.” Because tonight I was actually able to play flute moderately well despite months and months of hardly touching it due to my shoulder issues (after years of playing only occasionally with no serious practicing).
Which must mean that one can’t forget how to play the flute either.
I started to feel curious about it, so I did a little search on the internet. Here’s an excerpt from an interesting article I found:
Learning to pedal is no easy feat. But forgetting is harder. For most people, even after decades-long hiatuses, cruising still feels like a breeze. The key is how the brain remembers the task.
Mastering cycling requires a ton of higher-level thinking: Your noggin’s motor cortices plan and execute precise muscle control, the cerebellum helps you balance and time your pedal strokes, and the basal ganglia keep these movements fluid rather than jerky.
It’s precisely this colossal load of cerebral coordination that ensures the skill sticks around.
Well, it’s certainly true that mastering flute took a ton of higher-level thinking and lots of effort (back in the day)! And I guess that “colossal load of cerebral coordination” is why the skill has stuck around.
Whatever the reason, I’m very grateful!
Shout out to Ramesha…
…who just released the first single from his long-awaited new CD, The Inner Temple!
This is one of my favorite songs to sing (and I got to join him on the chorus). It’s a wonderful combination of devotional and totally joyful.
Click here to download a digital version of the song (you can listen to a sample first).
Cherry blossoms and April showers
We’ve been so busy with medical appointments and getting ready for the Oratorio that we haven’t made it over to Crystal Hermitage Gardens for Springtime at Ananda yet.
But we’ll get there, for sure.
The recent cold weather means the tulips will probably last a good few weeks longer. However, the cherry blossoms have already peaked and, as you can see in the video, the recent storm blew most of the petals off and onto the ground, creating a beautiful pink carpet.
You can get a better sense of both the upper and lower gardens in two segments of coverage by Good Day Sacramento.
Thoughts on sitting and being
A violinist friend from my classical music days responded to Saturday’s blog post (in which I describe enjoying some “serious R&R” time) with the following quote:
“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.”
— Thich Nhat Nanh
So many of us need to read reminders like this regularly.
In fact, while I was sitting and simply staring off into space that day, I found myself remembering another quote which I love; I heard it many years ago, but have no idea who originally said it): “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.”
Bottom line is we need to spend more and more of our time remembering that “Spirit is the journey; the body is the bus.” And that we’re human beings not human doings.