Shilps and Jerms transmutation to Sherms

My very lovely friend, Shilpa, wed Jeremy today at 9:30am. They had a traditional Vedic/Hindu ceremony in an ashram in Pennsylvania. Due to my bar studies I was unable to attend, but have been thinking about them constantly - all week, and especially today.

This September I will have known Shilpa for 11 years - one of my oldest, dearest friends; a piece of my soul I am incredibly privileged to have. She is often the source of my perspective, epiphanies, laughter and inspiration.

I was emailing with her this week and told her I was feeling very nostalgic. Although she is just getting married, and nothing is physically changing, it felt like I was losing my pal, losing her to a new life. I suppose I felt the same way about myself before my own nuptials (to be expounded on in a future post).

Watching her and Jeremy grow together from their days in San Diego (see left image) to their life in San Francisco (see right image) has been incredible. They are both very lucky to be spending their lives together.

To Shilps and Jerms (with teary eyes) - the absolute, utter, most heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS!! I am honored to be a part of your civil ceremony in August and can't wait to celebrate with you!

Here is a picture from the wedding of the handsome couple amidst a lovely field!
The colors are amazing!

comment-ability

Sorry folks!! I didn't realize I had the settings restricted. Now anyone who so desires may leave comments. Let me know if problems persist.

I may be an orange peel.

“If I hadn’t seen [the orange peels floating in the ocean], then I wouldn’t know they were there, and if I didn’t know they were there, I wouldn’t be able to say that they even exist. . . . Some of them are starting to sink now. In a few minutes, the only place they’ll still be floating will be inside my mind. . . . And after I go out this door, I may only exist in the minds of all my acquaintances. I may be an orange peel.”

 

Aptly phrased by J.D. Salinger in one of my favorite books, Teddy (don’t laugh at the name, John!). This passage reminds me of something I constantly find myself in contention with:

Everything is dynamic, thus nothing is ever secure. Moments, thoughts, existence – it’s all fleeting. Yet I struggle against it. Most recently I have found myself trying to revert against faith – to try and find repugnant anything that cannot be based on some sort of reasoning. Yet basing everything on faith, or a leap thereto, seems almost a necessity. If nothing is ever steady or secure, then there’s nothing to hang your hat on. You have to create a hat stand. Everything is an elusive illusion. Yet I constantly fight to believe its neither elusive nor an illusion. What a feat it all is!

Further, if everything is dynamic, then everything moves into the unshakable forward and we are left with nothing to show for our progress except a presumption that we once felt the things we felt. But if that were true, wouldn’t it render our lives meaningless? Who’s to say lives are supposed to be meaningful? They are what we make of it, I suppose – a skillful tethering of the presumptions we are left with. But perhaps the presumptions are enough – perhaps it’s all we need to create a hat stand – to control in our own way the uncontrollable, to permeate the impermeable. 

And so persists the unflagging tension between reality and perception.

I’m not really sure how to conclude this (if there is even a conclusion to be made) except perhaps with the acknowledgment "I may only exist in the minds of all my acquaintances. I may be an orange peel."

(click here for more info on Teddy by J.D. Salinger)

Half Marathon Training!

A few weeks ago our incredible friend Shawndene ran a half marathon in San Diego's annual Rock n Roll marathon. She ran in the spirit of her grandfather to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Ivie, Cherish and I went to support her by watching her pass the 9 mile mark then meeting her again at the finish line where many of her friends and family also were awaiting her triumph! Watching her earlier in the race, then watching her pass the finish line was infinitely inspiring! Cherish, Ivie and I found ourselves unexpectedly moved to tears by Shawndene's accomplishments.

Her dedication to the race and love for her Tata further moved us to a decision to run our own half marathon! Cherish, Ivie, and I will be running the Carlsbad Half to be held on 1/23/11! We are neither avid nor experienced runners but are welcoming the challenge! There is likely no better feeling than to accomplish a goal, and the Year of the Tiger certainly is one where "the impossible just might be possible." Thank you Shawndene for being our inspiration!

If you would like to follow our progress, I've attached a link to our training schedule here. Ivie and Cherish have already started the program, and I'll be joining them promptly after the Bar - the first weekend of August.

Salud!

Over the past year my goal has been to lead a healthier life - in all aspects - mental and physical. With regard to my physical well-being I am trying to change many things; from what I eat, to how I exercise...basically to what I put in, on, or around my body. Certainly it has not been easy - with battling parasites and lymphatic congestion. Even googling menu ideas and protein shake recipes has been far more difficult than anticipated. How much fiber should I eat? What's the best form for your body to consume the fiber? What about protein? How much should an active person consume a day so the body doesn't take any away from the muscles? Energy bars - good idea, bad? What about goji berries and maca powder for energy, or cranberry concentrate for kidney health, or coconut oil for metabolism? Is it really necessary to avoid dairy? The list goes on and on and on.

What's frustrating is that previous generations of humans knew all this without being conscious of it. Their lifestyle lent themselves to what we refer to as "healthy" and what they probably didn't refer to as anything as it was their everyday life. For so many advances that have been made I'm struggling now to learn how to revert back - to rekindle with the old, if you will.

Regardless of the hefty amount of the unknown it is a worthy goal I plan to continue. And recently I've received confirmation from the stars that this is indeed a decent plan (not that I ever doubted it)!

Under Chinese astrology, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger - a brave, majestic creature (that likes pepper, not cinnamon). And intertwined with the Tiger this year is Metal - a collaboration representing the type of force necessary to accomplish the most difficult tasks - where "the impossible just might be possible."

More worthy of note is this: the Tiger year is one of change rendering this an important time for most, including me, the Pig (as my birth year was the Year of Pig), to make positive changes in health patterns - to break away from old, bad habits, and replace them with new and better ones - especially in the arena of physical activity.

So here's to holistic health and well-being! Salud!

Post-nuptial nuggets

In starting a new stage in life my first personal task has been to rekindle myself with the old… get back to my roots… my internal constituents. I feel my best chance at maintaining my well-being (and sanity during Bar prep) is to start writing again. I used to write constantly. Maybe 4-5 passages a day. Always penning my thoughts in hopes of finding…. anything – clarity, silence, sanctuary – or nothing. So this is my canvas. My chance to open up, delight in words, and share with you (what I hope to be) insights on anything from the goings-on of the day to flares of my randomness and neuroses. Stay tuned for further developments and please feel free to leave comments. For now I leave you with one of my favorite quotes demonstrating the power of words:

“Just as some medicines eliminate one humor from the body, and other medicines another, and some free from disease while others take away life, so do some words grieve, others cheer, others frighten, others enflame, while others, with effectively malign persuasion poison and bewitch the soul.”

– King Lear, William Shakespeare