What do you want for the holidays ?

It's a simple question.
But ... Is there a simple answer?


Just weeks ago many people were frantic to get in line to be the first to buy discounted flat screens... the newest gadgets, clothing on sale... In fact now we have two "holidays" when this occurs: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 


Our society is filled with the idea that we need things and more things to fill us up. I am convinced this certainly cannot be true, and we do not need to believe this silly notion. It is OK to want to want something for Christmas - nothing wrong with it. But remembering the reason behind WHY we are happy, I don't want this to be forgotten :)


To me, it is the relationships, the people, our families, unique experiences, goals achieved, dreams come true ... this is the stuff, the untouchable "things" that make a happy life.


So, I invite you to ask yourself one more time ... What do you want for Chanukkah or Christmas this year?
Make this your intention for December.. Pray for it, breathe it in... 

I wish for...
1. ...my family and friends to be healthy, happy, and safe.
2. ...my husband to be guided in making the right decision.
3. ...Baci my pup to have a new friend... maybe in 2012, we'll see ?
4. ...my yoga friends to continue to follow their dreams.
5. ...my youngest sister to enjoy her last year and one half of college. 
6. ...my "middle" sister to continue making leaps and bounds in her career.
7. ...my yoga students to be guided in the best way possible.
8. ...more people to practice yoga ... both on and off their mats!


In Gratitude,
Robyn

JULIE + JULIA

For book club, we completed Julie + Julia by Julie Powell. I was super excited we chose this one from the hat, as I have been wanting to read it forever!! The movie was very good, but I actually liked the book better! They definitely complement one another very well...

I found a deep connection to Julie - she messed up in the kitchen, got a upset about it, and in the end took a deep breath and got the job done - completing 3 or so recipes a night from Julia Child's cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie took on the adventure of cooking every single recipe from MAFC, blogging about it, and risking her marriage to Eric, her long love. She took on a new role, really changing her life and setting it around her crazy goal!! Cooking in her cramped NYC apartment, finding all of the ingredients - which was an adventure in itself, she decided this goal that was "not easy, just simple".

"... I began to ponder; this life we had for ourselves, Eric and I, it felt like the opposite of Potage Parmentier. It was easy enough to keep on with the soul-sucking jobs; at least it saved having to make a choice. But how much longer could I take such an easy life? Quicksand was easy. Hell, death was easy. Maybe that's why my synapses had started snapping at the sight of potatoes and leeks in the Korean deli. Maybe that was what was plucking deep down in my belly whenever I thought of Julia Child's book. Maybe I needed to make like a potato, winnow myself down, be a part of something that was not easy, just simple." 


Julie was stuck in a job that was just not fulfilling. She didn't feel fulfilled with her life in general. She had a wonderful husband - but she needed something more... This is why the book Julie + Julia exists. It is comforting to know that you can put a goal in a place - work hard at it - and it could in fact change your life! Julie helps convince the world that once you set your mind to something - no matter how crazy people think you are (like her mother, for instance)  - great things can come out of it!


Julie taught me that you don't have to be stuck in a crappy job and lose everything creative or everything wonderful about yourself. You should always be reaching for something more. There is more to life than mere work and paychecks. If passion is not in your work  - then find it somewhere else in your life and GO FOR IT!


My favorite segment of the book was crustacean-related. The lobsters. How she could have her lobster "victims" in a brown bag on her back seat - driving around frantic NYC - hearing them moving around behind her - I am not sure I could do this!! It was kind of heart-wrenching when she described having to kill her victims... Again something else I don't think I could do!!

"When I got home I peered down at the lobster to see how he was doing. The inner plastic bag was sucked tight around him and clouded up. It looked like something out of an eighties made-for-TV movie, with some washed-up actress taking too many pills and trying to off herself with a Macy's bag."