Author Archives: Christina

Humble Yourself (189/365)

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If you had the courage to go naked for one day
Admit you didn’t know it all
And wander humbly toward the East
Staying alert for mind-bending soul-snatchers
You might be pleasantly surprised
And find yourself sufficiently nourished by the delightful taste of truth
At every vendor
A sensation you recognized from a long time ago
But since veiled in thick metal armour
And armed with a sword of fear
Stabbing perilously at any perceived threat
To its own confidence and superiority
Building castles and recruiting soldiers in the name of God
Is it any wonder why the rest of the world distrusts us?

Resolutions 2010

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I reviewed last year’s resolutions and updated a new list for this year. I’ve found it useful to make one long list of everything you want your life to look like, then break it into manageable chunks like those below. You may not do them all, but this list has helped me make major changes year-to-year. I hang it in a place I can see it daily (work, home, and computer desktop).
Monthly:
  • Read 1 new book per month
  • Plan business paperwork time & monthly analysis time
  • Monthly conference calls & outings 6 per year with tenants
  • Monthly massage
  • Save money & not take it out of savings
  • Meet up with local friend once per month
  • Talk with distant friend once per month
  • One yoga class per month


Weekly:
  • Swim one day per week minimum
  • Lift weights 2-3x/week
  • Go grocery shopping regularly every week
  • Volunteer 2 hours/week
  • Do laundry regularly
  • Massage or teach yoga to someone


Daily:
  • Hatha yoga & meditate (or read spiritual texts) twice daily
  • Prepare meals for next day in advance
  • Eat salad 3x/week minimum
  • Get up 2 hours before I have to leave the house
  • 1 hour of exercise
  • Minimum one blog entry daily – personal
  • Minimum one blog entry daily – coaching
  • Daily vitamins
  
Annual (within 2010):
  • Learn to do a back handspring
  • Continue formal education in track & field, yoga, and massage by taking at least 1 workshop of each
  • Become certified in personal training & CPR
  • Sign up for a college class or study Chinese regularly
  • Keep hair looking nice
  • Go to 4 concerts minimum
  • Take surf lesson
  • Visit Bozeman
  • Visit Mom & Dad
  • Visit Ryan
  • Visit NYC or travel internationally
  • Join & go to church regularly
Qualities I wish to embody:
  • Respond, not react

Rushed (188/365)

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I don’t mean to be ungrateful
I was saved by grace
A hundred times
And that was just last year
Forgive me when
I tear out the weeds
When I should have, discreetly
Planted the seed
To choke the weeds out
But their sight is apalling
And I have little patience
To wait for results
I’m finding myself
In a cocoon of grace
But safety breeds carelessness
And time is a-wastin.

Gone (186/365)

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The wind blew you so far away
I couldn’t hear you call if you did
Or maybe you ran when I turned around
And jumped off the face of my earth
I know that I miss you and I feel it’s my fault
I more often let go than hold on
But the way you left without saying goodbye
Or at least "see ya later"
Felt wrong
I can’t be a sun or a moon in your sky
I’m not your daily bread
Maybe I’m gravity
On a planet you were passing
That accelerated too quickly
Disturbing your path
And slung you to space
If that’s the case
I am sorry.

Too Safe?

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Putin warned that the US defense missile shield could cause us to feel too safe, thereby causing the US to be more aggressive in dealings with the rest of the world. He believes a "balance of power" is key to security.

Apparently Putin has never met a Tongan, or has never had the experience of being the tallest or biggest person in a social circle. I can also speak from experience, being tall among my peers, that feeling big or safe does not make you more aggressive. In fact, most large people are giant teddy bears, guarding and not abusing their power. Probably if they were aggressive, society would see them as a threat and would not tolerate them.

Only someone with Putin’s insecurities could feel this way. What does he think, that every country should have equal weapons and power, then there would be peace on Earth? This is just the type of leader who abuses power if he were to come into it. But if the US is as well-guided as I know we can be, we would not be foolish enough to flaunt our power in the world. Clearly our leadership has betrayed this optimism at times, but I believe it is who we intend to be as a whole. The focus should be on similarities and diplomacy, not on whose missile can penetrate deeper.

Drone (185/365)

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We’ve gotten so used to this world
We made our marks everywhere
Living in the city
It’s harder to fathom that it’s all Mother Nature
That concrete evolved
And traffic is energy
I love my colony but it feels so contrived
But I imagine the worker bee
Feels just the same
When he first meets the queen
In her intricate combs
Just give me a break now and then
To fly off the property
To a place we all own
And remember the feeling
Of only me and my God.

Burn and Burn (183/365)

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I looked out all four windows
All I could see was white
Like a blank page to be filled
But I didn’t want to write
I wanted to kill my own sweet time
With dreams bigger than life
Without annoying interference
Like the man who built a skyscraper
Except no one wanted to look at it
They were never even involved
And plus it blocked the natural views
Such are my foolish, lonely projections
Which lack the curse of tortured passion
And its undying commitment
To a cause a few can share
I guess I’m not ready to stay at home
And gaze contentedly out the windows
A spark is frustrated without tinder
I need to burn and burn