It's not over, it's just the beginning!

People Will Talk!

People will talk!  And we certainly hope so.  There's so much to say, so much to share so I hope you are getting ready to share your experiences, your stories, your wisdom as we create a new and more beautiful than before platform for you!  This year we're breaking molds, getting uncomfortably out there, going to be seen, naked, naked? well you know, no holding back.  You know the feeling - like an "old fashioned" record player, victrola, stereo needle gets stuck in the groove? Well, we're moving it on over!   Wow, can I take this back?  Nooooooo!!!!    See, and I mean, SEE you soon!

Please stay tuned!  I am so excited! We are constructing a new website, and reconstructing our blog!  We're going to have videos, resources, photography, guest posts and oh so much more!

Beauty and Wisdom is expanding!!!!

Peggy, beautiful and wise then, beautiful and wise now.

 One of the things I love about my work is that it connects me with other people and their

stories and memories of their grandmothers, mothers, friends, aunts and whoever has touched

their lives.  I had the pleasure of meeting Peter through one of the recently published 

articles about Beauty and Wisdom and offered to share his mom with the viewers and readers

of the Beauty and Wisdom blog. 

This is Peggy from her wedding  day in 1957.  She never had any wedding photos until her son
Peter, found a box of slides in the basement that she had never seen. They were too poor to
afford a photographer, but someone had taken photos and they were forgotten.
Peter's father passed before ever seeing these.

 This is Peggy now in a photo taken at Peter's wedding in may.  Peter pointed out that 

his mom was the one smiling.... but it was obvious that this was the same woman 

from the earlier picture, with the same spirit, same smile.... beautiful... and wise.

Thank you Peter for sharing your mum with us!! 

83 and flying high!!!

This is my very good friend's mom, Aliene, 83 who just did a bungy jump in Oregon.   EIGHTY-THREE!!!!   Now that's amazing and so is she.  Kudos Aliene!  Thank you for being a wonderful inspiration.

Obviously , we all don't have to bungy jump to be brave. However, Aliene definitely reminds us that bravery and courage is still part of our being at every age.

Rock on Aliene!!

Small Manageable Steps

Wow, it's been 4 months since I've blogged or journaled.  Too many people are telling me about their journaling and I take that as a sign to get back on track and do it myself. (By the way, why doesn't my computer register the words journaling and journaled??)  I really like journaling and also blogging, but I don't have time to do both, so I will blog as a journal, and hopefully, somebody, somewhere, will relate and share their experiences too... sort of like pen pals... but through blogging.

Photo: RJK, Rome, Italy

It's ironic that my last blog talked about my hot yoga class because it was in hot yoga today, that I made the decision to write today. I've been meeting a lot of people where I live and I'm beginning to feel a little too exposed.... vulnerable, because the more I am out there, the more there is a chance of doing something, or not doing something, that will insult or rub someone the wrong way.  Can you say Weenie?!?  I feel like I've been in a fog of sorts trying to figure out my "next" step in life...of course, all the while, stepping anyway in the direction I am sure I need to go.  But every now and then, I feel like I'm not doing enough or making enough money or I'm just not living as purposeful as I think I can.  Sometimes, it is so difficult for me to be content, right where I am...   I have so many ideas that I get paralyzed and find it difficult to take a step towards taking action on any of them.  But today, I feel more encouraged about taking steps...even if they are baby steps... and as I write this I realize that it is exactly the size of the steps I think I need to take that trip me up.  Anne LaBorde, a wise therapist, once taught me that it's all about taking small manageable steps and I  believe that to be true. 

Another challenge that gets in the way is when I forget that who I am is enough and that "being seen" is only scary if I care too much what other people think.  I have to be who I am... all of who I am.  And even I don't like parts of me... but work on accepting myself and loving myself unconditionally.  Yesterday I downloaded "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown and I know I will glean a lot from her words and experiences.  I thoroughly enjoyed "The Power of Vulnerability" and now I need another dose of wise words that remind me to embrace my own vulnerability and be perfectly fine with it.  I've been there before, and I'll be there again.  I find being vulnerable to be so empowering, when I am completely present with it. 

