Be Amazing

October 12, 2010

Inspired by marketing that actually works for me . . . a simple yet powerful message from Quaker Oats.

“wake up and be amazing!”


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Posted by namaste*heather

Mindful Sunday

September 26, 2010

I’ve been writing a lot for work lately, hence my recent hiatus here. I’ve also been filling my brain with beautiful design ideas, which I’ve been posting on namaste*hOMe. For now, the written posts there are mainly private.

Today, I’d like to share a few gems from a fabulous read, Wherever You Go There Your Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

. . . feel the present moment . . .

Only then can we accept the truth of this moment of our life, learn from it, and move on. Instead, it often seems as if we are preoccupied with the past, with what has already happened, or with a future that hasn’t arrived yet.

Not knowing that you are even in such a dream is what the Buddhists call “ignorance,” or mindlessness. Being in touch with this not knowing is called “mindfulness.”

This waking up goes hand in hand with what we might call “wisdom,” a seeing more deeply into cause and effect and the interconnectedness of things, so that we are no longer caught in a dream-dictated reality of our own creation.

Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that it.

When it comes down to it, wherever you go, there you are. It’s your life that is unfolding.

Mindfulness has to do above all with attention and awareness, which are universal human qualities.

This exploration of the diamond of mindfulness is offered for all those who would chart a course toward greater sanity and wisdom in their lives. What is required is a willingness to look deeply at one’s present moments, no matter what they hold, in a spirit of generosity, kindness toward oneself, and openness toward what might be possible.

May this Sunday find you well and at peace with all that is!

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Posted by namaste*heather

Upholding my UNimportance

September 12, 2010

I’m going to admit three not-so-pretty things I noticed about myself last week.

  1. I take ME too seriously.
  2. It’s not helpful or necessary.
  3. I know I will struggle to change.

When I care about something, I put my whole heart into it. This is true for all endeavors, personal and professional. As I grow older, I’m able to be more mindful, if only in retrospect sometimes. Noticing these three tendencies has allowed me to let go a little. “She Let Go” was a nice find. Actually it found me vs. me finding it. Isn’t it interesting how life works that way? Here is another:

Most of our energy goes into upholding our importance. If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe.

~Carlos Casteneda

This blog has primarily been about me. Am I really that important? Not. At. All. But blogging has helped me sort through a lot of stuff. In processing this stuff I’ve noticed that I feel drawn to share things that inspire me in the hopes of inspiring others, hence the recent quotes and poems. Reading another person’s words transports me out of “me-me-thinking-mind” and into a different space.

With the recent career division of writing more than teaching, I’ve found myself writing mostly about topics that have nothing to do with me. I LOVE this but must find a balance again with the importance issue. (I’m nervous about people criticizing my writing.) So that I can draw inspiration and have a place to draft written work, I created a new website, namaste*hOMe. There I intend to write mostly privately and to share inspiration related to my new employment (home interior/furniture/design). Drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

One final thought . . . when I write about finding *balance* like I did a few posts back know the finding is more fleeting than permanent. I’m a work in process always and I am thankful for the journey always.

Have a bLiSsFuL sUnDaY!

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Posted by namaste*heather

Whole ~ Perfect ~ Complete

August 2, 2010

You, just as you are, and your life here, right now, are all there is and all you need to know.  You don’t have to do anything special.  Mostly, you have to be open to meeting face to face, and even dancing with, the truth that pertains to your life right now.  You have to find a way to collect your fractured pieces, examine them, and then accept them as part of who you are.  Spiritual practice is about transformation, but it’s also, and more importantly, about working with what is.

~ Angel Kyodo Williams

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Posted by namaste*heather

Project thriftEEE

July 23, 2010

As always, I’ve had a lot of synchronicities in my life lately.  Mostly, it’s revolved around my shopping choices, money, friends, new acquaintances and Etsy.  I’ve also been having a lot of bad dreams that have led to further examination.  Yesterday, I wrote about Mindful Consumerism.  I will be committing to a project in late August or early September which will allow me to choose only six primary pieces of clothing for the month.  I can wear those six pieces exclusively but can “change my outfits up” by accessorizing in any way I choose.

The SYNCHRONICITIES: 1 – Having less money and using the credit card more for regular living expenses such as groceries and gas.  Hate this!  All will be paid off by the end of August, but living beyond our means makes me uncomfortable.  Dreams ensued.  2 – I’ve been thinking of opening an Etsy shop, plus a friend of mine, Lauren (aka Salt of Salt Says . . .) just announced her opening for love/salt yesterday.  I bought some beautiful Om/Namaste earrings from her!  3 – Another friend, Yancy, who happens to run a lovely Etsy shop called 5Seed is also planning upcoming posts surrounding apparel and mindful consumerism on her blog.  4 – A new acquaintance, Lela of NaturallyLela, left a comment on my blog a few days ago.  She has an Etsy shop and is sending me an organic mat spray to try out.  5 – Both Yancy and Lela have been sweet enough to offer a product each in my first ever upcoming *GIVEAWAY* !  More to come on this . . . Stay Tuned!

Why am I telling you all this?  I had an idea this morning that stirred me.  I couldn’t go back to sleep.  The thoughts kept flowing, which lead to . . .

(Notice it’s an eco-friendly, energy saving lightbulb idea)

The acronym thriftEEE stands for the Thrift Store & Everything Etsy Experiment.  It is a loose project that anyone can join.  Here’s how . . .

  • Select the number of months in which you’d like to commit
  • Only buy apparel, accessories, jewelry (and anything else you can think of . . . stationary, beauty products, etc.) from thrift stores, yard sales, antique stores and Etsy (Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade and vintage)
  • Join/Like/Follow the thriftEEE page on Facebook
  • Follow thriftEEE on Twitter
  • Examine and blog about your shopping choices through the experiment and share your links on the thriftEEE Facebook page and on Twitter
  • Copy and paste the thriftEEE logo (above) in a blog post or on your side bar, linking back to this post
  • Add comments here and on those sites with ideas for expanding the experiment!

Green your life.  Reduce – Reuse – Recycle.  Support Etsy friends.  Give one-of-a-kind gifts by shopping this way.  Examine your shopping choices.  Learn.  Grow.  Explore.

I am publicly committing to this project for three months beginning today!  Who is with me?  I cannot wait to connect and share experiences with all of you and possibly make new friends along the way!

Peace Love & Light . . .

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Posted by namaste*heather

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