Inspired

The first time I put ads on my blog I found they were advertising things like products for refinishing furniture, cooking websites, and local furniture stores. Today, I log on, and the first advertisement I see is for ADHD medication. Seeing as though the other ads were topic related to my blogs, has the blog decided to acknowledge the fact that I am so all over the place, I might have ADHD? I don't know. I do know that when my grandmother came to stay with me this summer she labeled me as hyperactive. I think all around we might be on to something here. My mother told me that as a small child I was "busy". Busy, of course meaning bad. Also meaning hyperactive. I like to refer to it as well-rounded and productive.

Watching the news this morning I heard the local newscaster announce that she had been keeping her windows and sliding glass doors open at night because of the cooler weather. This just didn't seem like the best thing to me to announce on public television. I often feel at home here watching the news because they are about on the same page as KQ2.

I am feeling alive and awake here this morning due to the caffeine and beginning the day with a yoga class. When I wake up at 4:30 A.M. I think to myself, "What is going on here? I really hate seeing this time of day". When I get to the gym and my students show up, I am not only feeling optimistic but also enthusiastic. I cannot believe that other people would willingly join me at that time of morning. It is so refreshing and inspiring. I truly love to teach and adore the thought of helping other people relax and appreciate themselves and their abilities, right where they are. The concept of letting go of competition and feeling challenged yet successful is revitalizing. I am continually blessed to be able to teach.

One of the things I love most about coming home at that time in the morning is the coffee pot. I try to set it the night before so that when I walk through the door I can smell it and feel like someone just did something really thoughtful for me. I am, however, drinking my coffee through a straw this morning in response to a comment from my dear, sweet husband. He doesn't really like the idea of coffee anyway, so I think he finds little moments to put negative thoughts about it in my head. We went to the beach this weekend and in the car he turns to a smiling me and pauses, fixes his gaze on my teeth. Maybe being somewhat self-centered I think to myself, "Okay, prepare for the compliment, you have beautiful teeth". Instead Jacob asks me if I brushed them this morning. I said, that was a gross question, of course I did. He followed it up with a, "Well, they just look kind of yellow today, maybe it's from all of the coffee". We of course exchanged several phrases after these comments, and today I am drinking my coffee through a straw.

The last thing I really wanted to comment on was a book I just read called "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt. It was full of beautiful detail, a gripping memoir that won the Pulitzer Prize. His living conditions at various points in his life in Ireland are less than optimal, usually bordering on dismal. His father is an alcoholic that drinks away what little assistance they receive from the government. At one point, they are even ripping up floor boards for firewood for warmth in their tiny apartment. The lavatory for the entire street is right outside their kitchen windows. Again and again, he is rejected for respected positions in his town such as altar boy because of his economic status. Close family members even ridicule him, never forgetting to remind him that he is no better than his drunken father. He does not lose sight of his goal. He is resourceful, he supports his family the moment he is allowed to go to work.

There are so many other wonderful things to say about this book. It is just remarkable the circumstances he is exposed to and the level of responsibility that is placed on him, even as a small child. What touched me the most was the reminder that having a full belly and decent bed to sleep on is a luxury. So far removed from true poverty, many of us are in pursuit of items that are far beyond the title of basic necessity. I know that personally at times I have felt sorry for myself not being able to afford a certain brand or buy an extra TV or piece of furniture for the house. The reminder that this reality is so different from the reality that many many others in the world are facing was necessary for me. This book presents the concept of resilience from a circumstance that is probably unimaginable or unthought of from most American's perspectives. It was a struggle and a joy to read.

Let's go out into the world today and live and appreciate.