Want Naked Tweets?
Todays Naked Truth
I hear this all the time: “I try and I try- but I can’t seem to change things.” Have you noticed that many times it’s the same people, over and over again? One of the first questions I ask them “Are you writing?” If they say no- they aren’t trying- and that’s the naked truth.
Writing is one of the best ways to find out how you really feel about something. Just open the page and write a question or a statement at the top. Then let things flow- what you find will surprise you. Many times I just don’t have clarity on how I feel and I do the “trial and error thing”. I pick a feeling and see if it’s true- instead of actually thinking about it and “feeling” and connecting to how I really feel and then acting on it. This can get very expensive and messy. For example, you might think you want a new car or a new partner (unfortunately a very common “thought”). If you “think” you want something- you still don’t know if you want it or not! Do not make decisions while you are thinking!
We are such a driven society. We devalue contemplation and reflection because they look- well- lazy. It looks like we aren’t “doing” anything to change the situation. Lord knows, we are all worried about what we “look” like to other people.
Writing isn’t running- it isn’t hard and won’t make you breath hard, your heart palpitate or your legs sore. You’re not required to sweat, you don’t have to wear special clothes, you don’t have to pay money for a membership. You just have to show up, take responsibility for your life, your feelings and your actions.
The naked truth: If you’re not willing to do it, you don’t want anything to change or be different. You’re looking for an easy button. You’re looking for a magic pill or a magic person to wave a wand and to make your life different. Guess what- there’s no pill and that magician is not going to show up. Quit wasting your time and your energy.
You’re living the exact life you create- until you decide what you want- not “think” that you want- you must decide to commit- then all the actions are easy.
Easy- does not mean there will not be challenges- but you won’t waste your energy whining about them- you’ll write your way through them- like every other warrior that makes the decision to change things in the world.
Today- decide. Either quit acting like you are willing to do what it takes to change and just be honest and say that you are too comfortable with things as they are or do something about it. You can find peace with either decision.
A piece of paper- many of which you throw away on a daily basis and a pen or pencil- which you can get for free at any bank- that’s all you need to change your life.
Do it regularly and I bet we have something to talk about- like how excited you are about the changes in your life- not all the “trying” you’re not actually doing.
All Hail Hookah!
I recently smoked Hookah for the first time and guess what- I really enjoyed it.
Yep, I know what you’re thinking, “ water bong, pot smoking, hippie college kids, sucking on the hose” The image comes up almost immediately to those of us that have no real idea what it is or how it actually works. We’ve heard people talk about it a little, we know they do it in bars now, but it’s most certainly something that “they” do, not us. Well, not anymore.
The opportunity came up rather suddenly. It was one of those moments of “ why not”. The person I was with was certainly not a weed smoking college kid. He was an incredibly educated, articulate man that didn’t really seem to fit into the category of one of “those” people. If he thinks its ok, then I should think its ok- right? Oh- this is one of those moments when your white girl southern upbringing is searching for a logical reason that you shouldn’t do something and the only thing you can come up with is some stupid rhetoric and rule that makes no sense whatsoever- so you answer- “I’ve never done it before, but sure, I’ll try it”. Maybe I was trying to impress him with my adventuresome nature, maybe trying to look a little cool- more truthfully, I was incredibly curious. I was curious about the man and the hookah.
So, the hookah lesson began. This is a little complicated for a newbie. There are several moving pieces and parts and the actual hookah is quite delicate and beautiful. From the glass bowl that holds water to the ornate wooden handle on the hose that connects to the hookah to the ceramic tobacco holder and perfectly sized disc of charcoal that must be lit and placed delicately on the top of the apple tobacco to create vapor- it is a beautiful creation. The attention to detail and gentle way in which it is handled is very impressive. If you think sharing a hookah is like sharing a cigarette or a cigar, you are incredibly wrong. Each person effortlessly inhales through the handle, created gentle bubbles in the water, which purifies the smoke. The smoke then, clean, sweet and thin easily moves through the mouth and nostrils, leaving a sweet taste in the mouth, somewhere between a first kiss and a favorite candy, long ago melted away. This event reminiscent of the Japanese tea ceremony. Each piece properly calibrated, each item carefully placed, mindfully and then appropriately shared and enjoyed, slowly.
It is a social event. Perhaps it is the gentle smoke and sweet smell, perhaps it is the closeness to the hookah that is necessary for each person to share or maybe the gentle bubbling sound that relaxes and soothes the nerves and opens the heart. For me, it was not just the smoke that was purified in the water. With each inhalation, you hear the water gently bubble, you focus on the moment, eyes shut, you listen. This is the inhalation of something new, of something hopeful, of breath, energy and life. With the exhalation and the purification of the smoke, it is a promise, a cleansing, a new beginning. And you sit there, and you inhale and you exhale and you let the new in and you gently let the old go. It is intimate. It is shared by friends. It is promise.
Once again, I am surprised and delighted with the lessons that the universe continues to deliver to my doorstep. I am thrilled with the experience, I am tantalized by the new sensation. I find myself curious about other things that I have somehow closed my mind to because I just didn’t have the right opportunity or perhaps the right teacher.
I have touched a cobra gently uncoiling from a straw basket on the side of a dusty road, I rode an elephant up a mountain, holding on for dear life as we passed elephants on each side of the mountain and now, I smoked hookah – I am incredibly blessed.
