Happiness

"People are being called upon to adapt in ways that they have not in decades. Things are hard. It is okay to be upset and it is necessary to grieve. That's the first thing I say. We have to honor anxiety. The phrase "You are feeling sorry for yourself' is not in my vocabulary. I believe the finest works of art are born out of the deepest suffering. We can teach ourselves skills that will make us happier in life. Savor it. No matter how bad you believe your past was, you did learn how to skip. There was a day when you discovered your shadow and how to ride a bike. We have a choice about what we remember--past and present."

Annharriet Buck from her "How to Be Happy Lecture" and excerpted from "The Guru in a Pantsuit" by Marie Brenner Departures Magazine

Reya from the blog According to the Cosmology of Reya aka the Gold Puppy has been writing about identity, questioning herself and the direction of our country. I believe Ms. Buck's lecture, part of the program known as the Inner Door at the Golden Spa, is a starting point for what ails. I believe we all can learn from asking the same questions and listening to each other. Thanks Reya.

Finally, thanks again Annharriet Buck! Wise words and the closest I will probably ever get to the programs offered at the Golden Door. Ohmmm.

BFF sings the blues

Actually she is not singing but achooing! and down with the flu. After our trip to the spa we promised each other that we would continue our journey to fitness. Since we live fifty miles from each other, the goal is to email each other to keep each other on track and to schedule monthly hikes and such. Email is a new thing for her. For years, I have been sending notes to her husband’s email and he would advise her that ‘she had mail’. Pretty good deal if you can get it. This is the very same man who talked us in from his laptop and got us to the spa on time. A gem.

Anyway, when we got home she actually sat down at the computer and signed up for an email account. Ok, she probably had some help from hubby and her 16 year old daughter, but the point is…she did it. When she didn’t answer my email, I was not surprised. So I checked in and was advised by his gemness, that she was in bed sleeping away the blues that only a springtime flu can bring.

So I am writing this post knowing that tomorrow her hubby will once again advise her ‘you got mail!’

Here’s hoping you feel better and ready to move it soon, kiddo.

Time to Spa

Yes, my friend and I packed our bags and headed to the Catskills to the New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York. We arrived on a Sunday, missed our exit but made it on time for our first full body treatment. An hour or so of exfoliation and detoxification, put us in the right frame of mind to greet our really healthy dinner, ignore the below 20 degree evening and look forward to the next two days.

We were moving towards that magic place —where all the cares of the world fall away.

Before I get too carried away, let’s get something straight, New Age Health Spa is serious about getting you in the right place physically and mentally. That is primary goal and it works. It was our second visit. I am more and more impressed by the emphasis on health and peace. Come here and no matter your concerns, the staff will treat you as an individual. If you are zaftig or thin, old or young, they love and treat their guests, like family.

For those of you who spa, I will put the environment in perspective given the Catskills context. It’s like good Manhattan deli. For example, Zabar’s and Barney Greengrass aka the Sturgeon King. Both excellent with magnificent food, the difference being as an employee at Barney’s once told me, “We don’t do fancy schmancy.”

What makes this place special is not the fancy rooms but the people, the environment, the attention to the food, the treatments and the classes offered. The staff is well trained and considerate of every guest’s needs. The treatments are diverse and as good, if not better than any I have had in the fancy schmancy spas I have been to. The vegetables comes straight from their greenhouse and the meals are carefully thought out so despite the fact that I might want a slice of pizza or a nice brisket sandwich on rye for dinner, I devour the stuffed portabello mushroom, frittata or salmon gladly, quickly forgetting about the unhealthy food populating my mind. Morning starts with meditation, a brisk walk and then a form of yoga, then breakfast at 8.

Located on 280 acres, I can only imagine the hiking possibilities since I have visited in the cold months. I will explore the next time.

Finally, the peace and quiet of the place allow my friend and I to reconnect with our bodies and each other, putting aside work, husbands and the stress of just living. Time slows down to a crawl and we breathe listening to the wind chimes or the fire crackling in the sitting room. In the end we leave feeling like Peso, the owner’s dog, blissfully happy and connected to the now.





Check it out…


http://www.newagehealthspa.com/

"Only connect! " E.M. Forster

http://www.wordle.net/


"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die." E.M. Forster


Here's the thing. I work really hard and go for months, some time years working on completing a project. In that time, I am not aware of the separation of body and mind, the disconnection that results in being immersed in a process or a goal. I just work the process or the project at hand.

Age and the wisdom has taught me to pick up my head and look about. As a result, I spa and hike. I know spa is not a verb, per se, but if it was, I think the world would be a different, perhaps, a better place.

So having picked my head up and faced with one of those birthdays, I asked myself the question "Spa or hike?"

Since it was still cold and I only had a few days, the answer was easy. Spa.

I phoned my best friend and said "Pack your bag."