look, lady: just fricken do it.

I often have interventions with myself. I'll be trucking along having fun and suddenly I'll cut myself off from the flow with limiting self talk & actions.

"I'll do it later", or "next time", "maybe when I'm better at it", or I'll go for a nap. Classic.

HERE is a classic situation where I actually thought: I'll do it next time. Not in that epic moment where I was primed to do it....but at some uncertain time in the future. Assuming that a perfect opportunity would present itself again AND I felt the desire to do it. What the hell?

Anyway...from time to time I have to remind myself that the MOMENT is NOW. If not NOW, then when?

Really, I feel like I can handle anything. It's mostly about having the confidence in myself to follow through, or just give'er. Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to get over myself and exude that confidence every moment - to the best of my ability.

In fairness to myself, I am getting better.

But what about lapses in confidence that disrupt my flow and stop me in my tracks? What is it that needles my confidence so tauntingly? Fear. (lame). And feeling unworthy. (also lame).

What am I so afraid of anyway? Having fun? Having the best time ever? Experiencing life to the fullest? Seriously. What is my problem over here?

In her book Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit, Ana T. Forrest speaks of stalking your fear. Just turning around, staring whatever it is that I'm shitting my pants about right in the face and saying "fuck you, I'm going to do it anyway", etc.

And of course, as expected, what was scary never is as 'scary' as it seems.

In this space & time, it's important to not waste space or time. We must seize the moment and get 'er dun.

There really is no time for me (or anyone else for that matter) to indulge in low-self-esteemy ways of being.

There's just too much work to do on this planet.

pictured above: me after I performed Black Bird (Beatles) in front of an audience in LA. turns out, I like singing in front of a crowd dressed like a fashion victim.

tastebud ticklers

Every once and while I'll eat something that is so delicious it's a mind fuck. What? How does this taste so good? It's ridiculous!

This happened a few weeks ago when I was swirling between California and Arizona. A lovely lady named Christina brought Avocado a gift of fresh Barhi dates.

I had heard of Barhi dates before; my friend Heidy got really excited about them when they were fresh in season and available on the internet for a slight investment. Yes, yes. Medjool's, etc are good and all....but compared to Barhi's they simply are shrivelled fruits.

And really - look at these things? Do they look like they would melt your heart with their tastiness?

Frankly I didn't get it. I mean, I like dates and all....but I truly did not understand my friends enthusiasm.

Until now.

Caramely & delicious, these dates made me go to my special place each time I had a chance to enjoy them.

It blows my mind sometimes how nature creates these foods that are so epically delicious just by themselves. Damn she is amazing. Enter slow clap here.

My point: I recommend tasting what I feel that candy makers have only tried to imitate. Nature's true caramel. Open yourself to the experience of a fresh Barhi date. Dang. You won't regret it.

flying high

I've adopted quite a few habits to keep myself healthy despite all the flying I do.

I'll wear a Schumann Resonance device like a zapper to help keep me grounded while I'm flying. I'll fly at night whenever possible to avoid the high radiation that daytime flying brings. I'll take MegaHydrate - a potent antioxidant - to keep myself hydrated and again protected from the avian elements. Further, vials of Quintessential give me a mineral intense moisture. So appreciated way up there.

My biggest challenge is water. Since I've committed to not drinking plastic water, this means that I do go thirsty sometime - particularly when I'm on a plane.

This can be challenging, because dang I get thirsty when I fly. But I know that really, anything I could consume that's provided by the plane really won't put me ahead on a hydration level.

Demineralized, reverse osmosis tap water? What the heck is that really going to do for me? Strip my body of all the good things I work so hard to put in? That's what I thought. I'm more likely adding to my toxicity level and I'm also contributing to our waste problem.

It'd be one thing if the drinks they poured on the plane were in reusable cups, but they are not.

I probably average 4 flight segments per month. If I use just one plastic cup per flight, that's 48 plastic cups per year that are used and trashed - assuming I'm on a short haul flight. This is JUST ME! Nevermind all the other people on the plane, and all the other planes & flights. And of course the water that I could drink comes from a plastic bottle - more plastic! These bottles may be recycled after they're emptied, but I don't know for sure.

And further, the water (or other beverage of choice) that comes in these bottles are loaded with xeno-estrogens and other hormone mimicking chemicals that don't do the body good.

It seems like one small thing I can do for myself & for the Mother - who selflessly gives to me each and every day. A little water fast never hurt anyone....and when I do get to my destination I make it a priority to hydrate with a liquid of considerable quality: fresh spring water harvested from the source is the best, or purchased spring water in glass. Coconut water is great too, either from a young coconut or in glass or in a tetra pack.

Those liquids are truly hydrating, and fully worth the wait.

you are important. and I am too.

It's important to remember that just because someone has more money or less money, more experience or less experience, more friends or fewer friends, more notches on their bed post or less that everyone is of the same importance and value in the eyes of God.

Now I can see people getting squeamish at my mention of God, but really fill in the blank of whatever you believe in - Source, the Universe, Allah, False Idols, whatever.

If you don't believe in anything....sorry, I can't help you.

The point is that this air of "I'm better than you" that our human race seems to thrive on is a sickness that holds us back as a collective. We boost ourselves up by putting or pushing others down and in doing so we impede ourselves from evolving as a whole.

