KonaYoga.com

What Would You Rather See?

Today, no matter where I'm going and no matter what I am doing, it is my dominant intent to see that which I am wanting to see. --- Abraham

I saw this video on Twitter early last week and it was passed around again by e-mail within a few days. You may have already seen it, as it was first posted on You Tube on January 29 and already registers way over a million views.

What a brilliant way to remind people to wear their seat belts without trying to elicit fear (crash dummies and wrecked vehicles) or threatening a reprimand ("Click It or Ticket"). Take some time to watch it by clicking this link: Embrace Life (You Tube, 01:29).

The film is part of a promotion by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and has become an "internet phenomenon" according to their website. It's gaining worldwide interest as countries seek to license the product in order to air it on national and state television stations.

Aside from the "feel good" quotient of the video, it reminds me of the difference between worrying about a loved one and wishing them well. When you wish someone a safe trip, it would be the same as energetically wrapping your arms around them. Worry would be the same as visualizing them in danger and not being able to do anything about it. What would you rather see?

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.