A River Between

Cross posted at MotorGeekBlog.com

Looking for a way to beat the current gas prices? Do you wish you could just harness the power of the sun and have a great drive across the country? Well this year, teams of very innovative college students did just that!
Continue Reading »

Even after taking a few days off to rest sore pulled muscles from softball this week, last night was a great breakthrough. I was able to do the warmup and sun salutations all the way through without stopping to rest in the “child’s pose” during the 40 minutes I do yoga. AND… I was able to do the Tree Pose (where you balance on one leg, your other foot pressed against your thigh above the knee) for about 8 seconds!!

Also still caffeine free, but going back to the coffee shop to drink decaf when I want. It’s nice to be able to go back to haunts and not be tempted to get loaded on caffeine.

While I have no clue how much weight I’ve lost (scales are evil), the shorts I bought in late june that buttoned up and zipped quite snugly then, I can now just slip on and off without unbuttoning. Makes for interesting *ahem* views of the backside if I sit down or bend over, since my shorts basically now just rest on my hips. I can now wear all my XL shirts comfortably just fine, and I’ve noticed that the fat I used to have on top of my ribs below my chest is now not there, and I can feel ribs!! My face seems a little thinner too. I think I still have a ways to go to a weight that I want to be “comfortable” at. I still like being a little stocky, but I want a more healthy weight, and want to keep at this new regimen for a long time. My body feels great, and I am feeling younger. I must be doing something right. Feels good!

Wangari Maathai is the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner

I’ve decided to start a new category and photo set on my Flickr Photospace about people I consider “heroes.” Mind you, I may have different definitions of the word hero. These are people who have risen above major challenges in creative ways, to bring about unexpected and profound change. I hope you enjoy hearing about these wonderful people.

Wangari Maathai started a movement in Kenya called the Grain Belt Movement. Even under an oppressive regime, she motivated women to make changes in the environment which they live. Over a period of 30 years, women in Kenya joined her in planting some 30 million trees. While they were doing this, they were creating community and becoming a support structure for themselves in a place where women held few rights.

From these efforts, Wangari has also been an advocate for women, human rights, and environmental sustainability. She was the first black woman in Eastern and Central Africa to earn a Doctorate Degree. In 2002, she was elected to the Kenya Parliament and was appointed Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife.

All my life, I have been trying to show how the Earth is central to our lives, and I have tried to express this in many ways. Every time I see the soil laid bare, I feel the urge to cover it, to re-clothe the naked Earth in verdant green vegetation. This is the robe of Mother Earth, adorned with beautiful, lush shades of green abundance.

So my dream is for us to return to the Earth her cloak of green vegetation, to give her back what she once had. By doing this we will be working towards what some call sustainable development.

I like the sound of that dream!

I’ve been reading the book, The Sprit’s Terrain, by Christopher Child recently. A wonderful concept he brings about is the striving for Fulfillment in our lives rather than Satisfaction. I think that this combined with other changes I’ve been making has really caused me to embrace this notion of fulfillment.

Satisfaction, as Child puts it, is short term. It’s that comfortable resolution to dissonance that our lives have constantly. It’s the raise you get, the big publishing contract, the job you want, the house you dream of, or the person you envision to live your life with and live “happily ever after.” It’s feeling full. Satisfied. Belly’s full.

Fulfillment is a process, and a long term state of mind. Fulfillment is the stories we tell over time, the bus driver who knows your name who always wishes you a great day, your own growth through the good and bad. It’s your intertwining and changing dreams and ambitions, and how you live through the friction and tension of day to day life. It’s the freedom you have to grow and change, and how you do it throughout life.
Continue Reading »

I’m really starting to feel like doing yoga should be a very natural part of daily routines now. While I’ve taken some days off in the last two weeks, I’ve really begun to notice that I’m improving quite quickly, and feeling like I have more energy in my body.
Continue Reading »

Windmill Train
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

On June 25, this “windmill train” passed through Mahnomed, MN on its way to Canada for parts to be assembled into an 85-turbine wind farm. On June 1st, Canadian Pacific RR issued a press release on future movements of wind power generators. There will be six more movements this summer over the rails from Houston TX to the Twin Cities (via BNSF), then
from the Twin Cities to the Canadian border (via Canadian Pacific).

For more information on the “Windmill Trains” coming through Minnesota, Click Here to read the press release.

The photo to the right was used by permission of the photographer, Christopher Muller. More Photos of the Windmill train are available at the RR Picture Archive.

Since my roommate moved out a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been enjoying my space at home much more, and finding new ways to use it, so it seems. About six months ago I purchased OM Yoga in a Box, from the suggestion of someone over the internet, and practiced it a few times, then just sort of let it set for a while. I got a roommate, and in my small space, it just wasn’t convenient to move things in the living room to give me adequate space to do yoga.

This week, I seem to have found a new friend. I’ve done this yoga practice four out of the last five days this week, and I’m really happy with even the progress I’ve made in just four days.
Continue Reading »