What are you curious about? When have you said no for the wrong reasons and then lived to regret it? What are you inhaling that is creating hope, energy and life? Are you exhaling just as strongly, leaving yesterday where it belongs?
Hmmm, what’s next on the naked list?
I’m thinking I might ride a camel- anyone know where I can find one?
Perspective-get some!
It’s funny, I like to lie to myself. I bet most of you do too.
Weight Watchers- new start!
All Uphill
Well, I wish I had a dollar for every one of us that has said this! But today, I am starting over on Weight Watchers, counting my points.
Today I am forgiving myself for eating who knows how much of my son’s 13th birthday cake that his dad made him (with the help of his new girlfriend) yesterday. Yes, I had a small piece that was put on a plate and then throughout the rest of the day I ate it with a fork! It was pink and sugary and very very good- and it made me feel better, momentarily, to just let myself eat whatever I wanted to- since I was alone- and he has another new girlfriend.
I’ve been off-track for a couple of weeks. I’m funny that way- I never really go ape-shit wild with eating, I just go for side trips off program. Couple nights of 2 glasses of wine, 2 clean meals a day and then eat out with friends and eat what they are eating. I eat enough to just feel a little miserable, a little guilty and a little not-worthy of love. I gain 2-3 pounds, feel like it’s 20 and pretty quickly I do what I’m doing now, get naked, get perspective and get back on program.
The program is an anchor for me. I get extremely overwhelmed sometimes with so many choices, so much literature, so much information out there saying what I should and shouldn’t eat, cardio- no cardio, cross-fit, yoga…uggghhhh, I’m still not at my “goal’ weight, so I must be doing something wrong! right?? No- not right. This program anchors me in reality. There is nothing wrong with structure, there is nothing wrong with saying “I get overwhelmed” for today- someone just tell me what to eat! It’s who I am- and I am perfectly fine as I am. When I acknowledge this about myself and lovingly and humorously say “ok- Kelly, get a grip- breath- move- eat- it’s that simple- I am whole and I can move forward, without being afraid.
Afraid. Afraid of what it might feel like to not wonder about what to eat and how much to eat and that I might get hungry and starve to death if I don’t know these answers all the time.
I had my favorite breakfast this morning- 3 pts., high-fiber cereal, almond milk, frozen blueberries, nourishing. Filled my water bottle up, nourishing. Opened my heart up- to you, nourishing.
Today- I will nourish myself…by being naked, honest in my thoughts, feelings and words. :-)
Let’s Talk Turkey
I spent yesterday in one of my favorite places, Cades Cove. I love to detach from the world, leave all cell phone coverage, throw the windows down in the car and drive through the mountains. The forest has always been extremely grounding to me, even when I was a little girl camping with my family. I love the smells, I love the freedom, I love the history.
I found myself contemplating the lives of those that lived here, how different their lives were than mine. I reflected on their lifestyle, their lack of electronics, internet, or newspapers. They relied on the land and they paid attention to everything around them to read the weather, to plant food, to harvest crops. They lived with the land, not on the land. It’s quite amazing actually to think about the progress that has been made in a relatively short period of time.
As I drove mindlessly around the loop, at 10 miles per hour, with no cell coverage, I contemplated my life. I thought of the trip that I will take today to CT in 4 hours. How different our lives are today. Comparatively, there is nothing that we are not able to do or accomplish. We have technology that can communicate around the world in real time, we can see and then be anywhere with relatively little effort. All this technology, all this instant information, it’s easy to see how quickly we can make our decision making process very complicated. We easily get overwhelmed with the “what should I do next” questions. Not the settlers in Cades Cove. Time to plant the field? Have the dogwoods bloomed, no. Then it’s not time to plant. That’s pretty efficient. Obviously it was pretty accurate as well.
So, I’m driving, thinking about my life. Where am I out of balance, what do I want more of and so I ask the universe…reveal to me the areas where I am missing something. What is it that I should see in myself to make a difference in my life and the world we live in? It was just a little meditation, prayer of sorts. You can do this kind of thing when you are driving 5 miles an hour, which is basically slower than a bicycle.
All of a sudden, a group of turkeys appear, on the left of the car. I’m really not surprised, as they are showing up in my life everywhere these days. The first was on the side of the road getting off the exit at the mall. The next two were in the median walking down the middle of the interstate. I have NO idea how they got there in one piece. Now here were four turkeys in the field. I continue up the road, there are six more turkeys on the right of the car. I’m starting to think this is a big sign for me. I round the corner and there is a turkey walking up to the car, he runs right behind my car and crosses the street. In all, I saw twenty-nine turkeys! They were everywhere. I had to laugh. Ok, I get the message!
I sat beside the river at the end of my drive, to write and relax and thought of the turkey. It’s the sign of harvest, one of giving thanks and gratitude. My answer was there, given to me, it’s a time of harvest, for the things I have planted. A time to stop and to let things mature and finish their natural course. And as I shut my eyes to relax and to give thanks for the answer and for the magnificent day, I heard a splash in front of me. Right in front of me an otter playfully slid through the rocks and made it’s way up stream to find a new playful adventure. I knew this too was a message for me. God said- “Hey Kelly, while I have your attention, you should have a little bit more fun as you attempt to swim upstream!”
I got the message. What’s your message today? What are you missing because you are fried out and wired out with technology and life? Slow down a little, look around you, the answer is always there, if you let yourself see it.
Naked Members Say: