Spring Cleaning
In the spirit of spring cleaning, I decided to take advantage of the great tradition and immerse myself completely in the cleaning out of closets, drawers, my car, and the biggest one of all: my computer. Documents half written, both personal and work related have been piling up over the year on my desktop, in random folders, and in the bottomless pit of my email account. It was time to plow through it all, save the gems and purge the trash, to make way for a nice new pile of creative confusion that I’ll find myself cleaning up next spring.
This process though tedious, had moments that felt as delicious as looking back through the memories of an old photo album. Thoughts and projects, both completed and abandoned, spurred many a trip down memory lane. As I plowed through an endless sea of electronic folders, I discovered a collection of words, not my own, that I’ve gathered over this past year. It is a broad and diverse collection, though they share a common thread. All are words I find inspiring, thought provoking, and leave the corners of my mouth turned upward. So rather than write any more of my own words, I’m compelled to share some from others who have turned the written word into an art so graceful, so magical, and so exquisite, it’s as though it were a stroke of Picasso’s brush. Enjoy.
Take Time
Old English Prayer
Author Unknown
Take time to work, it is the price of success.
Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream, it is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love and be loved, it is the privilege of the gods.
Take time to look around, it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.
Laughter
By David Wolfe
One is not taught in college
The key to ultimate knowledge
Laughter -
Charges, enlarges
Grasps, recreates
At accelerated rates
Renews, redefines
Erases wrinkled lines.
A closer look reveals
Everything is funny!
The future can only be sunny.
Laughter makes the world young.
Laughter speaks a universal tongue.
A winning smile
Lasts a long, long while.
When life becomes
Fun and laughter
You’ll open up a new chapter
And sow a seam
In what things mean
Laughter mends chaos and fright
With wisdom, light, and clever insight.
Laughter silences every thought
As it heals everything you’ve got.
Laughter seeks the highest beat
Can knock a grown man from his feet.
Shift ones mood
Is better than food.
Laughter is sunshine
In the home
Please let’s make that known.
No matter what’s done,
If it’s done with laughter,
It’s bound to live
Happily ever after.
The Dance
By Oriah Mountain Dreamer
I have sent you my invitation, the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living. Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!” Just stand up quietly and dance with me.
Show me how you follow your deepest desires, spiraling down into the ache within the ache. And I will show you how I reach inward and open outward to feel the kiss of the Mystery, sweet lips on my own, everyday.
Don’t tell me you want to hold the whole world in your heart. Show me how you turn away from making another wrong without abandoning yourself when you are hurt and afraid of being unloved.
Tell me a story of who you are,
And see who I am in the stories I am living. And together we will remember that each of us always has a choice.
Don’t tell me how wonderful things will be . . . some day. Show me you can risk being completely at peace, truly OK with the way things are right now in this moment, and again in the next and the next and the next. . .
I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring. Tell me how you crumble when you hit the wall, the place you cannot go beyond by the strength of your own will. What carries you to the other side of that wall, to the fragile beauty of your own humanness?
And after we have shown each other how we have set and kept the clear, healthy boundaries that help us live side by side with each other, let us risk remembering that we never stop silently loving those we once loved out loud.
Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance, the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart. And I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet and the stars overhead make my heart whole again and again.
Show me how you take care of business without letting business determine who you are. When the children are fed but still the voices within and around us shout that soul’s desires have too high a price, let us remind each other that it is never about the money.
Show me how you offer to your people and the world the stories and the songs you want our children’s children to remember, and I will show you how I struggle not to change the world, but to love it.
Sit beside me in long moments of shared solitude, knowing both our absolute aloneness and our undeniable belonging. Dance with me in the silence and in the sound of small daily words, holding neither against me at the end of the day.
And when the sound of all the declarations of our sincerest intentions has died away on the wind, dance with me in the infinite pause before the next great inhale of the breath that is breathing us all into being, not filling the emptiness from the outside or from within.
Don’t say, “Yes!”
Just take my hand and dance with me.
Maenad Prophecy from the Samye Monastery in Tibet
by Starhawk
When kings wage unjust war,
When poison fills the skies,
When the rich prey on the poor,
When hope for justice dies
When a spell lies o¹er the land,
Of malice and of lies,
Then a wild and fearless band
Of women shall arise
Crazy saints, yoginis,
Peering through the gloom,
Maenads and dakinis
Witches grab your brooms!
Sweep away the stench
Sweep away the sneers!