Celebrity culture and the workplace pyramids and class differences can breed a shortfall of neighbourly respect. How about I honour your existence?

Sure, this guy might be more intelligent than that guy; but that doesn't make this guy better than that guy. It just makes him smarter. An important distinction.

If we were a collective of awakened, conscious people we'd treat all those we come in contact with reverence.

Acknowledging a beggar can a more meaningful experience for both parties than giving him money. Eye contact and a smile or a couple of quarters? I see you is worth more.

And the billionaire next door? I see him too. Hello friend, way to be.

Imagine if we all took the time to look at people in our lives. Really see them. We would see that we are the same.

As Rumi says: We are the mirror, and the face in it.

I know I have my elitist moments. I am aware of them. "I am better than you" is an exhausting attitude, and ultimately fruitless. Creating separateness doesn't feel good.

We're all in this together.

When I'm opening and accepting of all people - keeping my judgements on the back-burner - the magic of life turns on and good things flow to me. Everyone's a winner, including me.

the cairns are calling

When I was younger out hiking in the mountains, I always appreciated the cairns along the path. They were confusing at first (are people that bored that they need to build a pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere?). But then I got it.

They were objects of natural beauty, and a sign of human interaction with the landscape.

I loved the simplicity of them. A creative, strategic use of stone to show people the way. Ah, a cairn. We're on the right path.

Currently I spend a lot of time with someone who I'll dub The Cairn Master. He's built what seems hundreds of these miniliths in the forest of his property, each with its own character.

It's interesting being witness to the process. As the Cairn Master works, I hear stone grind on stone, watching the union of the rock together as they lock into place. The stones come to a marriage where they fit perfectly together and will balance there through thick & thin.

It take patience and strength to find that set point of balance. And it always comes, even with seemingly impossibly shaped stones.

When building a cairn a thought to consider: if a small animal brushes by this or a gust of wind blows while it is near the formation, will it be hurt or crushed by a tumbling cairn, or will the cairn hold it's ground? It's good to walk away with the confidence it won't easily budge.

The turn of seasons is the ultimate test for a well built cairn.

Here's a fun fact: When rocks like quartz are put under pressure, like being set between other stones in a cairn, and frequency is emitted - much like the crystals in the dial of a radio or a watch work. In this case, there is a constant pressure.

Thus, besides being a rustic art installation along the paths of many journeys, cairns naturally put out a frequency that would otherwise not be there. What or who is in resonance with this frequency? What is this frequency saying?

Regardless of the lore of cairns, they are a universal symbol of consciousness.

We were here. In a blink of time, the cairn marks a presence.

It's an honouring of passersby of past, present & future who notice... & know.

master of my own domain

At times, I find myself overviewing a just-lived scenario that could have gone better. I generally figure out the perfect thing I could have said. By perfect i mean a response that I would have been satisfied with - knowing in that moment all of my values & beliefs and heart were expressed in that oral or action transaction.

Sometimes a conversation or scenario doesn't go my way, but somehow it's absolutely perfect.

This is common, actually. I wanted the falafel, I got the avocado salad, and turns out, I LOVE the avocado salad. Falafel what?

When it's more in the "this feels really shitty, and I'm still getting a grip on why this fucking blows so much", though, it sucks.

Oh what to do? How to be? Do I get angry? Do I accept it all? Where's the perfection of it all? Is it time to bust out the "Silent Treatment"?

A silent protest. FYI: This doesn't jive with me.

How would an enlightened person handle this situation? Oh wait - let me guess. Enlightened people wouldn't have this situation come up in the first place.

Typical.

Looks how easy it is to be sarcastic in a situation like this.

I wonder if negotiation mastery, killer wit, well timed comebacks and epic retorts have a large connection to a persons ability to fully speak or express their truth in every moment. espresso.

Because gosh darn geez I would LOVE to be there.

Don't stop the party.

Look at how much fun the black eyed peas have. YAY! I'll have a serving of that.

the new monogamy

monogamy is one of those words that has a charge. perhaps it might invoke feelings of boredom, or "long term" or limited choice.

looking up the definition of monogamy on dictionary.com does turn on the gag meter slightly. It just seems so old hat, just like that expression.

The actual marriage part of monogamy aside, there are parts I am attracted to. Less about "until death do us part", the idea of being fully present with someone in a given moment has a monogamous vibe to it.

This monogamousness can apply to both romantic & non-romantic relationships.

We invite monogamous moments into our life, particularly when we're with someone special. And by special I mean holy. Less a long term commitment, and more showing respect & reverence for the person we're with at that time. Hey, I like you. I'm going to honour you while we're sharing a space together.

It's so simple. And it makes everyone involved feel so good!

Instead of slutting around texting other people while I'm in conversation with someone, for example, I'm giving them my full attention.

This is a challenge - being present for someone in the midst of cyber interruptions, and other temptations. This is what makes the concept of monogamy of the moment (as I like to call it) that much more special.

Sure at some point I'll have to turn my attention to others. After all the only sure thing in life is change.

But in the moment we're respectfully sharing it together whole heartedly.

The new monogamy is about loving the one you're with and giving them your full attention, even if it's just for a weekend.