Posts Tagged ‘Goodie Jar’
Posted by terrepruitt on November 28, 2013
Today is Thursday, a day a regularly post on my blog. You know I mainly post about the cardio dance I teach called Nia or food. I am either sharing something about Nia or a recipe. But today is Thanksgiving and as I sit here trying to think of something to write before the day ends, I am coming up with nothing. Nothing, but the usually post of gratitude and thankfulness. I didn’t want to do that again this year, but it really is so appropriate. You know I am doing a Goodie Jar where I put good things in a jar. Well, a lot of that is stuff I am thankful for, but a post about being thankful is a bit different. I won’t go on and on about it. I will just say that I am very grateful.
We had a very nice dinner at my husband’s sister’s house. I brought my camera and didn’t even think about it until we were walking out the door to go home. I did not take one photo. Her table was set as lovely as ever. It was the first time we all were able to fit at one table as not all of the kids made it to dinner. She made a lovely meal. We had a nice dinner and a great time. I am grateful.
I am also thankful for the usual stuff. And I am thankful for you. Thanks for reading. I hope you had a nice day — a Happy Thanksgiving, if that is what you celebrate. A Happy Hanukkah, if that is your Holiday. And/or a nice Thursday, if that is what today was for you. Either way, thanks for being here.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: cardio dance, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Hanukkah, Holiday, Nia, Nia Dance, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2013, Thanksgiving dinner | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 23, 2013
Bummer. I was so determined to remember every check in to the end of the year and, alas, I got distracted. Yesterday I forgot to post a Good Things Jar check in. It was supposed to be Goodie Jar – Check In #39. Sigh. I do hope you are still filling your Goodie Jar. I will only forgive myself because I was off doing things that actually are notable for the Good Things Jar! I was so excited to be subbing a Nia class in Santa Cruz and I ended up having such a beautiful day, that I just plumb forgot. We had a great focus in class, but I lost my blog focus when I arrived home. The plan is usually something like Nia, breakfast, chocolate, beach, home. This time we weren’t exactly sure of our plan. Turned out to be a fabulous day. As I said, one for the Goodie Jar.
I feel less wasteful when I have someone with me driving “over the hill”. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area we often call going to the beach “driving over the hill”. It is about a 40 mile drive and–depending on the traffic–can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. If there is a lot of traffic or an accident it can take hours and hours. When I go, I feel as if I should have at least one other person with me. So when I get asked to teach a Nia class over there I like to take someone with me. I have one student who usually is game. She has a favorite chocolate shop over there so when she is “over the hill” she likes to drop by. This last trip I was lucky enough to have TWO students join me.
The wonderful studio where I sub is in the Tannery and there used to be a great little cafe next door. My student and I would dance then go get breakfast, then hit up the chocolate shop, then drive to the beach. We have never actually walked on the sand . . . I don’t need to do that, I just need to be at the ocean. Sadly the cafe is closed — although the sign says temporarily, we missed it. So this trip we went to another place to eat, still got to the chocolate shop then went to the ocean.
A
ll week long it had been raining, both on our side of the hill and over the hill, but on Friday it was as pictured. It was awesome. We were blessed. The place we visited is called Natural Bridges. It is no longer has a “natural bridge”, but the beach is still wonderful.
Also, in regards to the focus, as you might be familiar with, in Nia classes we have a focus and an intent. Well, I had been concentrating on learning a new routine, creating a gentle yoga class, and working out my schedule I hadn’t even settled on what we were going to dance, much less a focus. I often ask my students what they might think or feel they need to focus on. So I turned to my student and said, “Oh snap! I haven’t even thought about a focus. What do you got? Do you have anything?” She said, “I feel I need some healing. I feel kinda uuughhh.” And I said, “Thanks. We can do that.” I turned to one of the other students and gave her a questioning look because she was pressing on her ribs. She said, “This is my first class back after having been in a bicycle accident.” Ah-ha! Healing was perfect as a focus.
It always amazes me and warms my spirit that it happens that one focus needed or desired by one person turns out to be the perfect focus for so many. So often we are able to apply it to what is going on and find an intent that compliments it.
