Gaia Community: mimi's Blog

What in life are you most sure of?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:42:37 GMT

Anything can happen to anyone anytime.
Nothing is sure
Everything changes
Look within
Look out!
We can't know enough
Only don't know
It's all ok in the end

Tags: QaR, certainty, knowledge, clarity, anyone, anything, anytime, change, know, ok

Rain in Africa - a capella choir

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:21:37 GMT

Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa (live, HQ)

I was transported by the sound. Imagine! ---being able to create this sound with human voices working together. Make music not war....

Tags: choir, Rain in Africa, thunderstorm, a capella

What does it feel like to breathe?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:43:40 GMT

It feels better than not breathing. Oh, yes, we take breathing for granted, ya ya I'm breathing involuntarily of course I'm breathing. No... wait, I've stopped breathing. Oh shit! not good- breathe...try to breathe, gasp, gasp,fuck! open your mouth dammit.
aaaaaahaaaahhhh, thank you god. I can't believe what just happened again.

Waiting to Exhale... breathing in and not being able to breathe out. Shit! what the hell? HEEEEELP! I'm in trouble, sit up, clutch throat, think! think! panic die? aaargh,
try to release my exhale, how? try to take another tiny breath in,no air moving, try to inhale to exhale. God. inhale, how? try! tiny breath in - ohmygawd, it let go. stunned, Must tell doctor about this. Try to forget about this freaky thing and put head back on pillow - drifting - click, click, sharp whistle in myear - oh no, it's happening again...can't exhale. Sleep sitting up for the rest of the night.

During the day - Involuntary Gasping. Sitting watching tv or reading,really relaxed mouth closed, a big gasp inside. This went on for years. When I told my family doctor about it, he was totally disinterested. The sleep clinic doctor was very interested in failure to exhale but offered nothing up, though diagnosed me with Sleep Apnea. He said I stopped breathing only 11 or 12 times per hour, and that was considered "on the cusp" for treatment by breathing machine at night.

The most magical breathing I learned through yoga, the complete breathe. It took me one year to be able to do that. It is wonderful to breathe into each section of your body and feel the energy,. I am most thankful to all my yoga teachers over the years who have been some of my best spiritual teachers.

Breathing is an important part of meditation. I can also use the breath to control my pulse - and blood pressure. My doc was shocked when he took my BP and said it was a bit high. I told him I would lower it by the time he came back in a few minutes. I was able to breathe my BP lower. I can make my pulse rate go up or down on a hospital monitor - long hours in the emergency room taught me that. I think it is how biofeedback works. Can't tell you how to do it. It has something to do with how we breathe. Don't take it for granted - it is a magical thing. - each breath. Love the fact that you are breathing!

Tags: QaR, breath, breathing, yoga, meditation, sleep apnea, waiting to exhale, gasping

What's your most vivid childhood memory?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:04:10 GMT

SUMMER ---growing up in a tiny perfect little town, not even a town, too small to even be a town. But it had everything a kid like me needed. My sister Helen and I still talk about how lucky we were to have grown up where and when we did. When everything was uncomplicated and just there.

Some things were big and wonderous - like the giant weeds along the railway tracks where we played and took the shortcut to Grandma's house. We'd look on and under the leaves and find snakes, grasshoppers, praying mantis, cacoons, butterflies. We had instant stuff for science projects.

There were wild strawberries to collect, and hickory nut and walnut trees, plum, apple and cherry trees in neighbours' yards, loaded with fruit to pick, , and vegetable gardens where kids could just pick a tomato hot off the vine, or pull up a carrot and rinse it off under the outside tap.   We had creeks to explore and knew when the polliwogs arrived, and we watched the red-winged blackbirds building nests in the bullrushes. We hated when the boys would pick the bullrushes and use them as a weapons, almost as bad as the chestnuts on strings they whipped at us.

We  could sit in the shade of a huge chestnut tree at Kathleen Tronovsky's house across the street , or climb the walnut tree next door and hide on the lower limb. There were roses in everyone's front yard that climbed sparkling white trellises.   People washed their porches and steps with garden hoses and then washed the sidewalk in front of their house.

