Sustaining the Change....

·         I walked 2 ½ miles one way, testing my endurance and strength, through rugged terrain to stand at the foot of a magnificent waterfall and dive into its power to swim.

·         I enjoyed the company of fabulous young women from the Widhya Asih IV Orphanage for a pool party and ice cream and became inspired to sponsor one.

·         I stayed in the village of Sudaji at OmUnity where we visited a school, had a talent show with the village kids, and immersed myself in what life might be like if I were born here for 5 days.

·         I experienced a luxurious massage in an open air hut, overlooking the rice paddies and valleys of Bali, while a light rain fell around me.

·         I had rich and deep conversations with my fellow travelers and made lifelong soul friends.

It was these moments and many others that create the spiritual landscape of my life as I return from Bali.  The pace and material wealth of my homeland, America, hits me in the face as I get through customs.  Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I suddenly feel my heart catching up to the rest of what you all have been experiencing the last two weeks I was gone.   I am suddenly compelled to make my list, check and recheck, buy, buy, buy.  It takes much effort to restrain myself and return to the Zen state that Bali created for me.  That state feeling much more authentic and comfortable for me than the frenetic me I return to.

How can I incorporate what I felt about myself and others during the Bali experience into my world?  How can I create that sense of knowing and centeredness when everything around me is pulling me towards wanting what I do not have and feeling inadequate?

So, here is my Christmas wish list this year:  Dear Santa, I would like to beat to my own drum and not be led by the beat of another.  I choose.  I want to follow my passions in life and learn to be a sieve, catch what I want and need and let the rest run by me.  I want to live fully while I am here and use my life and the blessings I have for the good of those around me and those with less.  I wish for a little less harder and a lot more bliss (thank you Jennifer Nettles).  Lastly, when I am off my track in life, I want the clarity and awareness of that fact and the knowledge to get back on my true path. 

Wishing you all the blessings of the winter season and some little inner Buddha whispering to you, beckoning you back to authenticity, to your truth.

Namaste’ Christie

If you want to change the world....

When you want to change the world, let the world change you.  This is what happens when you put two words together, Volunteering and Touring= Volun-tour.  Our first stop is at the Widhya Asih IV Orphanage just outside of the capitol of Bali, Denpasar.  We get off the bus and step into the hot and humid weather, greeted by Bali girls whom call this orphanage home.  Many have families; but, the families are unable to care for or support their children in the poverty conditions here in Bali.  The girls are cheerful and open to receiving hugs and time.  We are fed what they eat, tempeh, rice, a boiled egg and water for lunch.  Some of the girls speak very good English, Anggun reminds me repeatedly that Justin Beiber is her boyfriend and she is in love with Justin Beiber, if he only knew the admiration that was here for him!  Many of the girls do not speak English.  Communication consists of smiles, gestures, games and song.  In the end we are all communicating the same human need, love and connection. 

Girls bunk in rooms of four, with little air circulation.  They are so excited to show us their rooms.  The orphanage is clean and welcoming, the staff incredibly giving and friendly. We play games and then take turns performing our songs and they perform their songs and dances for us.  Pure joy fills the room for the next hour.   As we leave we sing, “I want to be your friend a little bit more”, on our way to our bus.   We will see these girls for a pool party at our hotel next week. 

So what is the difference between vacationing and Volun-touring?  You come to this place one person and you leave incredibly changed and in awe that such joy can be found regardless of conditions of life.  You fully see and feel the culture, not just the tourist hot spots dotted with shops and activities.  You experience a sense of immense gratitude for the conditions in your own life.  What once seemed stressful becomes minimal and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

www.balifund.org

Pushing Your Life to the Edge

What have you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try?  What intentions do you have for your life, but so much gets in the way?  What is your purpose, but you find it hard to get there?

Maybe it is a list of risks, like skydiving or traveling.  Maybe it is being true to your heart and honoring your authentic self.  Maybe it is being present in the moment.  Maybe it is finding forgiveness or healing in your life or making a much needed change.

What gets in the way of these things we long for?  Fear, money, judgments-your own and others, time, other commitments….you get the picture, our excuses can go on and on and on.  This is our edge.

Getting to Bali for me took 8 hours of air travel just to get to the east coast.  Then another 16 hours across the international time zone, a 4 hour layover in Taiwan, then another 5 hour plane ride to Bali.  These numbers for some may get in the way.  But if these numbers become your edge in life…meaning, if you allow those numbers to get in your head and in your way, you will limit yourself to the possibilities. 

Our edges define us if we allow them to.  Break through your edge.  Today, I went snorkeling in the ocean.  Not something I am even remotely comfortable doing.  The fear of sharks, the fear of the risk was my edge.  I pushed through it and saw amazing things.  Pushing through the edge, as Jana shared with us on our first day in Sanur, Bali, expands our world and ripples out to encapsulate other things we may want in our lives, we may NEED in our lives like a ripple effect. 

Our good Hot Pink YOUniversity friend and supporter, Ann Saris shared with us the following poem from The Ripple Effect Project about just that thing.

BOULDER  

It is not given us
to live lives
of undisrupted calm,
boredom, and mediocrity.
It is given us
to be edge-dwellers.-Jay Deacon

Dwell on your edge today, look down at the precipice below….and let go and jump! 

Namaste’ 

Christie