day 34: Baddha Padmasana

29 years since i took my first breath on earth!

my first birthday gift was sleeping in. then,

wrote poems for people who would attend my birthday celebration.

i had felt i was in a deficit of giving. i am sometimes away from people for days writing, meditating, being with myself. spanning the space & distance are little notes posted on facebook, electronic gateways into the description or results of that aloneness. i write mostly about myself. i wanted to cross the gap & touch people with what i write, directly, to focus on others, to speak the words. these little compact writings i call Totem Poems.

and as i wrote the Totem Poems, i felt i was writing about myself, that each person was a part of me. i could sense our oneness, perceiving them as expressing something that perhaps was not for me to express through my body & experience but could understand & appreciate as if it were my own. i felt that any of the poems could have been for any other person in the room, yet somehow fit the person it was written for perfectly.

the decor was magenta - tinsel garlands hanging from ceiling fan & entry ways, the bowls, the plates, my dress. balloons scattered about. Snatam Kaur's album Shanti gently filled the room underneath conversations, jubilation, merriment.

the pot luck was like winning a lottery: red lentil coconut masala, brown rice with golden raisins & cinnamon sticks, hemp chia seed chocolate, cheddar cheese infused with cranberries, organic caraway flax crackers, arugula/basil pesto with rotini, hummus, fresh cauliflower & sprouts and cultured veggies handcrafted by an awesome new local business!

we toasted with pomegranate juice, sweet & heady with laughter filling the room. a toast to friends, to the support, the love that they have shared & given, enhancing my life. i read the totem poems one by one, each spoken an opening, heart flow. some moved to tears. i had wanted to connect & share, elated at that moment it was happening; we were all a part of something special.

the party moved upstairs as we looked at the process paintings from classes held there, mine still on the wall nearly finished. downstairs food, lounging, loquaciousness. the house was so alive with interaction, bliss, friends mixed together, spending time with one another, a tone of fun & well being.

the cake was unexpected - a deluxe Italian cream cake nearly a foot high with pink candles. i said a prayer & made a wish, squatting down to it's level & sweeping out the flames in one strong breath!

near the end of the night we made a circle & sent a huge prayer for the 12 million children who go hungry everyday in America. we held hands, moved into heartspace & beamed out our love to this group. as someone else added words i felt that blessing bestowed upon me, poured through my crown. i was so happy to offer this together & have our celebration energy directed outwards for healing, nourishment.

a beautiful day, a beautiful night. surrounded by such amazing people who give, who care, who are reaching for the highest fruits, who practice what they learn, who desire to grow & fulfill their reason for being. i am thankful!