Forgive and Let Go

The third fundamental from Gandhi is to forgive and let go. Forgiveness is difficult. Maybe the most difficult concept to grasp and put into practice. I would imagine it can take a lifetime to perfect this and maybe we never will entirely. People will hurt us. We will hurt people. Depending on the relationship, different situations will arise and it will be easier (or harder) to forgive. For me, forgiveness means trying to be understanding. Why is this person hurting me? Most likely they are hurting too. Why am I hurting someone who I care for? I'm hurting too, maybe that's why. Our words can be just as difficult to forgive as our actions. 

I was in a terrible car accident in college. The greatest act of forgiveness I have ever witnessed was shown by the mother of the boy who was killed. She told my girlfriend who was driving our car, "I forgive you." With tears streaming down everyone's face, it was the most beautiful experience I have had so far. That is forgiveness in the most true and purest form. It is the first thing I remember whenever I am having trouble forgiving and letting go of something that stung me.

Not only does forgiving, and trying to be understanding of someone's actions free THEM in a way, it also frees US. When we make the decision to accept we were hurt and pay attention to the way it made us feel, but then release it, we are setting ourselves free. We don't have to be a slave anymore to the thoughts, anger, and anxiety that will creep into our minds. 

I have hurt people in my past and I have had to learn how to forgive MYSELF. Which in many ways can be the most difficult. When we aren't proud of our actions we start to feel undeserving, unloved, and unworthy. I know I am deserving, I know my actions do not define me, and because of this, I am able to be more understanding of others mistakes too. So that's forgiveness to me, in its most simple form. I love these:

NYC trip!

For this post, I'm going to dive right into my unbelievable trip to NYC! Ready. Here I go:

Well first let me back up. In early 2012, I went to see Matt Nathanson at the iconic Fillmore here in San Francisco. The adorable girl (and her drummer), who opened up for him was Rachel Platten. I immediately fell in love with them both (but mostly Rachel ;-), and after the show I went home and looked up their tour. A few months later they were back in San Francisco so I rounded some troops and went to watch them play again. We were able to meet them, they signed some CD's, took pics with us, etc. Craig and I kept in touch for a year and a half after that, just talking yoga and travel mostly since those 2 subjects really interest us. A few months ago he told me he was going to be back in San Francisco, this time playing with the also very talented, Brendan James. I went to watch them and briefly was able to reconnect with Craig! With all of that being said, he lives in New Jersey and it was a perfect excuse for me to take a long, overdue vacation to the east coast! A month later I flew out and was able to experience both Jersey City and NYC from a locals perspective. I was so blown away and I can't wait to go back!! Craig and I had an unforgettable 5 days together . We look at life through such a similar lens. We both love yoga, we care about the food we put into our bodies, and we believe in something bigger than just what this earth has to offer. It was an absolutely beautiful week, and Craig is not only gorgeous on the outside but on the inside as well. I left feeling extremely blessed!

On to the photos.......

The first night Craig and Brendan played a benefit show for Alzheimer's Disease. 

Rachel came, I was a little starstruck I have to admit!

Here's NYC from Jersey City. It was too massive to get in one picture. Craig later told me I could have taken a panoramic photo on my iPhone, but I'm slightly illiterate ;-)

 That tall one is the Freedom Tower where the twin towers used to be.

I got to see my girlfriend Liz from San Diego! This is the view from her UNREAL rooftop in Manhattan!!!!!!

Again, it was just way too massive to get in one picture, and seeing the city from this roof was truly amazing, I was in total awe.

Girls Dinner! Katie, Liz, Linsey & Me!

Bob Dylan started playing here:

 Jimi Hendrix here

Washington Square Park, loved it here!!!

Craig & I in Central Park- can we say BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER!!!

Absolutely hilarious roller skate party in Central Park, our stomachs were hurting so bad from laughing so hard.

Got to watch Craig and his friend John play for a second time in Queens!

Empire State Building from the highline.

 We walked the Brooklyn Bridge at night..stunning!

 Times Square at 3am!!!

All in all, it was such a memorable weekend with the best company around. I can't wait to go back, it feels like part of me was left behind anyway. Until next time!!!!!

