Spring

Today is a marvelous day mixed with pouring rains and occasional break through sun rays. It is as if the rain is cleansing earth and stripping away the layers once needed for winter protection. Nature shows us the miracle of spring. The transformation of self, ideas, paradigms and cells is happening all around us. It is as if the blossoms unveiling themselves outside are also in us, it is just a matter of looking within to see what is taking place. Outside of us we see the beauty of color juxtaposed against the bare brown branches while the color and flowering beauty is also occurring within. It just takes a moment to re-attune ourselves with this precious transformation. A moment to quieten the senses and look within and imagine a healthy body with renewed cellular regeneration. A moment to look at yourself from a distance and clear out those worrisome thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations leading you on the path to attaining the highest for all good. A moment to reassess where you are in your life and where you are going and if you are taking the steps in the direction to reach your highest potential.

This morning I went for a swim and the gentleman I was sharing a lane with said, "They are going to give you a speeding ticket for going so fast." I looked at him and was surprised, because speed is not what I am looking to attain when I swim. Speed must be a by-product, but my intention in swimming is to slow the breath, harness the chattering brain and find equanimity. Balance and a quiet mind is what I seek. The man said to me after my swim today that it was fluid, beautiful and as if I was at one with the water. I was pleased, because my intention was fulfilled, from a bystander's position as well as from the feeling it cultivated in me. 

Tonight I begin a journey, not certain of where it will lead, but faithful on the path of where it will go. My life consists of themes that have woven themselves in and out of my childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and now adulthood. These themes present themselves in patterns and always with intention. The issues and remedies came as time allowed and reslove as balancing the act of life. At a young age, I was an overweight child which was challenging to me socially, and compromising my sense of self at a young age. My mother introduced me into a world of meditation and metaphysics earlier than age nine, and these two themes prevailed to bring me to where I am today. Although the weight did not shed until well into my adulthood, the multi-faceted approach on how to deal with the handicap of a weakened self-esteem was nursed by the understanding of a universal truth. 

I became a plus-size Ford model and traveled the world in my work with the intention of showing larger women that they can feel beautiful too. Through this journey, I learned about the love I had for myself. Which was surprisingly little, and this practice of presentation cultivated this awareness in me that shined through me toward others. This reflection of beauty brought my career to new heights and success was imminent. 

Through my travels abroad, I met my husband who would change the face of reality for me in the years to come. We married and moved to Switzerland from Manhattan where I learned French and German and deepened my studies of holistic health. Simply living in Switzerland educated me about the balance of life. They take at least an hour for lunch which is eaten at home, together as a family. Swiss people eat locally from farmers and take time to walk every day. This pace of life appeased me and I took every opportunity to travel to Paris, Italy, Greece, Germany, China, India, Singapore and more to learn about cultures and eating patterns and people. 

What I came to realize, is that humans all over the world, are the same in that we all have the same basic needs. We all need love as nourishment, we all need sunshine and clean water to exist and we all need faith to guide us through life's trials. This time of inward search to reveal the true meaning of my life has been a transformation, peeling away layers upon layers to reveal a core of truth. Truths that permeate cultures from east to west and from our bodies inside and out. I liken our bodies to nature because they are one and the same.