Sweep away the clench
Of hunger and of fears
Dance to feel the passion
Dance to wake the wild,
To honor deep compassion,
For the forest and the child,
Dance to keep the Arctic cool,
To keep the jungle green,
Dance for every holy fool,
For every wound unseen.
Dance for justice, dance for peace
Dance for life to thrive,
May beauty, health and joy increase
For every being alive
Dance in love, dance in wrath,
For chains to fall apart,
Dance to choose a better path,
Dance for strength of heart,
All across the nation,
Bankers quail and glower,
Cracked is the foundation
Of the bastions of power
Strong walls crumble,
Kings face their final hour,
An angry earth shall rumble,
Down shall fall the Tower.
And through its stones shall weave the roots
Of a living tree
That offers us its shining fruits
Of truth and liberty
Fruit to fill each empty hand
With sweet gifts of the earth
Dance to heal this bleeding land–
A new world comes to birth.
New Year, New Inspiration
As the days begin to grow longer, and the sun creeps higher in the sky, there is not a more perfect time like the New Year to find a renewed sense of inspiration and zest for life. The blue moon, which auspiciously and beautifully rung in 2010, has set the stage for a year of awareness, gratitude, and intention. On the evening of December 31, 2009 with a bottle of exceptionally yummy Champagne, we built a fire and wrote the things we wanted to let go of from the year past on pieces of paper. As they smoldered in the bright orange flames, it felt like the process of shedding a winter coat to step into a new, fresh phase of life. Next, we wrote our intentions, wishes, dreams, and goals for the coming year and watched as they too transformed among the jumping flames from written words on paper to smoke and ashes. Like a seed being carried in the wind in search of the perfect field to take root and grow, our words, now smoke and ashes, poured out of the chimney into the moonlit sky in search of the perfect moment, sometime in the future, when they too will take root and begin to grow. As that process unfolds over the course of the next year, I have made it my goal to awake every day with inspiration, love, and gratitude for the simple fact that were are here, it is now, and it’s fantastically amazing. So what is inspiring me right now?
Music :: a little of everything – 01.10 playlist
Healthy balanced living :: Ayurveda
Photographs :: my eye 2009
Photographers :: Lauren Ross :: Ben Moon :: Yann Arthus-Bertrand :: RedBull Illume
Yoga :: Shiva Rea :: Dave Romanelli
Great design :: Design Sponge :: Etsy
Knee slapping laughter :: Demetri Martin :: Dave Chappelle
Travel :: Everlater
Beauty like you’ve never seen :: Ashes & Snow
The simple things :: 3191 miles apart
Love, gratitude, presence, peace. Let the new year fill you with new inspiration, and enjoy every breath…
01.10 playlist
A little bit of everything…
Skinny Love :: Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
Closer :: Kings of Leon :: Only By the Night (Deluxe Version)
Smile (feat. Steven Tyler) :: Chris Botti :: Chris Botti In Boston
Reprieve :: Ani DiFranco :: Reprieve (Bonus Version)
Broken Chair :: Chris and Thomas :: Land of Sea
Regresando Remix :: The Silver Pesos :: Regresando
Let It Burn :: Trolls Cottage :: Let It Burn
Everybody Knows :: Ryan Adams :: Easy Tiger
The Time Is Now :: Moloko :: Ultimate Acoustic (Disc 2)
Rushing :: Moby :: Play & Play: B Sides
Blinded by the Lights :: The Streets :: A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Kissing :: Bliss :: Quiet Letters
Me :: Atmosphere :: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S**t Gold (Bonus Video Version)
Last Tango In Paris :: Gotan Project :: Gotan Project Live
Chandrika (Moonlight) :: Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer :: Anjali
Song for a Friend :: Jason Mraz :: Mr. A-Z
Blindsided :: Bon Iver :: For Emma, Forever Ago
Losing Keys :: Jack Johnson :: Sleep Through the Static
Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.) :: Monsters of Folk
It’s Amazing :: Jem :: Down to Earth
You & I Both :: Jason Mraz :: Jason Mraz Live & Acoustic
Breakdown (With Brett Dennen & Mason Jennings) [Live] :: Missy Higgins :: Steer & More – EP
To the freshman… and everyone else too
Some thoughts inspired by @sacca who recently gave a speech to a college freshman class. He asked me (along with his twitter following which yielded an incredibly entertaining range of responses), “what would you say to a group of freshman about how to make the most of their next four years?” Though it wasn’t so long ago that I was that freshman, sitting restless in a chair listening to a motivational speech about college, I found myself reflecting back on the past 8 years feeling like I had some wisdom to dish. As I wrote, I discovered my own words to be just as relevant for my life now as they could be for all those eager freshmen. Thanks to countless teachers in my life, both traditional teachers in school, and everyone else I’ve encountered thus far on my journey, here’s what came to mind:
BE CURIOUS. Be curious about life, about yourself, about others, and the world. By being curious, we open ourselves up to the incredible mystery and wonder of life. A sense of curiosity makes life seem magical. As we get older and gain knowledge, we seem to think that we “know” the ways of the world, which shuts out the opportunity for the real mystery of life to exist. That mystery is what you see in a child’s eyes. They look at the world as though it’s the most incredible thing – and it is – we just tend to forget that as we grow up (have you seen that awesome youtube of “everything is amazing and nobody is happy” ?). A curious outlook towards life brings this mystery, wonder, magic, and intrigue back into the light. It expands our perception and opens the doors of opportunity. If you can be curious with an open mind and an open heart, and look to every experience as simply something to broaden your perspective, then nothing bad ever happens. Everything, everything becomes a blessing, even if it’s disguised.