I'll keep this short since writing today was my baby step.  Please share any of your experiences and baby steps to get the wheel going again in your life!  After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. :-)

Wishing you love and light on your journey....

Robbie

Wisdom and Humility

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. William Faulkner



I just got back from a hot yoga class.  I have not done yoga steadily since we moved in July.  Needless to say, I am out of yoga shape. I walk and hike but the rest of my body has been asleep for the last 10 months.  Luckily, 2 weeks ago I took the class and there was no one there so I got to have a private class with the teacher who went through the positions with me so at least, today, I had an idea of what was going on.  However, that did not compensate for the lack of stability and strength that my body displayed today.  As a songwriter, I see most things as metaphors... and quite honestly, even if I never wrote a song, I'd probably still see everything as a metaphor and this yoga class was no different.  As I watched myself in the mirror teeter while trying to balance, my own critical judgment showed up, initially, and how grateful I am that before too long the "angel on my shoulder" showed up too reminding me how long it's been and that it's not a competition, not even with myself and that this whole practice of yoga, is about healthy breathing, thinking and patience.

I was a very good gymnast in my youth, particularly in high school (3rd in Nassau County and 26th in the state of NY in floor-exercise), and with that, a dancer since that was part of the sport.  I hurt myself in spring training in college and after my first laminectomy at age 19, I went on to study ballet as an adult, in my 20's and early 30's.... I was the youngest in my class. I loved it, because it was all about balance and poise... and I was very good at it.

1974, Baldwin Junior High

Today, I was not very good at either balance nor poise, however, I gave myself a break and told myself that if I keep coming back, within a couple of months, I should be able to stay on my yoga mat and not have every muscle in my body shake from shock.  I was proud of myself for even going, knowing that I would be the "weakest link" in the class.  Frankly, I did feel a twinge of embarrassment, but only fleeting and very quickly I was fine with where I was and even began to own it and embrace it and still love myself.  In this one class, I wanted to laugh at myself and then when stretching my body and opening it up, I felt like crying... I felt the loss for the time I have ignored it and it was sort of a coming home to it.  It's as if I have deprived myself of such an intsrumental element to my happiness and well being.

The teacher was amazing, gentle, supportive, helpful and young.  The other women in the class were younger than me too.  I laughed as I felt that pesky ego come into play, wanting to attach a sign to my back that said,  "I used to be a gymnast ya know, a dancer, the best in some places and I could do back flips from here to kingdom come." and then, I held that thought in an embrace of acceptance, like a sulking child, and it dissipated, rather quickly.  I also wanted to laugh when I saw myself flailing from a yoga pose, like a drunk person trying to walk a tight rope.

These days, I don't need to be better than anyone else, because I've learned that that kind of competition isn't something that makes me happy.  Let's face it, even the most humble of us feel an urge to compete on some level, but that can be healthy and used as a tool to inspire us and keep us going.

The class today was so much more than yoga. It was a reminder to see age for what it really is. A present, a rite of passage, a privilege and a beautiful undying lust for life. An old person's soul is no less valuable than a young person's soul... they are the same, just situated on different timelines, heading in the same direction...living life from that place...and learning how to be present for each stage of the process.

Today was a gift, and I got to reunite with someone very special, who still needs love and attention,  inside and out...and I'm not embarrassed to say that that person, was me.  I hope if you're reading this, that you will feel inspired to get out there, outside your comfort zone, and take one baby step towards reuniting with your body, mind and soul.  We're going to need to be in tip top shop to manifest and allow all the miracles that are awaiting our invitation.  It's an all around alignment  - with my body, the abundance in the universe and all that I know to be true of self-love and self-care.

Please feel free to share what you did or are going to do, to show the world that you love the amazing person you are, right this very minute,  in the comments below.

May beauty and wisdom light your path, always.

Robbie