How about being green while surrounded by white?

We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. ~Albert Einstein


My com-poster is covered with snow. No access. My plants are covered by many feet of snow. So much so the bunnies and squirrels can't even get to chewing on the bark, my thanks to the forces of nature. My pots never made it inside and I am hoping beyond hope that being filled and insulated by snow covering they will not crack. So what can one do to be green when everything is white?

Now I know my cousin Catherine would have many alternatives for me, but I think I found one I can wrap myself around. Chinook Book. A good friend of mine gifted me with one for the holidays and I love it. Here's why having one will keep me green and encouraging the sustainable lifestyle.

Founded in April 1999 in Portland, Oregon, Celilo Group Media is a green media company with a mission of expanding markets for sustainable products and services.

Celilo is the national leader in the publication and distribution of green coupon books. The company currently publishes six annual editions of the popular Chinook Book guides...

Since it’s founding, Celilo has distributed over 220 million green coupons. We have worked with several hundred schools and community groups in the markets above to raise more than $2 million for their organizations through the sale of Chinook Book.

Beyond this I will have the opportunity to check out many new, local places that I have yet to visit. I always blog better with a purpose, and I have a new one...Mary quite contrary is going to check out as many coupons as possible in the next few months. I now have new will and motivation to post, stay tuned for reviews on some of the cool green/sustainable offerings in the twin cities. If you have a Chinook Book as well, please comment with your fav spots too.

A year of celebration...

Thanks to my cousin Catherine for this idea and actually I sent this out in an e-mail last month to my two beautiful girlfriends in NYC. A celebration of the accomplishments of the year. Now is the perfect time to recognize all you have done in 2010 and be willing to live in faith that you will accomplish all you desire in 2011. It is amazing to look at what you have accomplished and allow yourself space to envision what you desire for the coming year. There is no better way to go forward than to acknowledge all you have done. Here is my list of celebrations for 2010 and my intentions for 2011 will come within the week.

From December 2010 backwards to the beginning of the year...


December- Read Erin's e-mail and everyone's replies and was totally inspired to write my own. We have all accomplished SO much! Feeling SUPER grateful for this exercise!

November- Opened my own wellness studio with three other amazing women. The OM collective. Went to Erin's IntenSati class in NYC and rocked it with one of the best Sati instructor's around. Met my paving partners and enjoyed the friendship we had developed over the year. Saw my dear g-friend Erika perform as a principle in ROA in Mpls.

October- Stepped out on my own and began planning to open my own studio with 3 other women.

September- Began my Ayurveda studies and moved forward into deeper healing work that has been my vision.

August- came out of Kickboxing retirement and fought as the main event on a USA national kickboxing event against a Canadian champion. Procured an invitation to fight at the World Kickboxing championships in Dublin, Ireland in 2011 as a member of Team USA.

July- Trained my ass off for my coming fight, really trained my ass off, lost 10 lbs. Probably all in my butt. Taught my first IAM workshop which becomes the beginning of my vision for 2011.

June- Started training for my return into the ring

May- Booked out my first two bootcamps of the season

April- had full sati classes that rocked

March- Was the front page of the variety section of Mpls paper with a story on my sati classes

Feb- Started my Reiki Master training.

Jan- Set intentions for an amazing year of my own creation. Continued forward with a beautiful paving practice with my girlfriends I met in November. Led a super successful fitness retreat in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

What are your accomplishments? please share I would love to hear what you made happen during 2010!

L-

Bearly making it

If I was a bear then I could hole up for the winter, do nothing but sleep, go to the bathroom, eat, and watch TV (you know bears love TV) then come back to life in the the spring.

I have definitely entered the winter funk. It lasts somewhere between 1-3 weeks. From the beginning of the cold, into the desire for it to end, and then finally out of it when I accept reality; that we are going to be here for a good 3-4 months and I don't want to stay depressed that long.

Eventually I will make my way out on my x-country skis and fall in love with winter again. I will get into the spirit of the season and be excited about this time of incubation when one allows their ideas and inspirations to grow, spend time cultivating them and then nurturing the fruition of all their thoughts and dreams to manifest for a new year.

For now I am grumpy about the delayed traffic due to terrible snow storms last week and accumulated snow, the minus zero temps, the late sunrises and early sunsets, and the general chill I feel all over my body when I go outdoors.

I am scrooge, and my only cure is to turn on the music and dance! Really. This is my go-to for a better feeling; dance party. Even if it is only for 5 seconds. Let's do it right now, MTV 5 second dance party. The song is below. Turn it on for a feel good opportunity, dance around the room and get at least a little bit of winter blues relief, a little is more than nothing and more than enough! Dog days are over whenever you decide to dance!

Dog Days are over
Dance, even if you have to warn others to get out of the way first.

It's Official

Winter is here and amazingly I made it this long...snow last week, freezing rain over the weekend, and yes Blaise-I hate you with your e-mail about hanging out by the pool in 80 degree weather writing today-, but I have fully pulled out the boots.