After class one the other student that came with me said that she enjoyed that focus. I shared with her the way it came about and she was surprised because she had thought the woman who was touching her ribs had suggested it. So she too was amazed that it was a focus that was appropriate for all. But that is just how it always seems to happen. It is so great. It is —-ahhhhhh!
We shared a great focus although I was so focused on the Joy from class and my morning in Santa Cruz that I forgot about my Goodie Jar post. But I think you will agree it was worth it.
So, do you think I had a good reason to forget? Are you still filling your Good Thing Jar?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar, Misc, Nia | Tagged: beach, gentle yoga, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Natural Bridges, Nia, Nia class, Nia focus, Nia intent, Nia routine, Nia San Francisco Bay Area, Nia Santa Cruz, Nia sub, Nia Teacher, over the hill, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz beach, Tannery, teach Nia, Yoga | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 15, 2013
Wow! It is Batkid Day. Well, the TV station I was watching last night was calling last night “Batkid Eve” so I figured they would be calling today “Batkid Day”. The day that San Francisco is turned into Gotham and a child gets his wish to be a hero. It is really, really cute. I’ve heard that the organizer from the Make-A-Wish Foundation was hoping to get 200 volunteers and she got thousands. I’ve heard different numbers, from 10,000 to 13,000. I am sure a lot more people will show up. I bet it will be great. I am really excited by this. I think it is so cool! I bet it is live on TV, but I am on my way to teach a Nia class.
That is one for my Goodie Jar. I am subbing a Nia class for a fellow Nia teacher. I am excited.
So how is your Good Things jar coming along? It is our Friday check in, what are you putting in your jar today?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Batkid, good things, Goodie Jar, Gotham, Make a Wish Foundation, Nia class, Nia Teacher, San Francisco, Superhero | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 1, 2013
Ooooo! Only TWO months left to fill up the Goodie Jar. It is never to late to note the good things so if you haven’t started yet, why not start NOW!?!?! I have a few good things to put into my jar today.
I had a fabulous conversation with a potential Nia student. I talk to a lot of potential participants, some actually do end up attending one of my Nia classes and some do not, but I have always had wonderful conversations. While I would love to have everyone I talk to come to one of my Nia classes and I would love to meet them, I still feel fortunate to have been able to talk to them on the phone. I love sharing about Nia and listening to their stories. So many are inspirational.
Also, I received a wonderful e-mail. The subject alone made me so happy. (“Nia rocks my world!”) How could it not? The rest of the e-mail made my face hurt (from SMILING)!!!!!!! I loved it so much, I printed it out and it is going in the goodie jar!
And, as some of you may know, our cat has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which is a chronic condition. Basically it means that the intestines are not working properly so the body does not absorb the required nutrients. When the body does not absorb what it needs it does not function the way it should. And when the intestines are not healthy there are other issues. So it is a matter of controlling symptoms and getting the body to a comfortable and a close-to-normal state as possible. It has been about three months since we started treating this and today is a good day. I think – as with many things – there will be days where she doesn’t feel as good as others. I think that is just the way it will be. But today we are half-way through our fifth day without vomit. When I wrote my post Spot Update we were almost up to a three day vomit-free period, but that was as long as we got. Now we are on our fifth day. That is really huge. Even if she throws up now we still made it almost FIVE DAYS! I am sure she is as happy about it as I am! To me four and half days vomit free is a darn good thing. See there really is no rule as to what you can put in your jar. THIS is a good thing for me. THIS makes me happy.
When I read about it on December 31, 2013, I will be happy.
What are you putting in your goodie jar? Any good things happen yesterday on Halloween?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: chronic condition, chronic disease, chronic illness, good things, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Halloween, IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, Nia, Nia participant, Nia rocks, Nia student, Spot the cat, Spot Update | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 25, 2013
Ha, ha, ha. Seems like “The Fox” will not go away. Two weeks ago I posted a video of a “live” version Ylvis did on Late Night. Today I received word that some of my fellow Nia teachers are going to use the song in their Halloween Nia Routine. They even printed out the words so that people can sing along. I love it. So funny. I posted the words here: I Give Up, What Does The Fox Say?
