The Shift

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of growth and intensity as 6 months of training towards my 200 hour yoga teacher certification culminated in an amazing and beautiful graduation ceremony for my classmates and me and our receiving our Certification Diplomas. After another 23 hours of intense physical and mental work on and off the mat this past weekend, including athletic yoga asanas, vigorous sun salutations, and each student's practice teaching for a facilitator, we enjoyed a lovely reception and delicious food. My mother, one of my best friends, Walter, and the owner of the yoga studio where I've been teaching, Decatur Yoga and Pilates, who is greatly responsible for sparking my yoga journey all came to share the evening with us all. I even received lovely fresh flower bouquets!

Several of us, including myself, not wanting to end the celebration after the friends, family, and food was gone, went to see a sold out show at the Variety Playhouse of Michael Franti and Spearhead. Franti is an activist, a musician, a filmmaker, and a yogi...not necessarily in that order. He writes about love and peace, accountability, empowerment, and speaking up for what is right and against what is wrong. I'm in love with this man.

Here's my little amateur video of a minute or so of the show.



Well, those who know me know that I rarely go out at night, often choosing to be in bed by 8 or 9pm..so this was an exception for me. I figured I'd go to the concert, stay for a few songs, then leave so I could be in bed before 9 or 10 that night. It didn't happen. I found a seat early on, and once the music began, I hopped up and danced for the next 2 1/2 hrs. The positive energy was overwhelming, and I got caught up in it. I simply couldn't stop! And this is from someone who has proclaimed to not care for live music...afterall, I went to concerts all the time in the late 70s through the late 80s...I was done. But this concert was different...it rocked, yes, but it was about being active and positive and having the power to change not just yourself, but the world. Idealistic perhaps, but why not? Can't hurt.

This week has been anything but anticlimactic. Perhaps I am still on a pink cloud. Perhaps my dedication to abstaining from sugar and caffeine for a solid period of time has given me physical strength and mental clarity and focus...whatever. I see and feel the possibilities so much clearer now. I see that the end of this training is only the beginning of more growth. I see that while the intense work has subsided in this area of my life, yet more intense work and growth is needed in other areas. I also see that my greatest actions are those that give service and compassion to others. Staying present and calm and still are such gifts. I'm still human. I still forget all these things at times. But the training has caused a shift. I have taught several classes this week...more than usual...stepping up to substitute teach when I've been asked, even at last minute, and I see the yoga room and the students differently. I know now that I have my own special contribution to offer and it is enough. I know also that each student is a gift and that I am still and always will be a student as well.

Shifting...churning...growing.

It's all good.

Endings are only New Beginnings

In the summer of '93, a couple of months before my son turned 4 (and I was to be 28), I bought my current home in downtown Decatur. It was a dream to be in a neighborhood that was not only safe but also a real community with friendly neighbors and a great shops and restaurants within walking distance. ...much different than the inner city war zone I had lived in for 7 years prior. I figured that within a few months, 6 tops, I'd have the house organized and fixed up just like I wanted it.

It's early 2009. My son is in his 2nd semester as a freshman at UGA and will be 20 in September. My home is nearly "there". I'll be 44 in September. This summer marks 16 years since I moved into my 1954 brick ranch. Lots of changes have taken place from renovations, additions, and decor, to my own personal changes with boyfriends, housemates, careers, and inner growth.

As I work towards putting the finishing touches on my own personal home yoga studio, 800 square feet of clean, fresh, open space, I can't help but be on the verge of tears (of joy) everytime I walk downstairs and see the evolution which has taken place. After nearly 6 years of my basement being an extra-large doghouse, filled with all the lovely (and yes, I am being sarcastic) aromas of big hairy mutts, what began as a "easy" job of removing some carpet and painting the floor turned into a huge project. Two layers of ooky, stained, yucky carpet, a layer of deteriorated padding and the surprise layer of old asbestos tile attached with thick black mastic glue later, and now I have an ecologically sound acid stained marble-like floor. Some small area rugs, artwork on the walls, a small library of yoga and health books, yoga props and mats, and a sound system, and I have my own little nirvana.

While decorating, I came across a dream board I had put together several years ago, and I decided to display it. I think it was about 3, maybe 4 years ago when I sat around with friends, magazines, glue and scissors, and made my collage. I got so into it, that I did both sides of the poster and then began some smaller ones. A common them was yoga, health, and nutrition, along with positive affirmations as to my own personal strength and abilities.

And here I am..mid February 2009. Things seem to always take longer than I had envisioned, but the visions are coming through. I've been teaching yoga now for over 3 years and this Sunday I will be graduating from my yoga teacher training with a 200 hour certification. I am about 2/3rds of the way through my holistic nutritional consultant program and should be finished within about a year. I am healthy and strong. And I'm even somewhat sane.