After the supper dishes were done, kitchen counters cleaned and the floor swept, the mothers would go out for a walk around town and stop and talk to the other ladies doing the same, or talk to people sitting on their front porch. I liked when I got to go with her and we got invited up to sit on the porch. Usually, the ladies would open their front door, go in and bring out a drink and some snacks for us.. In the evening, we could hear the grown ups laughing as they gathered on each others porches and talked till sometimes 10 at night.

I remember the hot hot summers when I was about 5, trying to walk barefoot on the scorching sidewalk, after putting on my stretchy bubbly blue bathing suit and getting to the grassy patch in our tiny back yard. My dad made a sprinkler for the hose out of vinegar bottle cap. He punched some holes in the bottle cap, and attached a wire e to it to stick in the ground. My sister and I would run through the cold water and scream in delight. We'd get sunburned and not complain....

The day would end, and the air was always fresh with the smell of flowers and the sounds of insects singing late into the night -- Moths banged on the windows outside as we fell asleep, the dark green blinds banged softly inside with each gentle  breeze.

Tags: QaR, childhood, memories, memory, life, summer

Who would you really like to get to know?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:08:47 GMT

Ancestors - stories of their lives.
That is why I am gathering family information, documents, pictures. I have found long lost relatives in Belarus, and over 100 second and third cousins in Canada.

I am printing some of my blog pieces and putting them in a binder for my grandchildren. They are really interested in what I was like and what I did when I was a kid and I enjoy reading my stories to them. They liked the one about "getting the strap".

Anyone I want to know now, I just give it a try and see what happens. Whatever happens, happens. Sometimes nothing happens. That is something too.

Google image

Tags: QaR, friendship, closeness, connection, ancestors

Funeral Home Serves up Free Drive-thru Coffee

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:56:12 GMT

Watch out, Tim Hortons!

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

CHATHAM - It's not unusual to sip coffee served in a funeral home, but to get a cup of java on a drive-thru is another story.

Beginning July 1, a Chatham funeral home is providing free coffee every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for anyone who drives up to get a cup.

James MacNeil, managing funeral director at Bowman Funeral Home in Chatham, said the promotion, which runs until Aug. 26, is a way to help raise awareness about the upcoming Senior Games in September, being hosted by Chatham-Kent, and to raise the profile of the funeral home.

"I'm trying to think of different ways to reach out to the community," MacNeil said.

Members of the Seniors Games will also be on hand with banners to promote the event, which will feature participants from throughout the region, he said.

"There's very few free things in this world," MacNeil said, noting a portable sign advertising the promotion was gaining a lot of attention.

MacNeil said a Facebook page promoting "Chatham's only free coffee drive-thru" is also getting some good response.

Tags: free coffee, funeral home, free things

Are you good at accepting compliments?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:21:04 GMT

Yep, because a compliment is a gift and there has to be a receiver to make it complete. I accept graciously without making a big fuss or making the giver feel uncomfortable about what they said to me.

Photo credits: (Google images) ""I support compliments" by Lexnger

Tags: QaR, compliments, acceptance, self-care

How did your grandparents meet?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:53:27 GMT

My paternal grandparents were from what is now Belarus. My grandfather Mikhail was Russian and my grandmother, Elana Polish. Evidently, my grandma was very desirable - she drove a horse- driven beer wagon. He met her on one of her deliveries. They came to Canada in early 1900's.

. My grandmother was a kitchen maid for some rich people. My grandfather was a military man in the Dragoons in what at that time was the Austro-Hugarian Empire. He was quite dashing in his uniform. The rich people had a son in the Hussars too. When my grandfather was invited to dinner and spotted my grandmother, Anna, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She said she had had lots of suitors because she WAS so beautiful. My maternal grandparents were from what is now Ukraine.

I urge everyone to find out their family history NOW.. Your children and grandchildren will want to know - some of them will. Ask you grandparents about their lives, and their parents' lives. Right now my 90 yr. old aunt is still wanting to know her grandmother's maiden name. One of my cousins may travel to Belarus to find the church records in a small town called Malech.

Tags: QaR, love, grandparents, family, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian

Michelle Obama's Father's Day Message

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:53:58 GMT

Happy Father's Day,

I’m writing to share a special video of Barack talking about fatherhood, but first I want to share some thoughts of my own.

My father, Frasier Robinson, was the rock of our family. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion and our hero.