I am still filling my Goodie Jar with good things. Remember this is a practice to help us recognize things that we might not stop to notice normally. Also it is something to help us remember the good things even when there are things that are not good happening. So . . . . really . . . . anyone can do it. It is not too late to start, if you have not already. There are two full months left of the year!
So . . . . how is your jar coming along?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: good things, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #35, Halloween, Late Night, Nia routine, Nia teachers, Practice, The Fox, Ylvis | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 11, 2013
Hey! Yay! Two Fridays so far in October, two Goodie Jar – Check Ins! Yay! I do put things in my jar at least once a week, but there have been a couple of times when I forgot to post the check-in. At this time I am writing the check in on Thursday because I have a Nia call I want to participate in on Friday. I think I might get so involved in the call and its topic I will forget to post my check in.
So, how is it going? On last week’s check in a friend of mine commented that her jar would be over flowing because her daughter just had a daughter. First grand baby cute. Not everyone has such a huge GOOD THING. But that is kinda the point. The HUGE good things get document and noted in other ways . . . so sometimes it is the jar that reminds us of the little things.
Of course, we can still write down the big things and put them in the jar. Anything you want. Anything that will make you smile when you read it and say, “Yeah, that is/was a good thing!”
May your Good Thing Jar overflow!
I have already posted this, but I when I opened Facebook a minute ago I saw I was tagged in a status. I just had to add it to this post because to me it is a GOOD THING! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Thanks, Danielle!
Jimmy Fallon has Ylvis on Late Night doing a “live” version of The Fox!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puHK73fMXmQ
And, if you want you can hear for yourself that Ylvis is Correct . . . . he has “what the fox say” down pat!
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Facebook, Good Thing jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar check in, grand baby, granddaughter, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night, live version, Nia, Nia call, status tag, The Fox, what does the fox say, Ylvis, Youtube | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 4, 2013
First check in of October. Goodie Jar – Check In #32. Happy Friday!
Yesterday my plan for the day got a little shifted because my cat wanted to go outside. You may know from my previous posts that she is ill. When she wants to go outside it is usually because she wants to eat grass because her tummy is bothering her. I have learned that it is easier to take her outside and let her eat the grass and expel it on the concrete then it is to deal with it inside. So I took her outside. We were outside for a couple of hours.
I did have time to draft a post for my blog, but once home from teaching I forgot to post it. It was chilly last night and so my husband and I had some tea. Between the hot tea and my nice hot shower, I got very sleepy. At one point all I was thinking was – BED! I totally forgot about posting.
I received a “good thing” in the Gentle Yoga class to put in my Goodie Jar. A student had excitedly shared with me a progressive step she had taken. Always so fulfilling to hear about an individual’s successes! Yay.
Here is to YOU! I am hoping that you had a lot of good things to put into your good jar this week.
Well? How is it going?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: exercise class, gentle yoga, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #32, hot tea, October 2013, sick cat | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 27, 2013
I remembered the Goodie Jar check in! Yay! How about you? Are you remembering to put good things in that jar? I know that some weeks are easier to find good things than others, but that is part of this — to find good things to focus on even in the midst of the things that bring us down or try to keep that smiling from surfacing.
My birthday was last week so I received a few cards. As I was pulling the cards out of the envelopes to display — yes, I put up my cards — I realized what great goodie note paper the envelopes would make. As you may know not only am I filling my goodie jar, but I like to use colorful paper to document my good things. I like different shapes and sizes and textures. So to me it was a good thing to realize I could use the envelopes as paper for my jar. Yay! Now I will have bright pink, red, and yellow to add to the jar! And do some recycling!
Fun stuff.
One of the good things I have added to my jar is my Nia students — again! I know, huh? — this week the traffic was stopped as I tried to make my way to my Nia class. When I looked on the freeway as I was getting on I thought it was just slowed for a bit because there were signs that said, “Shoulder work”. The actually direction I need to travel is not visible from where I make the turn on to the entrance ramp. When I made the turn onto the actual road to enter, it was stopped. So I just got right back off. But every single street I drove on had construction. So at times two lanes were reduced to one lane. Every time I was near a freeway entrance I thought I would get on the freeway there, but, nope, the traffic was backed up. So I slowly made my way all the way across town via city streets. I kept thinking I would make it to class on time or really close to it, so I didn’t pull over to call. But finally I stopped to call and tell them I was on my way even though I was already late! I finally made it, I was twenty minutes late! And guess what? My students were still there! WOW! I was so humbled and grateful it was JUST what a person needs after spending over an hour on the road to make a 20 minute trip. My annoyance and embarrassment at being late was washed away by my understanding and eager-to-dance students. They said, “That’s ok. Let’s dance it away.” And we did. So grateful. Definitely a GOOD THING for my goodie jar.
