green days

Ten days ago I embarked on a secret journey, secret because I did not tell anyone due to a fear of failure.

Next month, I will have hip replacement surgery which really motivated me to get my body temple together. I do believe that all things fall into place once the intention is set; while flipping the channels I saw a woman talking about a cleanse which caught my attention. I ordered the book, read it in one quick sitting. Could I drink three green smoothies each day for 10 days? Doubt said, “Maybe you should just stick to the modified plan where you eat one meal per day.” I brushed away that naysayer, picked a start date, went grocery shopping, ate a big hamburger the day before I was to begin and cancelled an appointment to do a supervised cleansing. There was just no need to pay someone $200 mainly because I felt like I needed to report in so I could be held accountable. I could do this. Discipline and tenacity said go for it.

I blended with enthusiasm on day 1 which went well, the taste of the smoothie fresh and appealing. By day 5, I was a little tired of so much liquid plus that days’ drink was not yummy, the after taste of stevia bitter in my mouth. Feeling a little sick, admittedly, I let my foot drag the ground a bit promising myself to pull it

back up on the wagon the next day; the universe gave me a boost when the smoothie on day 6 was a festive bright green made from spinach, pineapple, bananas, and peaches. It was scrumptious, nutritious and a motivator but by noon on day 7, my body needed food.

I honored what it requested mindful of the fact that I should not chomp down on a huge crazy meal since essentially I had not been eating for a week. The next day I felt better, good about the fact that I listened to myself AND did not bounce onto the road as the wagon pulled away. Then a tiny voice in my head reminded me that this journey was for me, no one else, the steps and stumbles mine alone. Onward I pressed and now I have arrived at the last day feeling triumphant sans some tired old weight that I started to pick up when I moved to DC 14 years ago. While releasing pounds is a huge plus, what I needed to see was that I could get my body ready to go into surgery, healthy and well all by myself, that paying another person to keep me in check was not going to help me reinforce belief in my own inner strength, that sometimes we have to shut out everyone else in order to hear the inner guide as it leads us to our destination.

Of course, there is the road ahead and being unable to drive this summer will allow me to focus on the continued restoration of my body temple. Actually I like green smoothies. Up to now, I had purchased bottled versions however this past week I have seen how easy they are to whip up fresh each day. Since there are so many tempting recipes available to try, having them as an alternative or should I say replacement to the bagel habit I have a jump start in breaking will be perfect for my renewal. Try green and…

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tickle my fancy

The very first instrument I was exposed to is the piano. It sat in the music room of my grandparents’ house; we were encouraged to bang on it to our hearts delight. As a child, there was a certain curiosity that came with placing my fingers on the smooth ivory and ebony keys, pushing them down, hearing the sound they made, and wondering where that sound came from and how it was created. When I was older, someone finally opened the top. I was fascinated by the felt covered hammers, strummed my fingers over the strings and just fell into deep adoration with what, at that time, was an enormous presence next to my little body. Sooooo...I often wonder why on earth I would not practice once I learned how to play.

I don’t know what it is about instruments**. I have always loved music but just rebelled when it came to my lessons. Thankfully there are many pianists, both known and not so famous, whose gorgeous works I admire. One of them is Cuban born Omar Sosa whose CD Calma is part of my collection used for meditation and relaxation during my personal time as well as when I’m conducting workshops or one-on-one sessions with patients.

I also like jazz piano especially when it’s part of a trio or quartet. I truly admire one’s ability to seriously tickle the ivories, fingers moving swiftly as they play in harmonious sass with percussion and bass, sending me into a trance like state, my head nodding like a junky after a fix. It’s those moments when I regret not studying this instrument when lessons were provided. I sometimes think that perhaps the piano will one day find its way on to my list of things to take up so...

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PS - **Note the word instruments, plural, above. Later in life, I decided to take flute, played in band, hated the competitive angling for first chair, and as soon as I was able to put it down, I did! I have no desire to pick it up again.

so bobo

My taste goes from one extreme to the other...inexpensive to pricey, cubic zirconia to diamonds, pedestrian to bizarre, faux anything to the real deal, pizza to, well I’m not crazy about caviar but you get the idea. I used to struggle with my inability to declare one side of myself as the dominant one until I finally embraced the fact that I am so “bobo” (bohemian/bourgeois) gravitating to what appeals to me, what I like and can afford (if it involves a purchase). I embrace being free from the constraints that come from being defined by others or defining oneself in narrow terms. Definitions...I’ll leave those for the dictionary!

Variety is indeed the spice of life. When we don’t allow ourselves to be curious about things that are different, unfamiliar, not our everyday norm, we miss out on experiencing the many people, places and things this great big world has to offer. You just might be surprised by what you discover about yourself if you step out of what’s comfortable and...