He worked tirelessly through good days and bad to make sure my brother and I had every opportunity he didn't -- to go to college and pursue our dreams. His example continues to guide me every day.

Barack didn't have my good fortune -- his father left when he was just two years old. But he has always been determined to give our daughters what he never had, and he values being a good father more than any other accomplishment in his life.

On Friday, Barack brought some men (and a bunch of kids!) to the White House to talk about fatherhood. Check out a video of the event:

We all know the remarkable impact fathers can have in our children's lives. So today, on this 100th anniversary of Father's Day, take a moment to celebrate responsible fatherhood and the men who've had the courage to step up, be there for our families, and provide our children with the guidance, love and support they need to fulfill their dreams.

Thanks,
Michelle

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

Tags:

Why and how are you an inspiration?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:18:46 GMT

I don't give up.
I might give in.
I re-invent

Tags: QaR, inspiration, inspiring, life, give up, give in, reinvent

What keeps you from being present?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:05:00 GMT

Just me not paying attention, mind drifting, imagining stuff, making up scenarios that will never happen, making assumptions....
instead of paying attention to the fine details of what I am doing Right Now - washing the dishes, the bubbles, the warmth of the water, the smell of blue Dawn, the speck of egg still stuck to the frying pan, the bird singing outside. I'm squinting, how beautiful the colour of my Assam tea is in the clear glass cup.

Be here now. Be someplace else later.
Is that so complicated?”

~~~Zen Judaism: For You, A Little Enlightenment - David M. Bader

Tags: QaR, peace, calm, presence

Parrot Genius

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:30:38 GMT

Pet Star- Eintstien the Genius Bird

Tags: talking parrot

Foraging Fruit in the City

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:39:09 GMT

What a great idea! foraging for the fruit in the city. This made me think of Martha's oranges in Arizona. When my friends visted a friend in Arizona, they were shocked to see oranges and grapefruits just lying on the ground under overladen trees. They actually went and asked the neighbour if they could pick some of the fruit off the ground. They did let these Canadian seniors gleefully harvest some of the fruit. We usually pay about $.50 to $1 per orange.

Besides the rise urban gardening, more and more families are planting vegetable gardens in their back yards. The great surprise is that the kids are more interested than adults in watching and maintaining the gardens. Everyone loves the taste of fresh picked food they grow themselves. I remember my grandkids checking daily on the 3 strawberries in a patio container. They were so thrilled the day the 3 berries were ripe enough to pick and eat.

READ THE WHOLE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/dining/10Fruit.html

Article from http://www.dailygood.org/
You can subscribe and receive daily worthy stories. A very nice website.

Tags: foraging, food, urban gardening, backyard gardens. DailyGood

What has not yet happened in life?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:40:56 GMT

New Yorker cartoon:

Two Zen monks in robes and shaved heads, one young, one old, sitting side by side cross-legged on the floor. The younger one is looking somewhat quizzically at the older one, who is turned toward him and saying:

"Nothing happens next. This is it."

From Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, in the chapter "This Is It":

So far, Everything has happened in my life. Who knows what's coming next? not me....

Tags: QaR, life, future, waiting, anticipation

What have you been procrastinating about?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:49:21 GMT

Answering this question.

Tags: QaR, procrastination, avoidance, delay

Clean up whole country in just one day

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:35:41 GMT

Country clean-up project "Lets Do It 2008" / Teeme

Awe -inspiring! Shows what is possible by being organized and inspiring volunteers to participate in this challenge. They cleaned up the whole country in just 5 hours!!!

Tags: clean up, organization, volunteers, inspiring.

Marshmallow Test

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:20:52 GMT

Marshmallow test reproduced by Dr David Walsh @ wcco

Kids ability to delay gratification predicts success in life. Kids need to learn to say no to themselves - use self-discipline.

Tags: self discipline, gratification, success.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:38:20 GMT

I am it now.

~~Calligraphy byThich Nhat Hanh

Tags: QaR, adult, maturity, development, future, self

Being Silence

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:59:34 GMT

Adyashanti "Silence"

Tags: Silence, non-dualism, understanding, Zen

Do you use relationships as your mirror?

http://mimibyrd.gaia.com — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:38:37 GMT

No

"Mirror, mirror, on the mall" -
~~Matthew William Byrd,1974 ( my son, age 3)

Tags: QaR, relationships, mirror, self