Hi there, YNS friends! It's still the 18th as I write this, so I AM NOT LATE!!! Woo-hoo! I have to admit, a preponderance
1 of the time, I can't say that. I'm one of those highly annoying people who are chronologically challenged. I always think I can get more done in a given amount of time than I actually can. I tend to think of this as evidence of my optimistic nature. More likely, it's due to the facts that I over-commit myself and I'm highly disorganized. However, just last weekend, I actually found myself ARRIVING EARLY - as in 15 minutes ahead of time! - for an appointment. That NEVER happens. I think I must have been excited, as it was training for something I have been researching and wanting to learn for over almost two dozen years. It was also my Mother's Day present.
Are you dying to know what it is?
Okay, I'll spill the beans... After many years of dabbling and reading and thinking and even going so far as to base a semester long research proposal on it, I finally committed myself to learning and practicing Transcendental Meditation (aka TM). This, my friends, is no small thing. Not only does one have to pony up a rather substantial amount of tuition and time to learn the process, but if you're going to do it, that means carving out 20 minutes, twice a day (morning and late afternoon/evening), to devote to the practice. As I mentioned earlier, I'm one of those people who always finds herself with way too many irons in the fire, so again: me - ME! - committing forty minutes a day to sitting quietly in a chair with my eyes closed and mentally repeating a mantra
2? It sounds like lunacy, does it not?
And to some of you, it may sound all sorts of woo-woo and New-Agey and Oprah-esque
3. I hear you. Those are some of the very reasons I was reluctant to learn TM, even though I've been intrigued by the concept for decades. I'd read books, magazine articles, and watched TV shows and documentaries about meditating. I've tried doing it on my own, and even got trained in a different method several years ago. Still, it didn't take, and I found that I dreaded the process. I dismissed it as a failed experiment and blamed myself for lacking the willpower to stick with it.
In January, I had to come up with a research topic to base a proposal on for one of my Master's courses. Earlier that day, I was listening to the Howard Stern Show on the radio, and he discussed how he had practiced TM for well over 30 years; via TM, he kicked his 3.5 pack a day smoking habit, his insomnia disappeared, etc. He also talked about his mother's experience with TM, and the profound transformation it had made in her from his perspective. I know some of you may not like Howard, but I love him
4. No lie - I've listened to him since I was 11 years old and he was the local D.J. at DC101 in Washington, D.C. He's funny and honest, and yes, he can be crude, but after so many years, I trust that he says what he truly thinks - he's not a phony.
Anyway, I had to come up with a topic for my proposal that day, so I decided I would make it one I've always been a bit interested in, combined with something that affects me deeply: the effect of Transcendental Meditation on the stress levels of parents of children with cerebral palsy. If that sounds ultra-specific, it's supposed to, according to my Psych Research professor. After doing a sh!t ton of research, I learned that TM is a self-development practice that has no basis in religion, and has an incredible amount of empirical research behind it that proves it lowers stress and improves brain functioning.
So, I've done the training. And though I've only been practicing for a few days, I truly believe I get it. TM is the sanctuary I've been searching for to quiet the incessant chatter in my head. Case in point: when I got home from my first training, you know what I did? I CLEANED MY CRAFT ROOM! That is H-U-G-E! I haven't done that in a couple of years. I think perhaps cleaning the clutter in my mind inspires me to clean the clutter in my environment. Since then, I've also cleaned cabinets and drawers around the house that contain items that expired in 2002. For real!
Lest you think this is some kind of commercial for TM, let me assure you, it's not. I always come to this post with whatever is on my mind at the moment, no matter how random it is. And somehow, someway, it always intersects with crafting. So how do TM and stamping fit together, you ask? Well, I've got the answer for you...
See, I've designated my meditation spot as my guest bedroom. Here's what the guest bedroom looks like when you enter it...
It's the only girly room in my house, done up in shades of my favorite color combo, perfectly preppy pink & green. Catty-corner from the bed, at the other side of the room from which you enter, there's a chair. I spoke of buying this particular chair in
CCC # 5, believe it or not. Here is said chair:
This is where I meditate. It's perfect! The back is rounded, it's comfortable, and I've got plenty of room to sit in the chair criss-cross-applesauce and still in decent posture. The guest room is generally quiet, but it is next door to my 15 year old's room. For that reason, I decided I probably need to make a little sign to indicate to Truman and/or anyone else who comes up there when I am meditating and don't want to be disturbed.
For whatever reason, I got into my head this sign need to be round. Circle of life? I don't know. I just looked in my alterables/junk closet to see if I had anything I could make do with. Here's what I found:
I think it's supposed to be something you could hang dog leashes or a robe from. I have absolutely no memory of buying it, but it would do once I removed the peg, like so:
Next, I gave it a cursory coat of white craft paint. Doesn't have to be covered perfectly, since it's going to be covered with paper, you know.
Then, I searched through my YNS stamps to find the one that had the look and feel I was going for.
Flower Fhiona looked appropriately meditative/blissful, so she was the winner. Before I show you the finished product, I thought I'd share with you something I do when I'm going to be cutting out an image on directly on the stamp line:
The image on the right (let's call that the 'foreground image') will be popped up on foam tape on top of the image to the left (the 'background image'). I took a fine-line Sharpie pen (LOVE those!) to draw an extra bit of black margin to the foreground image so I didn't cut off too much of the outline. You can see that I only colored the margins of the background image in the darkest color used on the image where the foreground image will be, just in case some one is looking to the side of my project. Don't want 'em to see a bunch of white behind there. Yes, that's anal, but so is paper crafting in general, no? Separates the wheat from the chaff and all that...
And here's my finished sign...
I created a computer generated sentiment with a free font called "Clipper Script." Here's a close-up of sweet Fhiona, with her little gingham paper-pieced dress, maxin' and relaxin' on that flower...
And here's what it looks like, hanging on the door. I love it! :)
What about you? What do you regularly do to relieve stress or become 'more you'? Do you have a routine practice? Are there any relaxation/mindfulness techniques you're interested in? Tell me more! You have between now and next Friday to leave your comment. I'll be checking back and answering, too, if you have any specific questions for me. One lucky commenter will win
FLOWER FHIONA for her very own.
Namaste, peeps!
Footnotes
- "Preponderance" - that's one of the words I love, as a former professor who taught law related courses. It means "more often than not," or in other words, at least 51% of the time.
- A mantra is a sound-vibration-thought. You don't meditate on the meaning of it - in fact, I don't even know how to spell mine. It's specific and somewhat individual and when you're given your mantra, you keep it to yourself. In other words, I could tell you my mantra, but then {say it with me, now} I'd have to kill you.
- Thanks to Oprah, there has been a resurgence of interest in TM. Within the past few months, she's gone on Dr. Oz's show to talk about TM, written about TM in her magazine, and based one of her "Oprah's Next Chapter" shows about TM and the town - Fairfield, Iowa - where the U.S.'s national TM center is located. Oprah is but one well-known person who practices TM, though. Other TM devotees you may have heard of include: Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Simmons, Clint Eastwood, movie director David Lynch, Sheryl Crow, the late Andy Kaufman, Jerry Seinfeld, Russell Brand, all of the Beatles (particularly my fave Beatle, the late George Harrison), Hugh Jackman, Eddie Vedder, Goldie Hawn, Mick Jagger, and my beloved Howard Stern.
- Have you been watching him on America's Got Talent? He's the newest judge, and I think he's doing a great job. Yes, I'm a fan, but he's gotten some good reviews, too. Check it out and decide for yourself. I'd loved to hear what you think.
