Magia Bella: bella-magic.com

May this particular rotation and angle of the Earth towards the Sun find you happy and well.

photo credit: poolski

Earlier this week, I was “stuck” in Austin. It was afternoon rush hour, and I didn’t feel like fighting traffic to get home. I called a friend and bribed her with an offer of dinner if she’d help me pass the time until rush hour was over. She suggested meeting at a tea house near her work, to which I agreed.

I arrived frazzled and out-of-sorts. The last few days had been busy, even frantic at times. I looked over the tea menu, and ordered a house-blend that was purported to be vata soothing. Oooh, and soothing it was… I don’t know if it was something in that tea, or if it was simply the act of sitting down and drinking a warm, smooth brew, but I could feel the tension and stress melting away bit by bit. It became easier to breathe. I could feel consciousness settling back into my body, instead of hovering in my head and above.

Before I left, I bought some of that vata-soothing blend, and their shanti (tulsi) blend as well. I’ve had tea before; all sorts of tea. This incredible sensual experience, however, is when I fell in love with tea.

photo credit: geekgirlunveiled

What the hell happened? Oh yeah - surgery, extended recovery, getting co-op approval to sell our eggs, a family member’s visit, and this week, a bad case of the lazy “I-Don’t-Wanna’s”.

Regardless, I’ve been receiving internal and external promptings to write and to purify, so let this be the start.

There’s been an urge to clean up the diet. Not so hard as there’s not much to clean up, but very hard in that the little there is to “clean up” is something I hold near and dear. Caffeine. A few gluten-free goodies that have sugar. The once-a-week soda. Then there’s the additions: making use of the spring greens in the CSA basket. Drinking more (lots more) water. Taking vitamins and the probiotics to replenish what was lost in the last round of antibiotics.

A pair of new running shoes have been purchased to replace the worn out pair that have been relegated to farm chores. Another acquisition: a much, MUCH longer strand of meditation beads. A book I’ve long wanted to read was made available: “Emptiness Dancing” by Adyashanti (a western-trained Zen teacher). A return to daily spiritual practices of alignment and purification.

And in the midst of all this, a bright, shining happiness has been filling the days. It’s not connected to any one thing, or even my mood. It’s more like a foundation that is there if I remember to look down at my feet. If I remember to breathe, to reconnect to center. This is all leading to somewhere, even if that “somewhere” is really nowhere but right here and now, which I’m guessing it is. So let’s go.

photo credit: KirkD2009