Yard Sale Treasure

In an effort to condense my life,
I invited my neighbors to shop in a store I created on my front lawn.

My front walkway transformed into the main artery of an outdoor trading post,
which was comprised of various card tables topped with trinkets,
boxes of books, DVDs, music, art and various clothing racks,
like one we made by lodging a long wooden bar in a knot of a huge maple tree
and propping the other end on a ladder. Classy!

Two days of selling and I would say I have found a new calling!

As one of my favorite female authors, Anais Nin says,
"good things happen to those who hustle."
Come to my sale and you're sure to leave with a treasure.

However, upon examining the remnants of the upheaval,
my attention was drawn to a vintage paperback book titled,
"Living Altars of The Ozarks," by Omer E. Creech.

It was published in 1973, and was originally titled, "Soul Talk of the Ozark Hills."
I have no idea where this book came from, but the title page had been autographed
directly below a stamp that read, "Look often toward the crest of the hills."  I was sold.

I flipped the page to the Dedication.  It was golden.
"To all living souls, who have the will and the courage to search for and discover a personal truth,
and follow that truth to it's destiny; I dedicate this book."
Ohhh, goosebumps.  I hit the jackpot!

I read on to find a beautiful poem that has easily become the treasure of my day. Here it is for you:

WOODLAND THERAPY

Let me walk in the woods

away from the crowded thoroughfare.

Let me commune with living things;

Things uninhibited by the cares of men.

With unshod feet let me tread softly 

upon the floor of the cool earth;

A floor carpeted by rich brown leaves

washed clean by the falling rain.

Grant me the privilege of listening;

Listening to the stillness of the eternal quiet.

Give unto me the sensitivity of response;

The response to the divine quietness

that whispers to the inner soul of man--

"Be still and know that I am God." 

And having responded to this divine call

let me walk from the woods

a wiser and stronger man;

Capable of re-entering and

living in the mainstream of life.

When I read this, it felt like a spoken meditation that I could easily take with me and ponder on nature walks and hiking adventures with my dogs.  I once wrote, "Greater than the test of society is the examination within," and Creech confirms my thought, "Every man's soul is his own sanctuary."  -Creech

Thank you yard sale treasure :) 

Eli the Eelephant

Eli the Eelephant

By Amanda Lynn Steinhaus

Illustrations by True Delorenzo

An Eelephant ALWAYS forgets. 

In fact, it takes steps to remember.

But let's start in the beginning.


***

Eli, the eelephant, was born in the warm waters of Thailand.

He was the only son of Erwin the Albino elephant, who loved to swim,
and Eos, the most beautiful Moray eel in the ocean,
who swam to shore at the dawn of each day.

Erwin and Eos loved to swim together every morning! 

They fell in love and soon gave birth to Eli,
the only eelephant in the entire history of Asian waters.

Legend has it that fishermen heard of this unique creation by Erwin and Eos
and have been hunting Eli for many moons.

The tides never lie, and with every new moon in the sky,
when the water is at its lowest, Eli gets very lonely and sad.

He searches for a friend to comfort him,
but his awkward appearance scares the other ocean creatures away.

Eli swims as fast as he can through the shallow waters and along a dangerously strong current,
which his parents warned Eli about when he was young.

They said,
"Eli, above the water, fishermen will cast their nets down below
 in hopes of trapping ocean creatures as they travel along the quick ocean current."

However, Eli forgot their words as he let his lonliness take over his emotions
and he swam carelessly into the powerful current. 

His mom and dad also told him about a special gift that he had as an eelephant
that no other sea creature possessed.

However, in his current state of mind, he wasn't thinking about his gifts.

Eli focused on the things he did NOT have.

He thought about the things he wanted and needed, but was not getting.

His thoughts drove him deeper into the dangerous current.

Until....SNAP! 

Eli got caught in his tracks! 

The net pulled him up and Eli suddenly became very scared!