Oh yeah...I'm humble too. While the basement is finished, my yoga training is nearly over, and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel regarding my nutrition studies, I realize that all these endings just make way for the beginnings that are yet to come. Once I achieve my 200 hour certification, I will more than likely begin taking workshops in pursuance of my 500 hour yoga training. And once I finish school, I'll have to focus on my direction as a health counselor and direct my energy in a way that can best serve my clients. And of course, once the basement appears "finished", I'm sure some other changes will be in store as I begin to use the space in a productive way for the first time in many years.

Before I know it, Alex will finish college, marking the beginning of a new world for him...work, career, graduate school...who knows. And I may end up selling my home afterall, though with my basement finished and all the new beginnings ahead who knows.

My mantra for today:
Inhale possibilities; exhale fear.

Life is good.

Meditation: Cool 3D Animated Video

This is short but so profound. Whether you meditate, do yoga, or just like a good animation, check it out!

A little Homage to Decatur: Happy Hannuchristmakkah or Merry Chrismahannumas

This afternoon, the local farmer's market was filled to the edges with buggy-to-buggy traffic, a scene more common on a Saturday than on a Wednesday. I consider myself to be a very lucky person to live a couple of miles from one of the country's most diverse, interesting, and reasonably priced international markets, and if that means burrowing my way through the crowds every so often, then I'm okay with that. The market is open every single day of the year with two exceptions: Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. That's it. Besides having a little restaurant inside with a vast array of homemade ethnic hot and cold dishes for under $5 a pound, the DeKalb Farmer's Market is a true melting pot of cultures from all over the globe. It's one of my favorite places in the Atlanta area, not just for all of their selections, but because of the way I feel when I'm there. The sounds, smells, textures, and colors all blend together with the smiles of all the people who shop and work there, and it's rare that I don't bump into at least one person whom I know whenever I'm there.

The market happens to be walking distance to another very cool Decatur landmark, Kudzu Antiques Flea Market, one of the longest running antique flea markets around, and one of the few places that has been around longer than my business! My very first shop location was about half a mile from Kudzu, and I still know a majority of the dealers who have their shops there. Karen Kennedy is one of the dealers there, and her vintage clothing and jewelry remains to be some of the nicest and most authentic around.

Speaking of my first shop, I originally rented out an old mill house in Scottdale, GA, a little city adjacent to Decatur. The rent was cheap and the financial risk low...Old Mill Antiques, owned by Jerry Kicklighter, who was also my landlord, specialized in refinishing furniture, and to this day, they are still a very "old-school" type antique store, owner operated, and to my knowledge, no website or online presence. Mr. Kicklighter had been an accounting professor at a local college before he retired and invested in a string of old houses and turned them into a little antique village. While times have certainly changed immensely since he first put out a shingle and set up shop, on the rare occasion that I stop by, there is a certain old time charm that remains everpresent.

I guess being the end of the year, I am finding myself a bit reflective, possibly spurred by my trip to the market earlier, a reminder of my little home and life that I have created and remained in for so long now. Even as I am setling into my "true" middle age status (yikes! that sounds kinda scary!), and I have my plans to downsize as I pursue my yoga and nutrition studies, I still can't see myself moving away from this area. While I plan on eventually selling my home, I would be perfectly fine to move a block away in a smaller place. I guess you can say I truly love the neighborhood...no, the community...in which I live. A place that has continued to be there for me, and I can only hope to be able to continue to reciprocate. Twenty five years ago, Decatur was a sleepy town with only a couple of restaurants and bars and a shop here and there. Today, it has become a real hot spot and a great alternative to going OTP (outside the perimeter) for shopping, culture, and entertainment.

I've only touched the surface of the many gifts Decatur has to offer, of course. Besides the antiques here, I am also very grateful for Decatur Yoga and Pilates, a little yoga studio where I had only planned on taking classes initially, and now I find myself immersed in yoga both as a student and a teacher. Life can certainly throw you a curve ball here and there. While I have probably have spent 99% of my time on the planet within about a 10 mile radius of where I am sitting right now, I have no regrets thanks to the beauty and grace that can experience by being here. Yes, Paris is great, the Greek Isles were amazing (and I cannot wait to go back...soon!), and I want to see the world all I can, I have a feeling my heart, my home, will remain in Decatur.

Passions...and some of my history

It's a cold and overcast morning in the usually Sunny South, and instead of braving the elements, I decided to stay in and work. But on what? And it got me to thinking about passions. Not of the romantic type, mind you, but of the passions that drive me. As I settle into my mid 40s, 43 to be more exact, okay, middle age if you must, I find myself more reflective on life and on devoting my time to what really lights my fire.