Part of being curious is asking questions. My favorite question in the world is WHY? Why do we do what we do, think what we think, say what we say? There are a thousand layers of answers to the question WHY? and the deeper you go, the more fascinating life becomes, along with a grater sense of self. It is a Buddhist belief that seeking the root or cause is the only way to understanding; that nothing exists without a cause. So I would encourage going there – to go deep, dive in, seek the root which will inevitably present to you the infinite fruits of life.
EMBODY LIFE. which is to say, don’t just live life in your head. When we think about going to college, it would appear on the surface that we are there to gain knowledge, or become smarter; processes that largely happen in the mind. But the mind is just ONE PART of our being. Recognize and awaken to the fact that our bodies, our senses, our spirit, all experience every moment of life just as profoundly as our minds. They are all intertwined in ways we cannot even comprehend. To embody life, or to experience life with the entirety of your being, makes life very rich and fulfilling.
And most importantly…
Laugh. Giggle. Keep it light. Keep it simple. Stay open. Find something to be grateful for every day, or even better, every second. And be sure to have a few moments where you strip down, let go of all inhibitions, surrender to the beauty of the present moment, and run around drunk (this could be drunk on life, it doesn’t necessarily need to be substance induced) laughing, singing, and dancing with all your newfound playmates to the incredible pulse of life. (The later, of course, was what college taught me to do best 
).
Ode to Books
I love watching people peruse the bookstore; their brows knit in a seeking and curious, yet slightly serious way. Their eyes wide open, darting rapidly over various titles and authors. One brow raises as they come across something new and intriguing, then a smile slowly spreads across the face as their eyes fall upon a familiar title, bringing back warm memories, memories of a story they loved, or maybe even of someone who loved that story. It’s a silent process, browsing the shelves of a bookstore, but the expressions in the face say a thousand words.
Books, magical indeed; full of knowledge, information, experience, feelings, expression. How is that the simple process of staring at black letters on a white page can turn into one of the most incredible journeys? As your eyes dart over the letters and your hands gently support the book, your mind goes on a wild adventure to far away places, meets people it has never known, learns about things it didn’t know even existed, and yet the body remains still, aside from the occasional turn of the page or cross of the legs. These simple black letters can bring us to tears, cause our hearts to leap, or our breath to gasp. They can provoke feelings and thoughts that stay with us long after we part ways with the book. They can influence our thinking, our perspective, and our way of being in the world.
As I sit, surrounded by books of all genres, written by people from all walks of life, I can’t help but feel the energy from all those experiences that inspired their writing swirling around me, and in turn, inspiring me.
Thank you books, for being so simplistic in form, yet unlimited in your capacity to help us dream, experience, adventure, and feel, without so much as the turn of a page.
Urban Poetry
After taking the day to walk, run, and eat my way around San Francisco, I paused in Union Square to lay on the steps, look up at the surrounding buildings, and take it all in. The following is what came out.
With every breath I feel my soul awaken,
Its senses becoming alive.
Every cell embodying life,
So completely, that each ounce of human expression
Brings tears of joy to my eyes.
There are sign posts around every bend,
sign posts that mark a path of love.
The breeze blows through me like a breath of gratitude,
From the ocean on the distant horizon.
The song of a saxophone tickles my ears,
enriching the air like the laughter of a child.