Lifted onto the deck of an old fishing boat,

when the nets fell, the fishermen gasped and pointed their fingers at Eli.

They pointed their fingers down in awe.

It was the myth they now saw!

Eli, the eelephant had FEET!

And with them he crept off the boat and back into the sea!

Where he swims peacefully free.

Until the new moon rises again, and Eli gets lonely...

THE END

Moral #1:  Sometimes your best traits are the ones that others notice.

Moral #2: Sometimes others can point out the things you need to learn about yourself.

Soundtrack In My Mind

I'm leaving home and I am coming home all at once...

As I pack to move, this song plays in my head.

It is so moving to me, in so many ways--

I hope you agree.



Oh let us rise
Above the bones
Let us remember the memories

Filled with compassion
Not scarred by hunger
No not blinded by the ashes of the past

My eyes have not seen it
Yet in my soul I know
No conception is hidden
Let there be love

I wanna go home
Take me home
I've got to go home
Take me home

And we gonna rise yeah
High above the flames
Our hearts open as the endless sky
No more deception
No more shame
Just a reflection of the natural high

Ah do you remember that melody
Ah yeah do you remember that song so free
Yeah I wanna go home
Take me come
I've got to go home
Take me home

Oh let us rise
Above the bones
Let us remember the memories
No more afraid
No more alone
Let our spirits fly so free

In my arms a little child wrapped tight in prayer
Safe from harm, oh yeah
Ever guided by Jah Jah fire

I wanna go home
Take me home
I've got to go home
Take me home
I wanna go home
Take me home
Got to go home

So take me home... (repeat)

Vibrations and Communication

I recently heard that only 7% of communication is actually what you say.

The other 93% is how you say it, your body language, and the interpretation of the receiver...but we already knew that.

However, I did some investigating into his "7% Verbal + 38% Vocal + 55% Facial" rule anyway.  You can do it too, here.  

The guy who came up with the rule is Albert Mehrabian, a professor at UCLA.  It's pretty interesting to read his theory, because we all know that a person can say something, but their body says something else.  Non-verbal communication is JUST AS IMPORTANT as verbal.  Take for example if someone is avoiding eye contact, turning their body away from you, etc and you ask, "Is something wrong?" and get a "Nothing!" answer...you know it's BS.

Or, on the other hand, we can talk til we are blue in the face, but it won't matter unless we have a captive audience - and with all the distractions in today's world - that is very challenging!  It's so important to be engaging and creative these days, or our communication doesn't stand a chance!

When you communicate think of all of this.  Not just what you say - but how you say it - and who you are saying it to.


Here's a commentary from my friend who shared this theory with me:

"Conclusion is the non-verbal vibrational language of the body and character of the sound account for over 5 times the communication than the actual words - no matter who you talk to it is the notions and the 'brations baby.

Think of your communication with your babies (dogs) how they seem to understand you.  Well they do.  They interprete your emotions because you are human and wear your feelings all over your body.  The "heart on your sleeve" is the subconscious vibration of your emotions and your projection of thoughts and feelings characterized by your actions and demeanor whether you are aware of it or not.  


The best liars either don’t have this inherent posture or are in tune with it so they assess and construe it – me….I blink like hell when I lie!  Some you hear in it their tone, some shake etc."


What do you do when you lie?
How do you keep the attention of your audience?


Thanks for being here :)
Panda

Moving Pains

The most stressful things in life, popular opinion has it, are bereavement, divorce and moving house. 


Unfortunately, I am in the midst of the latter and as much as I want to rejoice in this transition and all that I stand to gain once I get there, my body is having a freak out moment.  Sleep is messed with, body is aching, emotions are bubbling up, and the to-do list seems infinite.


One week 'til I depart!  One week!  And so much to do. 


