Diary of a Spinster and Lunatic

At last Friday is here, and it’s a long weekend to boot!   I’m really looking forward to just relaxing and doing a mental re-set.   I realized yesterday that I need a little bit more balance in my life.   I’m struggling with feeling like I work all the time and don’t do anything fun.   I’m hoping the weather is nice enough to go to a local parade this weekend, and I must grab a burger somewhere.   I mean, it’s the principle of the thing.  When I was younger, Memorial Day weekend always meant the pool was officially open, and summer was finally here.   I used to love going to the pool.   In fact, there were many years that I worked as a lifeguard, and this weekend would signify the beginning of working outside all day and hanging out with friends every night.   I just don’t think it gets any better than that.   Ah, memories.  :) But, let’s be honest.   The start of summer, barbecues, and parades are not the real purpose of ...

Several weeks or rather, dare I say, several months ago (where does the time go!?!?!) I actually took my lunch hour and attended a webinar on mindfulness. I honestly really didn't know what to expect.   What were they going to tell me for an hour other than to slow down, turn off the technical devices (aka: technical distractions) and focus more? The biggest aha! moment for me was learning the true definition of being present. When I'm dwelling on something from the past or worried about something in the future, which I'm constantly doing, I'm not really present. I'm literally in the past or in the future.   In the past I would have told you sure, I'm in the present.   I just kind of figured, hey I'm here.  I'm listening to you.   But, my mind was always being pulled in another direction.   The woman leading the seminar recommended that we find some kind of mindfulness program.   So naturally I went to Google. There are so many programs ...

Learning about the Root Chakra (pronounced: chuhk-ruh) has been interesting to say the least.   When I first started my research, some of the suggestions that came back on how to balance one’s chakra seemed a little hokey to me.   I really can’t see how eating strawberries, painting my toenails red, or smelling sandalwood is going to make me more balanced.   I was incredibly skeptical.   What I found was that the more I understood what drives this particular part of my being, some of these methods aren’t as far off as I originally thought them to be. There are many symptoms of an under-active root chakra, that include both the physical and the emotional.   The root chakra is associated with our sense of grounding and connection to the Earth.   It also has connections in our sense of survival (fight or flight), health, abundance, family, and passion.   Because this chakra is considered to be the root or base of all of the other chakras it can cr...

As of late, I’ve been feeling rather like an empty shell of a person.   I go through the motions each day forcing myself to complete certain tasks even though I really don’t feel like doing anything.   Yesterday I actually considered not opening my umbrella in the pouring rain to walk between my car and my apartment for the sole reason that I just didn’t feel like it.   I feel lazy and lethargic most of the time.   There are days when it takes all my energy to keep myself sitting upright at work.   I’m tired.   In the past I would have said I’m just burnt out, and that I need a vacation.   I don’t think I always felt this way.   But, maybe I did.   I really can’t recall.   Regardless, something needs to change.   I need to find the purpose for my existence. As I’ve gotten more and more into the healing powers of yoga and am beginning to explore meditation, it kind of seemed like the natural next step to move forward with underst...