Everywhere there is movement and life
Set to the backdrop of the urban pulse,
A heartbeat, a constant, that eventually
Merges into one with the Universal pulse.
Energy pulsing through bodies and buildings,
Rooting down, reaching deep into the earth,
Rising up, reaching high for the sky.
Stillness with movement,
The perfect dance.
A blance we seek, one hard to find,
Yet it is already and always there,
Making everything perfect.
All I know,
is that this moment is.
Creating Space with Music
I have always put a lot of thought and energy into the music I choose to play in my yoga classes, as I have found music to be an incredible tool to draw people out of the distractions of their minds and into their bodies. Since my classes tend to be structured as restorative and slow flow classes, I seek music that has a relaxing and emotive vibe to it. As we slow down, breathe deeper, and become more in tune with what’s going with our inside world, the outside world become more enjoyable, beautiful, and simple. Taking just a few minutes out of every day to this can literally change your life. I’ve watched it change mine.
Ultimately, the goal is to create space. When we create space in our boides, minds, or hearts through stretching and the release of tension, we become less reactive, our perspective shifts, and we are able to see what clear and right action is in all situations that present themselves. This heightened sense of awareness and clarity of thought lead to positive and progressive action that can have an incredible impact not only on you, but on the world.
Whether you have a strong and long time yoga practice, or are completely new to this beautiful art, I encourage you to find a comfortable space, wear some comfortable clothes, get down on the floor, and with no agenda or thought, listen to these songs and let your body stretch, open, and create space in whatever ways it desires.
1. Life is Wonderful – Jason Mraz
2. Returning – Jami Sieber
3. Guaranteed – Eddie Vedder
4. We Are One – Ziggy Marley
5. Granada – Emilio de Benito
6. Purple Rain – Martin Sexton
7. Nutshell – Alice in Chains
8. Easy – Anoushka Shankar
9. Imagine – Eva Cassidy
10. Joyful Girl – Soulive
11. Winter Song – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
12. Love You More – Alexi Murdoch
13. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
14. Shri Ram Jay Ram – Dave Stringer
15. Fields of Gold – Sting
16. Madolyn – Sharon Isbin
17. Love is My Religion (accoustic) – Ziggy Marley
18. If God Will Send His Angels – U2
19. San Andreas Fault – Natalie Merchant
20. Mona Lisa – Robin Nolan Trio
21. Forever – Ben Harper
22. Long Ago – Michael Hoppe
23. Om Narayani – Krishna Das
24. Prayer to Kuan Yin – Donna Delory & David Gregoli
Off the Mat into the World
Mattresses. Something you probably don’t think of much, yet if you didn’t have one it might be the only thing on your mind. It’s one of those very simple basic household items that we take completely for granted.
What if you didn’t have a mattress to sleep on? Or what if your mattress was made of hay and didn’t have any sheets? That is what it’s like for thousands of children in sub-saharan Africa. Many of them sleep without mattresses, and the few who are lucky enough to slumber above the dirt floor are often on mattresses soaked in urine and made of hay. Not exactly a Posturpedic dream.
When I heard this story last weekend at a yoga workshop in Denver with renown yogini and activist Seane Corn my heart cried. It’s so easy to forget how much we have, and how little others around the world have, when it’s not in your face every day. Seane told many stories like the mattress story, all having to do with the current living conditions for children in Uganda. While much of it was heart breaking, there was an uplifting side; we can help, and it doesn’t take much to make life changing differences.
Off the Mat and Into the World was started by Seane Corn along with Hala Khouri and Suzanne Sterling with the intention that one could take all the strength, energy, and love cultivated on our yoga mats out into the world to help make a difference where change is needed. Last year Seane and a group of leaders from the yoga community travelled to Cambodia to work with the Cambodian Children’s Fund. Their efforts there drastically and positively changed the lives of many children.
This year, OTM is traveling to Uganda to build schools, sustainable farms, birthing centers, and water supply systems. OTM has extended a challenge to anyone who wishes to join and support their cause; raise $20K by November 15th, 2009, then join the OTM team on a two week journey to Uganda in February of 2010 to do hands on work in the community and put the money to work.
Having always been passionate about travel, yoga, and giving back to the world, I knew this was right up my alley the moment I heard the words come out of Sean’s mouth. I immediately wrote down in my journal, “New goal for 2009, raise the money and travel to Uganda,” with a huge smily face and thumbs up adorning the space next to the letters. Once I signed the pledge to join OTM on the Uganda trip, I was given a pack of matterials that would help me on my journey to raise the money. Included in that pack was a series of photographs from Seane’s most recent trip to Uganda. The joy, energy, and raw excitement for life that decorated each adorable face the kids made my heart sing. $20K is a lot of money, and it’s going to be an even greater challenge to raise the money in harsh economic times, but I’m certain those faces and smiling, shiney eyes will give me every ounce of energy I need to acomplish the task.