My List 


Go through my life.
Creatively assess my new needs.
Pack only the necessities.
Sell the rest - either on Craigslist, or in a garage sale, or give to friends/charities.
See as many friends and family members as possible during lunches, dinners, and just making them come sort through my life with me.
Plan a going away party.  
Attend a going away party after having a garage sale all day.
Try not to become too intoxicated and an emotional basketcase at my party.
Hope to not wake up with a hangover.  
Continue garage sale.
Play car Tetris with my carefully selected belongings, my dogs and myself.
Try to sleep before I leave.
Drive 12 hours a day for two days.


Wooo Hoooo!!!  Not so bad now that I look at it.  I can do this.   Just gotta keep breathing.  Stress is relentless and I found this list on www.mayoclinic.com,

Top 10 stress relievers

1. Get active - Virtually any form of exercise and physical activity can act as a stress reliever. Even if you're not an athlete or you're out of shape, exercise is still a good stress reliever. Physical activity pumps up your feel-good endorphins and refocuses your mind on your body's movements, improving your mood and helping the day's irritations fade away. Consider walking, jogging, gardening, house cleaning, biking, swimming, weightlifting or anything else that gets you active.

2. Meditate - During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. Meditation instills a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Guided meditation, guided imagery, visualization and other forms of meditation can be practiced anywhere at any time, whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus to work or waiting at the doctor's office.


I use this technique for visualizing my dreams, so as not to lose sight of them!

3. Laugh - A good sense of humor can't cure all ailments, but it can help you feel better, even if you have to force a fake laugh through your grumpiness. When you start to laugh, it lightens your mental load and actually causes positive physical changes in your body. Laughter fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure, producing a good, relaxed feeling. So read some jokes, tell some jokes, watch a comedy or hang out with your funny friends.

4. Connect - When you're stressed and irritable, your instinct may be to wrap yourself in a cocoon. Instead, reach out to family and friends and make social connections. Social contact is a good stress reliever because it can distract you, provide support, help you weather life's up and downs, and make you feel good by doing good. So take a coffee break with a friend, email a relative, volunteer for a charitable group, or visit your place of worship.

5. Assert yourself - You might want to do it all, but you probably can't, at least not without paying a price. Learn to say no to some tasks or to delegate them. Saying yes may seem like an easy way to keep the peace, prevent conflicts and get the job done right. But it may actually cause you internal conflict because your needs and those of your family come second, which can lead to stress, anger, resentment and even the desire to exact revenge. And that's not very calm and peaceful.

6. Do yoga - With its series of postures and controlled-breathing exercises, yoga is a popular stress reliever. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve peacefulness of body and mind, helping you relax and manage stress and anxiety. Try yoga on your own or find a class — you can find classes in most communities. Hatha yoga, in particular, is a good stress reliever because of its slower pace and easier movements.

I had to do a little downward dog yoga today to get my back moving! ;)

7. Sleep - Stress often gives sleep the heave-ho. You have too much to do — and too much to think about — and your sleep suffers. But sleep is the time when your brain and body recharge. And the quality and amount of sleep you get affects your mood, energy level, concentration and overall functioning. If you have sleep troubles, make sure that you have a quiet, relaxing bedtime routine, listen to soothing music, put clocks away, and stick to a consistent schedule.

8. Journal - Writing out thoughts and feelings can be a good release for otherwise pent-up emotions. Don't think about what to write — just let it happen. Write whatever comes to mind. No one else needs to read it, so don't strive for perfection in grammar or spelling. Just let your thoughts flow on paper — or computer screen. Once you're done, you can toss out what your wrote or save it to reflect on later.

9. Get musical - Listening to or playing music is a good stress reliever because it provides a mental distraction, reduces muscle tension and decreases stress hormones. Crank up the volume and let your mind be absorbed by the music. If music isn't your thing, though, turn your attention to another hobby you enjoy, such as gardening, sewing, sketching — anything that requires you to focus on what you're doing rather than what you think you should be doing.

I also kept these YouTube videos playing while I packed.

