KonaYoga.com

Simon Cowell has been usurped.

My Grumpy Girl has been very happy and congenial as of late and I think the Mother Sequence is the reason. The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, has a consistent, universal prescription: exercise, discipline and love. That's been our M.O.for the last two weeks and I have been calm and assertive as we head for the yoga mat. My inner critic  (Grumpy Girl) has been diffused and sated and there's no one to give me guff.

Enter, one Simon Cowell. I've caught a few of the American Idol try-outs because I love to watch (and listen to) people with great voices. I think it's completely amazing that we all have the same anatomical structures with which to sing and yet the sounds emitted vary from scintillating to caterwauling. Simon's got a good ear but his comments are often piercing enough to deflate any ego. I, however, cannot associate anything mean or aggressive with anyone possessing an accent like his. It's just too proper and civilized.

So now, after I sing along to my current, favorite song, I picture Simon with his thumbs down saying, "Bah-bara, that was ab-so-loot-lee dread-fuhl!" I chuckle and say, "Really, Simon? Why thank you!" No one can bring me down like the Grumpy Girl...but she's been exercised, disciplined and loved. She thinks I sound mah-va-lous!

Photo of Simon Cowell: The Sydney Morning Herald

What on Earth!

For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us.-
-Donald Williams, Astronaut, USA

It has been an interesting week. The varied reactions to last Sunday's earthquake reminded me of the blind men and the elephant. The quake for some, was a scary ride but they were happy and relieved when it ended. Others found it an outright assault to their sense of security. We all felt it, but our perspectives are as unique as our fingerprints. My perspective has much to do with the fact that not a single item was broken in my home and also due to my current GPS focus.

I have been intrigued lately by two young Canadian men, hitchhiking across America in an effort to visit 50 state capitals in 50 days. My brother Jason is involved in tracking their progress, so I look at the Hitch50.com website a few times a day. Then there's Google Earth, which has taken me around the world in less than 10 seconds! I can zoom in on the Piazza San Marco in Venice and a few seconds later I'm hovering over the Grand Canyon. There are no borders, no fences or walls to keep me out of private property. The world is friendly from up high.

The Hawaiian Islands are intact as far as the GPS satellites are concerned. Zooming in won't even get you inside a building to see the cracked walls and shattered mementos. Our world looks like it did two weeks ago, from up high and I am grateful for the ability to choose my points of view. I love this island, in every way I look at it.