YOU are in Control

The second point Gandhi makes is easier said than done. And it sort of ties in to "Change Yourself" that I pin pointed in the last post. I have also blogged about this a few times so I won't spend much time on this one.

You are in Control. Yup, total control. You are in control of your mood, your thoughts, and your reactions. You get to wake up in the morning and decide what type of day you will have despite what is going on at the office, or in your relationship, or in the chaotic city you live. How fascinating that we have this much control over our daily lives. Sure, it's difficult at times to remember this and to put this concept into practice. We all have struggled with it and continue to do so daily. But, with continued reminders and trying to look at ourselves from the outside looking in, it starts to become easier. I'm currently reading Eckhart Tolle's book: A New Earth and he is also the author of The Power of Now. His entire idea is concentrated on living in the present moment and that we are NOT our mind. Our minds, also similar to the Ego, have the power to destroy us if we let it. He talks about this and weaves in the idea that once we learn that we have control over our minds, we no longer have to be enslaved by it. It's tough to summarize this in the small amount of typing I want to do here, but all in all, we really do get to choose, we are in control!

I choose happiness. I choose to try my absolute hardest to not allow the actions of others shake me up too much. I choose love for everyone I walk by, letting go of judgements as best I can. I choose to look at every single new day as a blessing to be alive, and the way I decide to spend that day is so important to me! Tomorrow has absolutely no guarantees, we are dust and could be removed from this world in a second. On a more personal level lately, I choose to be vulnerable, and not be afraid of possibly being let down or hurt. I choose honesty, everyday, with myself and the people who surround me. 

You get to choose too. :)

Gandhi's simple words

Alright y'all. One of the hottest trends/fads all over the internet lately are posting positive, encouraging words for your friends to read. It's my my favorite fad to date and I think it's a fabulous one. When we read, and reread quotes that inspire us, it naturally makes us feel better. Maybe even gives us some hope or at least gets us thinking. I want to suggest signing up for Elephant Journal. It's similar to Mind Body Green, and you get emails each day on yoga, spirituality, health, articles that will make you laugh, etc. Today I opened my email with Gandhi's Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World:

I read this over and over a few times and it really hit a chord with me. All 10 of them. SO, I'm going to blog about each one, relate it to my life in a way and then relate it to yours. I don't get around to doing this very frequently so who knows how long all 10 will take, but I'll try not to keep them too long.

Let's start with Change Yourself.

We are told from a young age that we can't change other people, only ourselves. While we go in and out of relationships, we tend to forget this, or at least I have. When we interact with our friends or people we work with, we also tend to forget this. I have caught myself in relationships/friendships in my life, feeling upset and confused when people didn't act or respond the way I wanted them to. Or the way I would expect them to, or even the way I would have acted myself. But over the last year or so, and with much prayer, I have become more patient and understanding when these situations arise. People are who they are. We never know what type of day someone is having or why a person chooses to act the way they do. We don't know if a family member has been hurt, or if a job has been lost, or if that person was just never really taught basic fundamentals in communicating, etc. There are so many reasons why people react the way they do, and all we can do is try to be understanding. We can choose to spend less time with those people, or if they are family members, or spouses, we love them anyway. We try not to get angry when they aren't responding the way we would. We can try to change our response and remember that is the ONLY thing we CAN change. This was the first thing that came to mind with this simple but complex statement. That's what I loved about all 10 of these, was that Gandhi chose 10 simple fundamentals for us to live by. And all of them are difficult but such an amazing goal to strive towards. To summarize, changing yourself for me, meant changing my expectations of others. But this could definitely mean changing from an old you to a new you. Someone that you see as "better or more positive, or more patient." It can mean anything, really. But try to remember you can only change yourself. Seek understanding in anyway that suits you. For me, I pray. I ask God to help me understand that everyone is different and has their own beautiful way of reacting and responding. That people will look at me and feel that I'm different and that's OK. That although one way may be different than mine, it is not weird or wrong, it is just that. Different. And that is A-OK.

To leave us tonight, here's a video that has absolutely nothing to do with what I've just posted. But I can barely contain my excitement with the new release of The Head and The Heart's new video!!!!! I love them so much! I discovered this band at last year's FREE Bluegrass Festival here in San Francisco. Now they are selling out all over the country, I'm stoked for them! Such talent... Enjoy!