10. Seek counsel - If new stressors are challenging your ability to cope or if self-care stress relievers just aren't relieving your stress, you may need to look for reinforcements in the form of professional therapy or counseling. Therapy may be a good idea if stress leaves you feeling overwhelmed or trapped, if you worry excessively, or if you have trouble carrying out daily routines or meeting responsibilities at work, home or school. Professional counselors or therapists can help you identify sources of your stress and learn new coping tools.

If you haven't already guessed, I am compiling this list so that I can refer to it throughout the next few weeks.   It is my counsel for myself and is good to have it all organized in a spot to come to and remind myself how to de-stress.


Ahhh.  I feel better already just knowin it exists. :)))


Cheers you guys!  Here's to making moves!

Speak Easy in Haiku

A speakeasy, popularized during Prohibition, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages.

They are kept highly secret and usually attract an elitist crowd, who sip on swanky cocktails with ingredients unheard of in most bars.

The picture below is of the "Winter in Buenos Aires" cocktail at Manifesto in Kansas City, MO.  

It has a divine blend of Brazilian cachaca (ka-cha-sah), butternut squash puree and something infused with cinnamon and honey.  It's so amazing that I crave it.  

So, last night I satisfied my palate one final time as a farewell to my favorite KC secret. 

Ciao for now, Manifesto! This one's for you :)

Candlelight flickers

Along the dark basement walls

At my speak easy

Down a steep staircase

Led between blowing curtains

To my drinking throne 

The tempest in me

Is feeling kind of spicy

Like hot thai chile

First, I sip slowly

"Winter in Buenos Aires"

 A taste of cold days

Candied ginger bits

Paired with a crafty cocktail

Wake up my taste buds

Outside, when I leave

Two cool guys in an Airstream 

Cook Chilaquiles

I see the word "love"

On the phone pole in the street

Just as you call me

I had the final word

La palabra finale

And then you hung up

Driving home in rain
So late the check point was closed
Time to check myself

Gypsy Panda

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village,

she must seek them abroad."

–Jane Austen

If you have been on my blog lately,

you know that I am moving to California! 

I feel confident in this new adventure 

and decided to write a "Gypsy Panda" affirmation post.

Hope it inspires you :)

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go."
~Dr. Seuss

“I’ve decided that I’m going to live this life for some time to come.

The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up.”

–Chris McCandless

"Not all those who wander are lost."
J. R. R. Tolkien

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money.

Then take half the clothes and twice the money."
-Susan Heller

(Or...just take things with you that you can make and sell along the way)

“Twenty years from now

you will be more disappointed

by the things you didn’t do

than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines,

sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

-Mark Twain

Clown School, Not Frown School!

Here's a little peek into a Children's story I am collaborating on...

(Sorry these came out sideways...I tried to redo it a gazillion times with no luck.  

So whatever.  I just have to turn my head sideways. Adaptation is survival.)

TO BE CONTINUED...

Ponder This

This gives me goosebumps every single time I watch it. Are you part of the 10%?

The Love of a Flower

The Love of a Flower

By Amanda Steinhaus

Once Upon a Time...

A very rare and beautiful flower grew in a garden at the park.

Everyday people would walk by 
and most stopped to stare at the flower 

for it looked different than any flower of its kind.

Some even bent down and stared long and hard at it.

When people got that close to it, 

the flower could see straight into their eyes!

It soon began to notice that every person was very different, too.  

As the flower grew taller and bloomed fuller, 

it received more attention.  

With the attention came more people 

and the flower really loved all of their humanly differences.

The flower loved the different shapes, sizes, colors, 
and personalities of the different people that stopped by.  

As they admired it, it admired them equally.

The flower thought, 

"People are so lucky to be so different!  

My species is all the same.  

We come from a seed and grow into a flower.  

Most of us look exactly the same.  

I am so lucky to be different, 

because most of us don't have a choice.  

It's in our DNA to be the exact same.  