I hope that you use this check in as a reminder to take a moment and think of the good things that you have experienced this week and make a note.
Well, how many were you able to think of?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: birthday, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #31, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia students, re-use, recycle, reduce, September birthday, traffic jam | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 20, 2013
EEEEKKKK! I cannot believe I forgot two check ins a row! Wow! My Thursdays got a little busier with the addition of the morning Nia class. Definitely a good thing, but my schedule got a bit off. Even though it has been almost a month since the first class, I need to work on my schedule a bit more.
This is a reminder about the Good Things Jar! Ya know where we put notes of good things that have happened throughout the week? Are you putting things in yours? The reason we are doing this is to keep the good things at the forefront in our minds, in our hearts, and in our lives. Yes, there are things that we can easily let bring us down . . . . believe me, I know, but that is when it is most important to remember the positive.
I am not a believer that you have to be positive all the time. I believe that it is important to feel your feelings. If you are sad go ahead be sad. If you are angry go ahead be angry. If you are frustrated go ahead be frustrated. Experience all the emotions that you have. BUT . . . . my point is don’t deny the good. Don’t let all the things that CAN bring you down, bring you down and KEEP you so low that you don’t recognize the good stuff.
It could even be a matter of having to look at your Goodie Jar . . . . look how full it is and realize that there are a lot of good things that have happened. Maybe you are struggling to find a good thing NOW, but that jar is full of good things . . . . and that in itself is a good thing, right?
Well . . . . . even though I forgot to remind you, are you still filling up that Goodie Jar?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: good things, good things jar, Goodie Jar, morning workout, negative feelings, Nia, Nia class, positive experiences, positive feelings, Thursday morning Nia | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 30, 2013
You might have read that our cat is sick. She has been diagnosed with a chronic disease. Unfortunately to get to the point of knowing there is an issue and having it diagnosed the cat has to be really sick. The disease involves the digestive system and most of you know or can imagine what that means. So in order to keep any “messes” that might occur contained we had been confining the cat to the bathroom when we leave the house and while we are sleeping. This allowed for peace of mind on our parts and much easier clean up. As things started to improve and certain “messes” became less frequent, we would confine her to my office. I put cardboard over most of the carpet so that clean up would be easier. While the litter box visits were normalizing and become less frequent there was still some vomit issue. But in my office if the weather is not too hot, I would leave the windows open and there is just more room for her. Even though it was somewhat risky, in that any mess would have been more difficult to clean I thought it was nicer for her to be in a larger room and have windows. At first I left her in her only while I was teaching, but then we started allowing her to stay in my office overnight.
I just looked at my notes and it has not been as long as I thought. I thought we started confining her at the beginning of July, but it was the beginning of August. So it progressed faster than I thought. Either way, I think she was tired of having to stay in one room. Although she does it anyway on her own, not having a choice is always frustrating — even to a cat.
Anyway . . . . this long story just to say that last night was the first night since the beginning of August that we let the cat stay out. She was free to roam the house. I doubt she did much roaming, but at least she had the opportunity. So far she has not thrown up and I think we are on our way to controlling her symptoms. She has been eating a very healthy amount and I do believe gaining some weight.
So I have a few things to put in my good jar. In addition to our cat improving, the Nia class the Nia students asked for which started two weeks ago on Thursday mornings is doing well. Our weather this summer has been awesome. Although it is going to be hot over the Labor Day Weekend least it has not been hot all summer long.
So how is your Good Things Jar doing? Is it getting full?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: chronic disease, good things, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #29, Labor Day, Nia class, Nia students, sick cat | Leave a Comment »
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