Today was garden day! With everything I have going on, I rarely have time to go out and dig around, but today I MADE time. I dug, I weeded, I transplanted, I wrecked my french manicure, I saw some awesome bugs, and I got to taste some things (not bugs thankfully).
I love eating food grown in my yard, it brings me such peace and I savor every bite. I’m really excited to be growing kale this year, its my favorite. It needed thinning so we ate the thinnings at dinner, yummmm. I feel a bit guilty eating those little kale-lings in the same way I used to feel bad eating veal. But they were so dang good and now their siblings have more room to grow!
I finally recovered from Sunday’s public speaking, so this morning, I did something even more terrifying to me, I spoke on camera. Yikes!
Maybe this doesn’t sound as adventurous as some of my other birthday month feats, but to me, it was the bravest yet. Like many people, I am critical of myself in photographs, but unlike many people, I am horribly critical of my voice too. I am the sort of gal who has to record her voicemail message over 20 times. This caused me much embarrassment during my cubicle days! But when my lovely sister in law, who works as a producer, asked me to help her with a video project, I found myself taking strides to make it happen. It was like slowly eating a double decker butterfly egg sandwich that hatched in my stomach as soon as the video camera was aimed at me. Here’s the final product which may become a tiny part of a video on demand travel show.
Not great, but not shame inducing either, especially for a first and only take. Maybe it is really bad and I don’t even know it from all the yoga induced self acceptance and birthday month power I have these days, but I’m not going to over think here. I have plans to eventually shoot public health yoga videos and this was a nice way to get used to being on camera.
It is amazing the way dread builds up in our minds. These are wasted thoughts that unnecessarily deplete energy and mojo we need to make our lives excellent. Today was a very good lesson for me.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to assist children with their very first voting experience, with real polling booths! To see their tiny fingers make selections was really sacred. The parade of proud faces emerging from the booth was truly priceless. Their votes will shape the future and I was absolutely honored to assist them.
Today was the last day I had with my sister before she returns to London and I was primed for another birthday month adventure. So many options ran through my head, but the decision ended up being easy; my sister only packed adorable shoes so we went for a stroll.
The Hudson River is glorious and not far from my home. I love the light, it reminds me of childhood vacations on Martha’s Vineyard. I like to peek under the Tappan Zee Bridge at the George Washington Bridge, it amazes me that we are so close to New York City though our surroundings of quiet greenery are not city-like at all. The abandoned industrial buildings make me wonder what the area was like decades ago and provokes daydreams of how I would develop the area if I had the opportunity. The tidy, large windowed, newly constructed townhouses affirm my plan of downsizing prior to retirement. I imagine my 65 year old self with shoulder length white hair, smart clothes and a face thats been aged by years of smiling. My forehead, however, has remained smooth because I am unburdened by concerns like weeds, chipping paint and cricket infestations!
The light drizzle did not make the walk less enjoyable, it actually made a journey into a wildflower path more enchanting. As our stroll came to an end, we spotted a rare sight: a queen bee eating from a beautiful flower. Taking a few moments to witness their symbiotic relationship in action brought me peace.
Mother’s Day was the best day of my birthday month yet. Violet made me a diorama, Scarlett made me a beautiful memory box, Graham made me a photo book, a big gulp of green juice rich with kale stems and ginger (my fave) and he pimped out my meditation corner (this made me squeal!)
Tao Porchon Lynch’s induction into the Guinness Book as the World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher was amazing. Tao, as always, was gorgeous and inspiring. And the crowd… it was like looking through a kaleidoscope-so many bright and shiny people. I had the opportunity to speak, which kinda terrifies me, but I went for it, honoring My Birthday Month credo.
The best part of the day was when I sat in a lounge chair in the yard with Graham, watching the fruits of my labor frolic in the sprinkler. I love watching my kids play, but rarely take the opportunity to mindfully indulge in it. The smell of hose-water reminded me of childhood, the sun was warm on my skin, and the yard was so green and beautiful. My sister and her husband joined us, which made the day even richer.
This was the very best Mother’s Day I’ve ever had.
Things are moving fast here in Karen land, so I’ll have to make this short!
