There’s a cool nip in the Wisconsin air. We’ve just rolled past the autumnal equinox, along with the rest of the world.
Fall is a morphing time for me; the season to shape-shift, set goals and blow on hot chai. I sit on the patio with my children while my husband makes the abode perfect before he leaves for work. A bee lands on my knee. He moves ever so slowly. Maybe he smells honeycrisp apple on my breath.
I too slow down when the weather dries and cools. It gives me a chance to study details in what I see, feel, hear, taste and touch. Hot day sun and cool night moon- the contrast wakes me up. All becomes a mirror and I see how wrong I was about a first impression. How right I am to change my mind, be forgiven, offer a second, third, fourth chance. Music becomes more vital and I choose all orange foods on my visit to the co-op; dry mango, butternut squash cubes, the last wet cantaloupe. Oh hai, second chakra. Chakalaka. Boomboom. Fall is when my body likes to get pregnant. But thanks to Planned Parenthood I got contraception on lock. So there, second chakra.
I’ve already rinse cycled and spun dry through 108 sun salutations. Hitchhiked through Surya Namaskar next to my mala beaded GF- I wouldn’t have gone on my own. Too predictable.
It’s easy to love when the sky darkens early. We need each other to warm, to mirror, to alight.
108 Things I Love in this Moment
1. Hot Cheetos & Takis
2. Long sleeves
3. Boots
4. The sound of my son playing his stand up bass
5. The sound of my daughter’s sweet high voice. She says, “I wanna see bunnies, I wanna see bunnies. I will eat a bunny.” One headless cheese-bunny. Ah, ah, ah.
6. Black coffee
7. Sitting outside at Indie Coffee. The baristas are marvelous. They have perfectly mussed hair and square eyewear. I will ask them to make an Om symbol in my soy latte. ॐ
8. Hay bales in the grocery store
9. The new Cat Power album
10. Going to the movies at Sundance 608, where I first met my husband
11. Writing at a snail’s pace morning, noon, night
12. Body glitter
13. Two bangin’ local pints every Friday evening
14. Tofu dipped in vegan barbecue sauce
15. Goose sounds from the farm across the road
16. Horse smells from the farm down the road
17. Sweet Grass incense smells from a new friend
18. A whole city dressed in red fleece for Badger football games
19. Bubblegum
20. Eating basil leaves off the plant
21. Pumpkins everywhere
22. Slanted afternoon sun
23. My evening yoga classes can be candle lit
24. The smell of frankincense
24. Trees with changing leaves look like they’re in flames
25. Toasted pecans
26. No heat, no A/C, just open windows
27. The chime of church bells. Because I don’t have to go to church.
28. Obama stickers everywhere
29. Sheep’s milk cupcake
30. Plodding UW- Arboretum turkeys
31. Cherry sparkling water
32. Dark chocolate chips
33. Fooling around with Tittibhasana
34. Watching Kino Macgregor’s Ashtanga tutorials at 2am and sneaking downstairs to roll out a mat and attempt to decipher that sh!t. Look at her. You’d expect her to have a cute girly voice, but she’s got a super tough east coast accent. Boss.
35. I didn’t get the job at Wisconsin Public Radio, but I did get the job at Inner Fire Yoga.
36. Looking for more bike-friendly ‘hoods.
37. New music from David f@#king Byrne. The video for “Who” is stupid good.
38. This tweet by Chloe Sladden:
“Evening approach to JFK
bejeweled by the pink & gold comb of summertime Manhattan,
shimmery with the energy of a million heartbeats.”
39. Photos of Ana Forrest being an elfin, glorious alien messenger of good
40. Honey Licorice tea
41. Having close, loving friendships with people who would never vote for the same candidates as me. Then SMH (shakin’ mah head) in bewilderment.
42. My two year old daughter, when I brought her a single cake pop said, “I see my birthday.”
43. Seeduction Bread from Whole Paycheck
44. The impending arrival of Dexter Morgan in my tv machine
45. Red beans & brown rice polka dotted with Sriracha
46. Food so spicy it makes my face sweat
47. Panmela Castro’s street art
48. Celery salt
49. Jordan Matter’s Dancers Among Us photos
50.
51.
