Cooking in Vietnam

The cooking classes I took were rat ngon or in another language muy subrosa.

Fresh, fresh, fresh - the greens were gathered from the garden we toured before we began chopping and the shrimp that was included in the spring rolls were swimming in a basin at the market before we cleaned and chopped them.

We also selected herbs at the market and the rice pancakes we made right there in the class.  Such lovely delicate dishes.  There was only one glitch in all the foods to which I was exposed in Vietnam.

In Northern Vietnam they serve dog!  As I was riding on the road from Hanoi to Han Lon Bay we passed a man on a motor bike with a milk crate carrying about six 20 pound dogs.  I asked the guide where the dogs were going.  His response: To the restaurant.

Needless to say, I was very distressed.  No, I did not eat dog while I was traveling.  What I ate was lovely, fresh, and delicate.  Just keep breathing.

miracle of consultation

Two minds are always better than one and in the case of my consultation group, four very sensitive, skillful and wise clinicians create an amazing group for growing and enhancing my ability to support my clients.

Every Monday morning at 9 Pacific time, Noon on the East Coast and 11 in Minnesota four of us join to provide guidance and get information for being more effective in working with our clients.

This small community has made it possible for each of us to resolve problems that felt insurmountable when we began the session and transformed into manageable issues through ideas offered by these wise clinicians.

This little love note is a thank you to my consultation team which is located physically in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Minnesota and (me) California.  I feel so much wiser for your support.

We all benefit from the willingness to share understanding that comes from experience.

Keep breathing.

So many changes, So many adventures

First there was DC for really excellent turkey smoked by my nephew and then there were papers to read and grades to submit and from that assignment I conducted two classes on-line from Vietnam!

What an amazing experience - not the class - I'd been teaching the class for a couple of semesters.  No, it was the realization that it was Wednesday at 6am for me and it was Tuesday at 3pm for my students.

Okay, here's the question:  What is time?  We were connecting across time and place and it was one hour of the day for me and another hour for my students. I taught two separate classes while I was a day and 17 hours away from my regular location.

This experience was so powerful that six weeks later, I continue to chew on it.

Breathe.  We are all connected.  There really doesn't appear to be a concept such as time.

Still here and still breathing

It took months for me to get this weird Google set up to allow me to check in!

Anyway - so much to share but mostly - so much to say about feeling better and - well - let's admit it - sometimes it's just all about staying alive.

The daily stresses with which we must contend can get to be just enormous.  That is IF we don't realize we have choices.

We can turn our minds away from those worries that feel insurmountable or we can use precious energy worrying about the bank balance or that message we didn't receive.

The choice is to make these stumbles huge or recognize that we can take a deep breath, gently allow our minds to let go of that challenging idea and feel okay.

In the moment breathe.  Allow yourself to find one nice image and be comfortable with that picture.

Sit with the ease you have just created.  Then move on to the rest of your day.  Breathe!