An Excess of Zen

After months of having no real direction, plan and feeling an overall disappointment in people (with a few fabulous exceptions of course) and my life in America in general, its time for one of those life and mind transformations I've always talked about but never done.  Ok, so maybe Peace Corps kind of counts as a life transforming change, but this is more of a mindset/attitude adjustment than a move half way across the world kind of thing.  That won't happen for another few months :)

To start things off, I have taken up an ancient hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility.  And for those of us non-pretentious creepsters, I started taking yoga.  While its does the spiritual insight, be one with the mat, embrace your third eye (thats what she said?) kind of stuff, I like it mostly because it keeps my mind from wandering, has built in meditation to my day and lets not forget, most importantly, maintains the beauty of my jaayfunde.  I always remember some random VH1 show I saw as a kid, where in some video Sting was practicing yoga where he folded himself into a pretzel-esque position.  No, this was not what made me want to start, Sting and I are not in fact the same person.  For some reason, unknown to me, I just don't want to be a middle-aged bendy man yodeling about desert roses.  Awkward quoi....

Half dressed women in mirrored rooms heated to 100 degrees F, glistening in the heat like dew on flower as they fold themselves into dancers pose, standing splits and downward facing dog.  Glamourous right?  Actually, yes we are half dressed and in mirrored rooms heated to 100 degrees, but you're more likely to find us flowers drenched in sweat, black make up running down our exhausted faces, considering most of us have come right from work, doing downward dog, standing splits and dancers pose (thats supposing your body isn't too sweaty to grab your foot).  Still kind of sexy right?  Wait until that little goddess you've had your eye on, drops down into frog pose.  A sitting squat, legs apart that is supposed to aid in digestion.  Sexy? Awkward? You want to go running as far as possible from her?  I guess meeting someone at yoga class is out of the question, and thank god for that.  Hello sweaty man I just saw in happy baby pose (on back, grabbing feet with bent knees and spreading your legs wide apart), could you and your moose knuckle please take me to dinner this weekend?  No thanks.

Going for a full body makeover and cleanse, I've started a month long, maybe more, intensive vegan diet.  Its going really well so far.  For my lunch this week I made myself a pizza with tons of veggies and soy cheese.  Ah-mazing.  I actually really like tofu and organic, vegan foods and restaurants so its really not that hard of an adjustment for me.  Although, I do miss brie.  Already.  In day like 3.  A friend of mine, fellow veggie and foodie, goes with me to the different vegan-friendly restaurants around the city and we have a grocery shopping date set up for sometime soon.  She also shares my passion for "cheesecake" at the Chicago Diner, which is an immediate bonding point and necessary for friendship. :)

Even though this has only been my new life for a few days, I can already feel a radical change.  The things that have plagued my mind for the past few months seem to be falling away with ever bite of cheesecake, while every downward dog and ridiculously sweaty pair of workout clothes that I have to wash reminds me of the beauty in life and in me that seemed to be buried in my Snowmaggedon of a life.  I'm excited to see how things will have changed after this month, considering there have been some crazy ones already this week.  Bottom line, right now, life is good, I am happy and once again, your eternal optimist.