52. Hot chili flakes
53. Tabasco sauce
54. Jalapeños (I wish some one would nickname me Hallapeño. No pressure)
55. A tiny hint of nutmeg in pasta sauce
56. My daughter’s most common exclamation is, “Hiyah!”
57. Rolling my eyes at people who say, “Karma’s a bitch.”
58. This live performance of Radiohead’s Karma Police:
59. For some reason Clive Deamer, half of Radiohead’s drum duo accepted my Facebook friend request. We so tight. I stalk his pics. Do you know why? I’m a creep. I’m a weirdo.
60. This cuddly and ethereal cover of Radiohead’s Creep by Ingrid Michaelson on the mandolin.
61. Yoga teachers who play loud music in class
62. Yoga teachers who play no music in class
63. Being assisted or adjusted through asana by a yoga teacher
64. My teachers who take time to offer and break down challenging arm balances
65. Hovering in chaturanga longer than necessary to make my heart get freaky.
66. My teachers who give us yogis plenty of time in child’s pose and not too much time in Savasana.
67. Reading about doshas and realizing, dude I’m so Kapha I can’t get my feet outta the mud. To balance my earth-loving, rooted ways I seek out yoga instructors who give time to invert (go upside down) and keep the class eka pada (one-footed / on one foot or leg) for a good cook.
68. Fresh diced bell peppers in orange, yellow, green, purple and red. In a black bean burrito. With face-melting salsa. Snap.
69. Michelle Obama’s recipe for Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese. Sticks to the ribs. It will make you strong like bull.
70. Working hard to live up to my “Namaste.”
71. Sour cherries
72. Almond butter
73. Fakon. Fake bacon. I love real bacon, but meat makes me feel suspicious and feral.
74. Wearing my son’s hoodies. He doesn’t approve because he doesn’t want perfume smell on his boy-clothes at school.
75. Saffron. I’m just wild about it.
76. Absolutely Fabulous reruns
77. My hand callouses from the apparently manual labor of yoga
78. Having a quiet home and a peaceful family for the first time in my life.
79. Common and Erykah Badu on the track
80. Grits
81. My friends who are succeeding
82. My friends who are struggling
83. This NPR interview with Damien Echols, one third of The West Memphis Three, who were wrongly accused of murder and convicted in 1993. Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He served 18 years and is now free. The innocent WM3 were forced into a plea deal. Echols talks about turning Zen to escape and cope with the daily horrors of prison life.
86. That feeling in Savasana when you turn your head and a drop of sweat trickles back into your brain. I like it.
87. The throwback Bookslut interview with Marjane Satrapi, creator of the Persepolis graphic film and books.
88. Cinnamon in my smoothie
89. Javier Rabadan’s Primitive Art
90. This photo of the spread my friend Kelly put together for her Leo’s 2nd birthday.
91. One of my favorite yoga teachers just got a job working for the Obama Campaign.
92. Being a dirty pink liberal.
93. Living in Madison, Wisconsin.
94. Pumpkin pie
95. Black Fender guitar and my black el gato.
96. Pico de Gallo. And the chili pepper door handle at Pasqual’s restaurant.
97. My husband is a stand up guy. He’s tall, salt & peppered, handsome and an excellent father.
98. I got 99 Problems but a b!tch ain’t one. Hit me.
99. Jaydiohead’s Optimistic Moment Instrumental joint. Smoke it.
100. Lululemon Athletica Madison asked me to be an Ambassador and gave me yellow roses.
101. Whole wheat organic elbow macaronis. And the people who throw elbows to get their favorite spot before yoga class. Gee whiz.
102. Bryan Kest quotes: “Just ate kangaroo, not bad at all.”
103. And “One last time. ‘F*ck’ in Bulgarian, Manhata”
104. And “Here you go, ‘f*ck’ in Turkish, Sikhtir”
105. And “Not sure why I was saying that, I haven’t been smoking, promise!”
106. And “Your children will always fail to listen to you, but your children will always succeed in becoming you. So who the f*ck are you?”
107. And of course “Who cares if you fall? I hope you fall. I hope the whole f*cking row goes down.” Smart ass, that Bryan Kest.
108. Om Shanti, Shanti Om
What are your 108 loves? YOGANONYMOUS wants to know.
