Old vs. new

I've tried writing this blog dozens of times over the years....but it never ended up being posted for some reason or another.

Below is a side by side of my old and new(er) yoga mat:

The old mat is over 10 years old.  It is completely beat up.  Nole the dog (God love her) used the old mat as a resting spot in NYC for years while I ran over doing yoga.  And as you can imagine, Nole the dog was far better at downward dog then I am or ever will be  The old mat is shorter and not as wide. About three years ago, an instructor suggested I get a new mat.  And being a new yogini, of course I rushed out to get one.  The new mat is awesome, but for some reason it never feels the same as my old mat.

Last night, I did an amazing yoga class.  The teacher talked a lot about polar opposites or opposing forces.  It made me think about my old mat that I was practicing on as I looked around at everyone else's modern day mats around me.  Sometimes old is good....sometimes new is good.  Sometimes we cling to the familiar...and other times we need new experiences.  Sometimes we are open to change...and other times not so much.  Sometimes we listen to our gut...and other times we do not listen to it even when we should.  Sometimes people surprise us...and other times not so much.  Life is all about polar opposites.  At the end of the day, we always have to figure out what is right for us in the moment and long term.  Anyway, that's my life lesson and wisdom for the week.  Happy Tuesday.

Fall TV

I was excited for the fall shows to start last week.  Maybe more so then I have been in a long time for fall shows to begin.  I mean some of favorites like Nashville, The Voice, Revolution and Homeland are back in my life....And then I watched a few of the new ones like The Blacklist, Hostages, Trophy Wife and The Michael J Fox Show.  The Blacklist is simply amazing.  I give The Blacklist five stars!!! This may be my new favorite show.  As for the other new shows I mentioned above, I am still undecided.  Happy fall!!

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Update:

I so want to like Hostages because....er, well Dylan McDermott is in it with an amazing cast of other well known actors and actresses....but truth be told the story line is weak.  I may keep watching the show (Read: to watch him).

Trophy Wife is really funny with a great cast.  It's just stupid humor.  It gets 4 stars in my book.

The Crazy Ones is FABULOUS!!  I've watched the first two episodes and LOVE IT!!!  It's filmed in Chicago and actually uses real brands as part of their show.  Bravo!  It has Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar in it!  Simply hilarious!!!

Happy Monday

Here is a bit of inspiration to start the week.  Happy Monday!  Make it a good one!

#GetLean

A few years ago I tried something I called  #10DayWorkoutChallenge to motivate myself to work out 10 days in a row.  A friend of mine loved the idea and motivated another friend to do it too.  We started it again yesterday.   The notion is you must workout every day for 10 days.  It's really fun.  And while we live across the country, we hold each other accountable.  Today I did my second day of yoga at the park self led to music.  It was wonderful.  Our hashtag is #GetLean Anyone else want to join?  If so, start today.

Imagine

This morning I decided to go to Freedom Park in Charlotte to practice yoga.  It was kind of wonderful.  Well I say that, but about 20-30 minutes in that there were ants on my mat.  I mean, it happens when you practice outside...so the rest of my practice I felt like bugs were crawling all over me...there could be worse things I guess though.

At the end of an hour long practice, THIS song played during my Savasana.  I often watch my nieces and the other children around me.  I notice they have this pure joy at the simplest of things.  I think it's because life is still kind of innocent for them.  Take a listen to the song and IMAGINE.

Happy Wednesday!

A plan

"Always plan for the fact that no plan ever goes according to plan."

Tutti

When I was in Italy, I learned a word — It's "tutti" with double T, which in ltalian means "everybody." So that's the lesson, isn't it? When you set out in the world to help yourself, sometimes you end up helping Tutti. - Eat Pray Love #LifeLessons