As a teenager, I just wanted to grow up, so I flew through high school as quick as I could so I could graduate early and play house with my boyfriend. I thought I knew everything, as most 16 and 17 year olds do. In fast forward, I began college, worked various jobs, and by about age 20, I had discovered my passion for buying and selling antiques and collectibles. Long story short, I was waiting tables and my best friend Walter, began showing up at the restaurant wearing these amazing rhinestone brooches from the 1940s and 50s that he bought from a little flea market around the corner. I had already been going to yard sales, mostly out of necessity as I couldn't afford to furnish my home with new items, but when Walter turned me on to these glitzy works of art, a passion was sparked. I had to have them. At first I wanted them all. I wanted to go to every yard sale, estate liquidation, flea market, and antique shop and uncover every treasure there was. I wanted more...more ....MORE. The restaurant was sold to a new owner who fired most of the old staff, so I was suddenly without a job. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.

A sudden firing, my father's death, dropping out of college, and meeting an antique shop owner who hired me on the spot...my path for the next 23 years was set in motion. Within about a year, I had rented an old mill house that was part of a small antique village of old mill houses, and The Family Jewels was born. My jewelry interests expanded from rhinestones to Victoriana, Edwardian, art deco, art nouveau, bakelite, sterling silver and more. And I found that with jewelry came other collectibles: mesh and beaded purses, old powder jars, celluloid dresser sets, crystal decanters, hatpins, old ivory fans, flapper dresses...the list goes on. I found turn-of-the-century tiger oak sideboards, birds-eye maple vanity sets, kitchen collectibles, American art pottery, occupied Japan figurines, old postcards, advertising memorabilia, antique paintings, copper bedwarmers, and so much more. My little shop filled up and I quickly began making a name for myself. I met a man at an antique show, we fell in love, and spent days, even weeks, traveling around the the countryside. We hit every state from Florida to Pennsylvania...yard sales, antique shops and malls, flea markets and shows...no stone unturned. While we found great treasures at every turn, we actually created our greatest treasure...a bouncing baby boy. In September of 1989, Alex was born. I was 24.

In a few years, I moved my store to the trendy Decatur Square and my business shifted from a little more than a hobby to a full fledged business. I was a single mother by then, and my son and I went to work. He cooed and gooed in his little playpen while I bought and sold antiques, vintage jewelry, and collectibles. I became more than just a business in Decatur, I was part of the community, and Decatur became my home...a place to work, live, and raise my son. I loved my shop and made friends and longtime customers who remain in my life to this day, though eventually the internet was born. After several years of resisting the new technology, I finally succumbed and began dabbling with eBay and online auctions. Suddenly my client base expanded from the metro Atlanta area to all around the globe. I began shipping items to China, Australia, Europe, South America, not to mention all over the U.S. The world began to get smaller. in May 2000, I moved my business online and closed my bricks and mortar store in what was considered at the time to be the big "Bricks to Clicks" movement...I had gone cyber.

Click here to see the CNN article on my business and the Bricks to Clicks trend of 2000

Actually, I was in my mid 30s and my passions were shifting. I no longer had as much desire to be bound to a shop all day long, instead opting to run in 10Ks and half marathons, as well as being at home more as my son entered his preteen years. Besides my passion for buying and selling antiques, I was also increasingly interested in alternative and holistic health, nutrition, and fitness. In my late 30s, my path led me to yoga, and I was completely surprised as my passion grew to a point where I not only became a dedicated practitioner for nearly 5 1/2 years, but I am also a yoga teacher now as well.

I still love antiques, especially jewelry, as is probably quite evident in my Family Jewels online store, though today, I am much more likely to be teaching or taking a yoga class at 6am on any given morning before you would find me in line waiting for an estate sale to begin. For the past 2 years I have been in school pursuing a degree as a holistic nutritional consultant, as well getting certified to teach various styles of yoga. This summer I began my yoga training to receive my 200 hour yoga teacher training. And yes, I still drop in a yard sale or flea market on occasion.

Within the next year, I see myself finishing school and hopefully beginning my nutrition practice, weaving it with my path of yoga, both as a teacher and a student. Working with people who want to improve their well-being on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels is my passion and has been for quite some time. Becoming a more mindful yogini and growing as an individual has been a challenging and rewarding path, and finding out how little I know and having a beginner's mind is a humbling experience.

Through all of this, one passion has remained, and while at one time I thought I may phase out my Family Jewels antique business completely, I am realizing now that I will more than likely always dabble in my business to maintain that connection with other collectors and buyers from around the globe. Times change...the world climate, politics, economics, environment, technology...but for me, I am staying on my path and remaining open to evolve and grow, embracing my passions and seeking balance in them all.