Service

More and more I've found myself encouraged to share what is in my heart. I set up a goal to publish weekly and I'm finding the amount of content that's within me to be overwhelming... my practice is to appreciate it. Purely. This will be a great opportunity to grow as a communicator as there are many words that I don't know how to spell or don't know the exact meaning of! Here is how google translates 'Purely'

Expecting to publish a blog post, I made a journal entry this past Monday on what pure appreciation is to me. I was sitting at the Koffi Shop in Rancho Mirage between Yoga gigs at the Ritz. It was pouring rain outside!

What is pure appreciation? Is it a cleanliness; is it without expectation? For me, yes & no- 

We should expect to feel good about having that thankfulness and understanding inside of us.

Expect to find a release in tension of the eyebrows and scalp; a softening of the cheeks; the mouth curling upward at each edge; maybe you secretly let go of a little fart.

I tend to focus my appreciation on what is beautiful in my space, in my immediate reality and in the vast world - both are a part of me and I am a part of both.

...

The rain is so beautiful it makes me want to cry, we have had more rain this season than I can remember in almost two decades. I've also been crying many more happy tears than I can ever remember. 

When I feel myself upset for whatever reason, I choose to think about all the wonderful things that have been going on in my life; all the new joys, the new discoveries, the same family, the same treasures so my heart fills with love and I cry from that state of pure appreciation.

 ...

As I was sitting in the Koffi Shop I felt peaceful and safe even with an abrupt cowboy racing ringtone sounding off. I wondered if I would have noticed it if I was 'Purely Zen'. But I wouldn't be human if I was 'Purely Zen' because Zen by definition is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. I believe these are great values by the way.
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Because I am human, I am aware; I can decide to be kind- I can take action and move my body in a respectful way. I can hold doors open for those who need help, like the gentleman coming back in from taking his phone call. I feel pure appreciation for my body's ability to move this way in this moment.

I'm aware; I can decide to be kind- I can stop and listen to a stranger tell me their story. I feel pure appreciation for what I learn about the world I'm living in through another human's words. How wonderful it is to be experiencing this sift towards healing! Earlier this morning, a beautiful woman by the name of Ava attended my Yoga class that the Rancho Mirage Ritz-Carlton offers. She had her friendly licensed service dog, Cosmo Kramer, by her side. She looked like a perfectly healthy lady, but she had multiple conditions that I can't exactly remember, one being P.T.S.D. I do remember her saying that she had a devise inside of her that alerted Cosmo Kramer of her heart rate and pain level and his service was to help her relax! 

Thinking about it now Cosmo Kramer and I currently share a similar purpose in our lives!

She was excited to explain that there is a medical doctor turning people away from pharmaceuticals because we don't know about the long term effects these drugs will have. He is turning his P.T.S.D. patients away from the companies who will pay him to prescribe their drugs and instead turning them towards Yoga to ease their symptoms.

How fantastic is that!!!

I tell myself, "See the beauty you want to be in the world. Gandhi says, 'Be the change you want to see in the world'. Be the eyes that see a beautiful world with pure appreciation, love, compassion and kindness."