Over the next few months as I work on raising money for this incredible cause, I will be blogging about the process and sharing stories. Feel free to check in and experience this incredible journey with me!
For more on this project, to donate, or to get involved, please view my Activism page. Together, we can achieve greatness!
welcome
I’m Kate Olson, an Aspen based professional skier, pilates and yoga teacher, writer, photographer and above all, experience seeker. My passion in life is to find new adventures every day, participate to the fullest, and capture them all through photographs and words. Join me on this site in experiencing those adventures, ranging from across the world to right here on the couch at my favorite coffee shop in Aspen. Check my blog for anecdotes and stories that are sure to bring a smile to your face, or follow me on twitter to see my daily thoughts and share laughs.
“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- ralph waldo emerson
A funny thing happened to my nose
No air flowing through the right nostril. Damn. Shift position, adjust the pillow to a slight incline, roll onto other side. Soon, right nostril opens, yet left now appears to be blocked. Grrrrr. One can’t win this battle.
The lack of free flowing breath via the nose is by far the symptom I detest most that comes with a cold. The coughing, as long as it’s not too juicy or violent, can become an event of dramatic expression and victory, by raising a fist into the air having survived each attack; a positive. The yellow and sometimes green goo that manages to emerge oh so attractively from orifices you did not know you even had, always at the most opportune of times, can become a curious and exploratory event; a potential positive. But the blocked nose, there is simply nothing joyful, celebratory, or positive about that. And so, when I found myself tossing and turning last Monday night suffering from this very malady, I decided that come sun rise, I would find a solution.; something that would essentially kick the ass of whatever it was lurking uninvited inside my nasal passages.
Garlic is a very powerful substance. Potent smell, strong taste, did I mention potent smell? It has been regarded as one of natures most robust immune system boosters, not to mention one of the most powerful repellants if trying to ward off a boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, or any other bedroom companion. Garlic was exactly what I had my sights set on to solve this unpleasant blocked nose problem.
Being a bit of a devotee to Ayurvedic Medicine, I consulted my Ayurvedic Home Cures book for sinus infections. A wide range of herbs, diet restrictions, and rest were suggested, but then my eye caught a nicely boxed bit of text on the bottom right of the page. Garlic, that potent little substance ,was suggested if one was brave enough. “You may not enjoy this, but it works” claimed the book. My puffed-up-chested ego stepped up and said, “Oh i can handle that! In fact this was just what I was looking for.”
In hindsight, yes it was a little aggressive given the intensity of garlic and the fragility of my nasal passages. But I had never stuck garlic up my nose, and I have to admit, I was mildly intrigued. And was it effective? Like sticking a lollypop in a screaming 4 year old’s mouth.
I was to take a head of garlic, juice it, then use an eye dropper to drip 3-5 drops of the juice up my nose. Then, I had to keep my head back for at least 5 min to allow the juice to work it’s magic, finally returning to an upright position and blowing out whatever contents were left. I wish I could say the experience as simple and calm as that sentence reads. On the contrary. It was more like shoving a bottle rocket up my nose, lighting it, then allowing it to explode inside the nose. That is precisely what it feels like to drop even just ONE tiny droplet of garlic juice up there. 3-5? you’ve got to be kidding me. Hold your head back for 5 min? 5 seconds was enough to make me cry like baby.
Yet after a few minutes passed, my eyes ceased being geysers of tears, the feeling slowly returned to my face, and my body stopped trembling and convulsing. It was then that I was rewarded with the most incredible and uplifting surprise; freedom of breath, all in under 10 minutes. Whatever it was that was lurking up in my nose had quickly retreated, and I was fairly certain after that procedure, would never return.
So, if you find yourself with a nasty little sinus infection over these next few weeks as we shift from winter to spring (the time of year you are MOST likely to get a cold), and you’re feeling brave, adventuresome, and jonesing to stick something up your nose, I highly recommend the fresh garlic juice method. Kick back, load up the dropper, take a few in the schnoz, and prepare for fireworks. Ten minutes later, you will be ginning from ear to ear, breathing like an iron lung, and revering the power of garlic.