Always...."

"My species rarely blooms into a different color or shape, 

but when we do, like I did, 

people call it an anomaly!

However, for humans, 

there is so much diversity that they are all anomalies.  

Did you know that?  You are an anomaly...  

Yes!  You certainly are!  AND don't forget it!

We flowers are watching for your beauty to come out and shine!"

So give them what they want 

and let your differences be like 

the beauty of a rare flower!

Differences make us unique 
and that's what makes this world so beautiful.  

Flowers like this are proof.

THE END

Palm Reading

When I was in 5th grade, my teacher had my entire class examine our palms for a line that extended all the way across our palm.  I had it.  She explained that it meant I was intelligent.  I never forgot.


Then, in 8th grade, I wrote a research paper on palmistry, as a way to educate myself more on the subject.  I learned that the singular line across my right hand was actually my head line and my heart line combined.


It is the frequent assumption of palmists that the bearer of such a marking finds it difficult to separate emotions and what is desired (the heart line) from intellect and what is thought (the head line).  I feel this marriage of my thoughts and emotions quite intensely actually and can honestly say that the assumption is true.


Then, while working at a Chief's football game last Sunday, I had a guest give me a high five - and in that moment I took notice of his line.  He shared with me that it is called a Simian Crease and that 99% of people who have it also have Down syndrome.  However, according to the guy I met, the 1% of us that didn't end up with Down, got blessed as extreme givers of love and sayers of "I'm sorry."  It true.  I can't help but be driven by love and I am ALWAYS trying to make people happy with my empathy.  I had to investigate more.



What I found is they believe the Simian Line gives the ability to focus on one thing, absolutely, to the exclusion of all else. It is believed that these people generally achieve and accomplish far more than most, developing techniques and inventions that will last for generations. They also supposedly experience far more misfortune than most, usually due to the same intensity that drives them.  I can see this as truth also, for when I love something wholly, I will go to great lengths to give it my full ambition, and sometimes, it ends up hurting me in the end.  Oh well, I believe "It is better to loved and lost, than to never have loved at all." -Shakespeare


Religious elements of the Simian Line are mentioned frequently. Arnold Holtzman, PhD, said that “Many of their numbers may come to identify with fundamentalist religion after living very open, liberal, and free-thinking lifestyles."  Now, this could be me for sure.  Especially now that I have been studying symbols and am using them to communicate with my higher subconscious.


Here is what my right (dominant) palm looks like:

My favorite palm reading tool is finding out how many kids you will have.  If you bend the dominant hand's pinky away from the ring finger and look at the number of creases that appear between the crease where the pinky begins and the end of the heart line -- that will be the number of kids that you either have now, or will have in the future.  Pretty cool!  It's 99% accurate.

Links

• The most comprehensive simian line-related website I’ve found to date can be found here (with an accompanying podcast).

• Photos of simian lines are available in Flickr’s simian line photo pool.

• If you’re a MySpace user, you can join a group for folks with simian lines (Facebook also has an active group for simian-lined people, but you need to be a Facebook member in order to even see it).

• A forum for people with simian lines can be found here.

• Some personal websites I have found belonging to folks with simian lines can be found here, here, and here.

• A palmist, writer, and teacher discusses simian lines here.

• Here is an article on having double simian lines.

• Palmistry, The Art of Palm Reading covers all aspects of palm-reading—not just simian lines.

• A case study involving simian lines can be accessed here.

• HandResearch.com is a comprehensive source for palmistry information.

• Palm Reading - Read my Palm online! Palm Reading - The Lines on your palm tell the story... Read my Palm today

California Dreamin'...

Stopped into a church-- I passed along the way


Well I got down on my knees-- And I began to pray

It's official.  I am moving to California.  Back to the left coast to make the most -- of this new connection I have been nurturin'... My conversation with God-- my cosmic subconscious that speaks to me in symbols in both my dreaming and waking lives.