My gorgeous sister and her amazing husband are here from London, and they are really and truly fabulous. They started their own entertainment business and have helped London to become an even happier place. I’m enjoying them immensely! Spending time with my sister is one of my favorite things to do.
I love chocolate, but I don’t like how sugar effects my mood and energy levels, I came up with a Chilly Chocolate Truffle recipe so I can indulge myself on Mother’s Day. I’m excited to share it with you here.
Yesterday, my guest blog went live at Eat Clean Diet, you can view it here.
And lastly, I’m putting the final touches on a VERY special event that will happen tomorrow. My yoga instructor, Tao Porchon Lynch (age 93 years young) is being declared the world’s oldest yoga teacher by the Guinness Book of World Records. The event will be in Hartsdale at 10AM. Send me a line if you want to come. More on the lovely and amazing Tao here.
I looked out my window this morning at a world that appeared to be scrubbed clean…ahhhhh! Then the household mess came into focus…noooooo! Oh right, I promised to celebrate my birthday month and STILL maintain my jobs and daily duties. … Continue reading →
Sometimes, I say things that make people look like they want to punch me. I say these things because they are true, not because I want to upset people. The top 3 are: True indulgences have no negative consequences. How … Continue reading →
The studio where I lead most of my classes has a temporary wall that can be slid open. Now, my classes aren’t overcrowded currently, but once I realized the wall can be opened, I started dreaming about someday NEEDING that wall to open. Today, I asked the studio owner to show me how. Learning how to open that wall created a rush of ideas, as if a temporary wall opened in my brain. How positively amazing and simple!
After my classes, I had such energy I honored my birthday month by doing something that scares me: going to The Home Depot! Alone! To buy a power tool! To use by myself! Even though it stinks in there! I am forever amazed by people who are not overwhelmed by that place. I always send Graham in alone and stay in the car watching the masses of people parading out, wearing identical smug expressions and trotting as proudly as show ponies. Today I galloped like a Triple Crown winner into the parking lot! I chose this red hot hunk of iron:
Its a weed wacker! I’ve got the battery charging and will read the manual tonight. At first light, as long as the weather cooperates, I am going to take down some weeds! Yeeeee haaawww!
BIG NEWS! I’m pregnant…with a big, fat, adorable, bouncing IDEA. To be honest, I don’t know all the aspects of the idea yet, but I am working out the details. I spent the day increasing positivity again. Today, the focus was on business, so I looked to the following “idea doulas” who provide me positive career inspiration: Marie Forleo, Laura Roeder and Danielle LaPorte. I am learning from these empowerment masters because I want to be prepared when my idea baby is born. A good mom is always prepared.
I also spent the day solidifying Mother’s Day plans, putting those delicious and generous testimonials on my website, and dealing with a few issues I’ve been putting off FOREVER.
It all feels so dang good! I am enjoying My Birthday Month with my whole body, mind and spirit. I hope these posts are inspiring ideas for your birthday month.
On May 6, I exercised my Birthday Month promise to increase the positivity in my life. I firmly believe that positivity begets positivity and the more we can absorb, the easier life’s challenges will be. Actually, the day started off ugly, my halved dose of caffeine (ouch) led to difficulty locating my mojo and my keys. I got to the studio where I teach yoga a mere 15 minutes before my class started so I had little warm up time. I worried this would impair my ability to demonstrate the postures properly and I wondered how I would find the energy to take me through the rest of my day. My amazing Sunday clients arrived and as I began to guide them through the practice, all the negative thoughts left me and I filled with light. Teaching yoga is one of my favorite things to do!
With my mojo firmly intact, Graham, the girls, and I made a pilgrimage to the motherland (Wallingford, Connecticut) for my niece’s 12th birthday party. It was a sparkle bomb of positivity, I was surrounded by family I adore wholeheartedly and to see my niece rocking her birthday girl spirit was energizing. I made a conscious effort to absorb all of the hugs, laughter, and love that surrounded me.
We returned home to meet a new babysitter (lovely and over qualified) and went to dinner at the beautiful Bedford Post Inn with my in laws. I stayed 100% present as we chatted (of a very special upcoming wedding, travel plans, dreams, and pets), ate, and most importantly, laughed.
I crawled into bed spent but smiling and thankful for people that filled my day.
My Birthday Month 