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where's the beach

My weekend in the Tampa/Sarasota area was seriously relaxing. I’ve not visited that particular part of the state before; there is so much beauty to see and absorb. At first I was quite excited about the prospect of roaming about with my camera however, I found myself to be increasingly pensive about potential shots for some reason. Perhaps the cloak of humid yet non-oppressive air lulled my senses a bit, forced me to drink in my surroundings more slowly so much so, that I didn’t take nearly the amount of pictures I normally do. That said, as I rode in the car, the bridges we drove over provided scenic overload…

Even from the lanai, the views were lush…

The animal kingdom is not at all shy (though I did not see a full crocodile, something I had really hoped to capture, I did see just the top of one skimming across a pond as we whizzed by)…

The first thing I asked when I arrived was “Where’s the beach?” Spending even a few minutes with my feet in the sand grounds me in a way that no other place in nature can so I had to get there. The sound of wild wind and crashing waves signaling a brewing storm is exhilarating…

And a plate of colorfully aromatic, simple and sumptuous food is always just the right answer for an inquiring stomach…

What I came to realize is my trip this time was really about quality not quantity in more ways than one so when I boarded the plane, I flew home at peace with all.

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dad's day

Today is Father’s Day and I am happy to report that I hopped a flight to Tampa this past Friday to visit my Dad! It’s been quite relaxing down here in the sunshine; I’m thankful for this time spent.

Wishing all the Father’s, Grandfather’s, Godfather’s, Uncle’s, and any other man who is taking good care to raise a child a superb Sunday. Happy Father’s Day!

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five double zero

Hard to believe that I am composing blog number 500. I can’t say that it seems like yesterday when I sat down to write my first entry because honestly, I feel like I’ve been doing this much longer than I have been. Writing my blog is second nature for me at this point. No matter how exhausted I am or the degree of writer’s block I experience, if it is Sunday or Wednesday, I will put something up. Even when I’m thousands of miles from home, I set aside time to post and never feel as if I’m interrupting the flow of my trip. In fact, I think I am most excited when I get to share an adventure in words and pictures with whoever is reading. I love being able to bring you along hoping you will feel as if you are right there wherever there just happens to be! As mentioned often, the ability to put life down on electronic paper makes me happy, 500 posts gives me indescribable pleasure. So I wondered if 500 is significant for anything else, went in search and found a few things.

There’s the Indy or Daytona 500, the S&P 500 Index and the Fortune 500 list. A few trivial facts are that 500 lbs. of pennies is worth $907, 500 miles = 804.67200 kilometers and 500ml is a smidgen more than 2 cups. Oh and there is a movie 500 Days of Summer as well as a 500 series in both cars and cameras. I kept digging for something more meaningful and found this -- angel number 500 stands for big changes, courage and the freedom to live your personal mission. Reading that is of great significance to me because it speaks directly to where I am in my life right now, so here’s to the divine order of 500!

Thank you for peeking in and please continue to…

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revival

I was in a local neighborhood restaurant when I noticed they were playing record albums. Watching the vinyl spinning on the turntable gave me a little chill thrill taking me back to my days as a DJ toting around crates filled with hundreds of LP’s. I love nostalgic moments that tickle my soul and spirit. From time to time, parking in a spot from sometime back when gives me a chance to reconnect with pleasant memories -- shiny black discs turning round and round, placing the needle on the exact start line, selecting just the right sequence; I am back in the booth doing my prime time Saturday evening radio show, just me, my records, a dim light with an eye and hand working in precision and an ear that just knew.

My vintage car doesn’t have a CD player so when I decide to switch off the radio, I pop in tapes I made years ago of seriously good music from the 80’s and 90’s. Recently, while cleaning, I stumbled upon several unmarked cassettes that got me to rockin’ once I played them during a long drive. Cut after cut surprised me, had me poppin’ my fingers, shakin’ my shoulder and singing at the top of my lungs. I have to say that my

summer soundtrack is going to include them in heavy rotation for so many reasons, Typical Male by Tina Turner and Shiver by George Benson being two of them. Both of these artists recorded so many great songs, these two happen to be in my list of favorites by them. I haven’t found any new music for the hot months just yet so who knows, maybe an oldies revival will be all that I need to keep me moving right on up to September!

Clearly there are things from our past that do have a place in the present. Groove on this summer and…

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connect

connect with breath and…

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to blog or not to blog

It dawned on me that I seem to have strayed from my original intention for the eclectic eye blog. When I first began, it was to be all about creativity (mine and others) with occasional forays into other topics. I didn’t factor in life and the many twists and turns that would lead me to ponder other issues that arise, new subjects that peak my interest, and yes politics, though I really have made a conscious effort to keep those blogs to a minimum. So I began to wonder if it’s time to wind this one down, move on to creating another or just stop writing one altogether.

Then it hit me -- writing is the creative form that sparked my desire to begin. I wanted a place to put down thoughts because I wasn’t using my journal as often as I had in previous years. The blog provided just the right platform; my dedication to posting every Sunday and Wednesday has not waned since I started. The subject doesn’t have to have a creative angle because matching pictures to thought is creative expression, sharing photographs is an extension of what I create through my lens. As a matter of fact, today’s pictures represent taking poetic license with a photograph using editing to change its appearance, a challenge I always accept.

You know, the truth is I look forward to my appointment with myself twice a week. Working on my blog brings me joy and satisfaction and though I hope others enjoy, deep down I know I do this for me; the eclectic eye grew into a passion. More to come, so…

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