Last night was the best thus far.

I dreamed about a dinner at a chef driven restaurant, which is turning out to be my going away dinner at the Classic Cup on the Country Club Plaza...

I dreamed I took up an offering for a friend in need and raised a surprising amount of money, and then after giving it to him, I walked away and found a $100 bill on the ground.  That was the coolest ever!  I am relating it to good karma and a friend in need is a friend indeed--because I found a place two blocks from the beach with a girlfriend who just needs a little financial help right now.  I have a feeling that the experience is going to make us richer in both creativity and spirit!  PLUS there's a BONUS-- She has an adorable 4 year old, who I suspect will give me lots of storytelling practice!  :)))  Stay tuned.It's about to get real.

I dreamed about specific friends and two of them called me out of the blue today -- like WAY out of the blue.

I dreamed that I had a pile of clothes in the middle of my floor, which may come true as I sold nearly all of my furniture within hours of posting it on Craigslist and Facebook.  Different pick up times have been scheduled.  Now it's time to start sorting for the garage sale.  Then comes the car Tetris. ;)

It may sound gross but I dreamed that a bunch of insects ran out of my pile of clothes and into a hole in the thick foundation wall in the garage.  I screamed for my dad and he came down to investigate the madness.  He sprayed insect killer into the hole and then caulked it shut for good!

• Insects symbolize the irritating minor nagging of the unconscious or daily life - and with the uncertainty of my move, not knowing where I was going to move myself AND two big dogs-- that was pretty naggy and irritating.  Thank God that is figured out for the time being!  
• My father represents the protector, or in my dream-- a weapon.  This means that I need to become more self reliant and depend on my own resources.  SO VERY TRUE!!!   Being home has served its purpose and now it's time to move on...

I dreamed of a spider, which mystically represents good luck.

I covered the spider with a cup, which may have the widest interpretation in the whole dream.

• In one sense, it stands for female sexuality.  
• In another, it represents something passive from which you can draw sustenance.  
• And finally it can stand for the Holy Grail and the search for spiritual sustenance.  Love and truth.  It is very fortunate, no matter which way I choose to look at it and I am very excited and blessed nonetheless.

I feel like my dream wasn't just luck, it was a symbol of fate and my chance to recognize the direct communication with my unconscious and cosmic subconscious.

This path is my path and I feel it in my bones.  Plus tonight is a full moon in Pisces and that's my astrological sign.  The cosmos are smiling tonight.  Hope you feel it too.

My Heart and Soul

A photo collage of things that make my heart patter.

Family

Annie Bananie's sweet face

Lucy's puppy pics

The bond between my doggies

Jumping out of airplanes

Making jewelry

My Goddaughter's 1st day of Kindergarten

Getting stuck in an elevator

Tornadoes

Meeting bands and being a VIP 

Falling in love and writing love poems

Cheeseburgers @ Hodad's

Working hard on things I love. 

Music and making up my own songs

Dancing :)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

Ekphrastic Poem

I discovered a new type of poem today.  :)

One that I should have known about for years now, but I guess things appear right when they are supposed to in life.

Yeah, the word "ekphrastic" sounds strange, but it is merely poetry based on a work of art, like a painting, sculpture or photograph. Pretty simple, huh?

So, of course for my first attempt at an ekphrastic poem, I chose Andy Warhol's "Giant Panda" print from his Endangered Species series.

Here it is:

Layers of color

Create your edges

But naturally

You are black and white

Sitting there with that smirk

Begging me to give you bamboo

With those masked eyes

Your hands are empty

Red with anger

Drops of sun begin

To gnaw on your empty hands

Species in danger, or endangered species? 

Poised on your backside

In an open-eyed meditation

The purple lines that create you

Are the veins of your fate

Was it He who did not fill in the white space

Did your Creator do this to you?

You are a symbol of hope, panda

That misfits do not merely exist-- 

But thrive in the protection of society.