I was looking forward to a new year with new boots (Blaise gifted me with her furry beauties when she moved to Tx and clearly stated she would no longer be needing them). I tried, I really did. But they are about 1- 1/2 sizes too big and if it isn't enough that I already get teased relentlessly for living in boots 7 months out of the year, try doing it when every step you take makes a large plopping sound (remember wearing your dad's shoes when you were young? Yeah kind of like this). So sorry Blaise, but I wore them for a week and got blisters and many jokes directed towards me and finally passed them off to another size niner then broke out the 6 yr old boots that I have been wearing, well, since 6 years ago.

Here's to winter. Remember, spring comes based not on Groundhog day and whether he sees his shadow or not, but on when Lisa puts the boots back on the top shelf of the closet for the season, and I wouldn't hope for much before April. Settle in for another one...unless your Blaise and sitting by the pool in Austin!


Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat. ~Author Unknown

Every life is a blessing

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.

- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

When is your last day? You will never know but perhaps a reminder that life is truly short, is a life you loved, lost to you. My cousin John died today. Our lives our limited, what we share with the world while we are here is our greatest opportunity. And my most beautiful memory is of pictures my Aunt shared with me while John was in Yoga training. Pictures of him bending and stretching like a true yogi. And so he was. My deepest dedication to him would be 'NAMASTE'. Even in his passing the light in me recognizes the light that lives within him and I am grateful for this deep, if even painful reminder; life is precious and not to be taken for gran-tide.

Thank you John, Your life was a blessing!

Painting is like gardening

Well not really at all actually. But I have to find some way to tie together what I am doing with my garden right? And that is what I am doing (painting), or rather, that is what I did all day today, and what I will be doing all day tomorrow, after what I propose will be a terribly painful trip to Ikea (sorry Sarah, it may seem sacrilege but I do NOT love Ikea).

All of these things are so exciting of course, the painting and even the dreaded trip to Ikea are for my new space 'The OM Collective' which I most recently blogged about. Balance has moved out and the OM is moving in and there is nothing in the space. After 6 years at Balance being in the space in this way is scary and yet exhilarating.



Not more than two days ago this empty room was filled with stuff, all a part of what Balance was, and now it has nothing, all a part of what will become 'The OM Collective'.

"One creates from nothing. If you try to create from something you're just changing something. So in order to create something you first have to be able to create nothing. "
-- Werner Erhard

I love this quote, and I intend for this to become my focus for fall/winter. Gardening is behind me, for the season of cold is upon us, yes it is. My empty pots are proof of that (they are still on the fence outside because they are damn heavy and neither Matt or I want to carry them down the stairs)



The pots have nothing in them, the perennials have been cut back to nearly nothing, the leaves cover everything and my garden is in hibernation. Do you want to read about nothing? This could be a very elevated blog if it was about nothing, or terribly boring, or just empty. I would post every day, nothing. Easy enough, if I have nothing to write, than nothing is ever left unwritten. But...



I have plenty to write and I do not need to go into hibernation like my perennials. SO what is gardening after all? When I checked I found this sweet description....a fertile and delightful spot or region. How perfect, my new fertile spot is my new space. Ahhh, a sigh of contentment.

I have a spot. One that is mine to develop, nurture, water, and shine light on, and at the perfect time, just when my garden needs to sleep. This will keep me busy, but I promise to write, let you know all of what is happening in my new fertile spot, and of course, how all of it relates to my life. And no need to even change the title of my blog, I am a novice gardener, I think I always will be, there will always be something to create from nothing. And every time it will be different, so it is like starting fresh with each new delightful unknown.

In the moment I allow that I know nothing, I allow myself to know all.

OM for one and OM for all

Life can change at a rapid rate. I am experiencing this. Not more than 45 days ago I posted this I find that what I always thought- being a partner at Balance Fitness Studio- is not happening.

I thought I would have to go out on my own, which felt so lonely. Though I want to build my own business, focused on Wholeness, accessible for every one, I still desire connection and interaction with others that have the same vision. My heart's desire has been answered.

In an unbelievable turn of events, I will be leasing the current Balance space with 3 other women. All mothers, all nurturers, all entrepreneurs, dedicated to wellness and community.

We are the OM collective. We have created a space for all independent teachers of varying disciplines to come in and guide their students to living a full life.

We are also going to have a healing room for people to practice massage, breath work, Reiki, and Ayurveda. Hello, this will be what I head up! It is my path. The build out will happen in a few months and in the interim the four of us are getting to know each other (easily) discovering that we all have a similar vision and this flower is just beginning to open, in the fall no less!

I can't wait to share more with you as this unfolds, and of course I haven't been in my garden yet, because this has taken up much of my time.

I promise to give the full low down of our collective OM experience as well as my garden consolidation in the next week. I wanted to share this news because my heart is soaring.

I am not alone, a single daisy in a vase; instead I am what I have always wished, a bright blast of Echinacea, next to the Lilies, next to the Roses, next to the Zinnias. I am not only one beauty to behold, but a part of the greater beauty, the garden. I am my own, and yet I am all!

All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
-Swami Vivekananda