10 Things that Jumpstart My Heart

1.  Roller coasters

2. Art, especially Native art

3. Music

4. Dance

5.  Wii Yoga

6. Chocolate

7.  Coffee

8.  Friendship

9.  Prayer

10.  Writing

And I can't leave out Service #11

     So I'm pretty much a vegetable.  I'm on the couch cause I woke up at the usual 5 am. And I'm drinking some caffeinated coffee now.  The first cup was decaf with a hope that I may go back to sleep.  But that's not happening.  As I was thinking about what to write about today and if I wanted to write.  I decided to write about something fun and easy.  No hard brain work allowed.  Here we go!

     1. Rollercoasters.  Now my first memory of a roller coaster is going through a cork screw, rolling upside down and being thrown this way and that way by the intense forces at Great America near San Jose, CA.  I must have been around 5 or 6.  I was so excited to be tall enough, finally to go on the Big roller coaster.  I'd been watching my cousins ride and I couldn't wait til it was my turn.    We moved out of California when I was about 11.  So we left roller coasters behind when we headed to Nez Perce Country, and Lapwai, Idaho.  In 2002 my family, parents, sisters, brother in law, husband, daughter and niece went to a Baha'i conference in Orlando and  spent a day at each park, Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios.  I was thrilled  to ride roller coasters for 2 days straight.  And I lead the pack with three rides on the Hulk, the newest, fastest coaster.  In 2010, when I was planning my first post divorce trip alone and without kids, I chose the same Baha'i conference and spent 3 days in Disney World.  It was heaven on earth.

     2. Art and especially Native art.  Some pieces have such strong energy in them.  They are like magnets and tug at your soul.  Making me feel so strongly. I love paintings. The European classics.  My first real adoration of a specific piece is a painting of Judith at the Detroit Institute of Art.  She holds the blood dripping head of a general who had imprisoned  her people.  She disguises herself as a lady of the night and cuts off his head freeing her people.  What an awesome story about the strength, wisdom and cunning of a woman warrior.  My Tsimshian and Tlingit heritage brings appreciation of art into my genes.  Every day items of our lives, spoons, bowls, storage boxes were gorgeous and full of stories of our relationship with the Creator, Mother Earth and all her creatures.  I am a huge fan of Native artists who weave the ancient traditions with today's experiences and influences.  Google Benjamin Schleifman of Alaska, Brian Jensen of BC, and Kent Monkman of Ontario.

     3, 4 & 5.  Music, Dance, Wii Yoga.  The first Vinyl I bought was Dancin' in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen and Vacation by the Go-go's.  I was about 10.  Madonna's lucky star was on MTV.  Hearing a particular song can take me back in time to dancing alone in the house in the 5th or 6th grade.  To slow dancing to In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins in my cousins basement.  Hearing Jay-Z's Young Forever brings me back to a gorgeous night in Finland.   My favorite artists are Tara Ellis, the Dawnbreaker Collective, and Nabil & Karim, who blend our Faith with contemporary music.  I found Wii yoga almost 2 years ago while living in the frigid north of Anchorage, AK.  Wii Fit enabled me to exercise and Be Active in my own home without the need of a baby sitter throughout a LONG, dark and cold winter.  It's not as spiritual an experience as my first Yoga Teacher, Lila, but it did its job and I am addicted to Yoga.

     6 &7. Coffee and chocolate.  Now if you have known me a long time, since I was a kid, you know Ice Cream should belong here.  Specifically Hagen Daz Coffee.  But I've since grown dairy intolerant and only eat ice cream when I want to deal with the consequences, chocolate is my go to treat. And good chocolate.  No high fructose corn syrup.  I usually buy a bar out of the Organic section, with ginger, or raspberries, or blueberries in it.  And if I really want to spoil myself I buy a $10 six piece salted caramel chocolate. Like I did yesterday, after making it thru 48 hours of stress, an ER visit, a doctor's office visit and finally surgery to remove a piece of pencil from my daughter's foot.  

     8 & 10.  Friendship and Writing.  I think keeping in touch with friends is an art.  Some friends keep in touch a few times a year.  Some a few times a day.  Facebook and unlimited texts are great tools to keep in touch.  I have been blessed with amazing girlfriends.  I adore hearing from my friends from 5th & 6th grade at Lapwai Elementary, even though I was at my bratiest stage.  I'm amazed they still talk to me!  Since high school I've lived in Tacoma, WA  Juneau, AK,  Yakutsk, Russia, Moscow, ID, Ann Arbor, MI and Anchorage, AK.  At every  one of those homes, the Creator has sent amazing girlfriends.  When we talk BFF's I have several and I feel blessed.  Writing is something that comes naturally.  I have kept a journal since high school.  It's pretty amazing to read where my head was at 18 years ago, my loves, my hopes and dreams, the small things of everyday life.  It also kept me sane during the darkest times of my life.  I could write things I could not speak of to anyone on earth.  And it would validate my experience.  It also helped me recognize the patterns of emotional abuse in my marriage.  Now writing every morning for a blog brings a joy and sense of accomplishment that I find priceless. 

     9 & 11.  Prayer and service.  So I went over 10 things but when I remembered service I could not leave it out.  And I saved  these two for last.  When I think about it, they are actually strongly linked.  Each morning I wake  up, I read a passage from the Sacred Writings and say at least one prayer.  I think about all my family and friends who are in need of prayer, who are sick or struggling with a life storm.  I take some time to think about the issues going on in my life.  I think about how the reading can be applied into my life.  How do I reflect these spiritual values into my every day life?  How do I honor the Creator and practice the virtues of faith, honesty,  work as worship and service to others?And then I plan my day.  I look at my weekly calendar.  My duties of caring for my 2 precious daughters.  Time for self care and joy.  Service to others. 

     My most common service is supporting friends through personal life storms.  Through Facebook and texts, I can contact friends daily or on a regular schedule depending on their storm and  where they are in recovery.  Is the eye of the storm upon them? I may contact them a couple times a day.  Have they been scooped out of the ocean and back in a canoe warming up and catching their breath?  Are they in dry clothes, rested and facing their fear to get back in the canoe again?  I reassure them storms pass, the Creator sends storms to teach us skills, look for the light at the end of the tunnel, and keep focused on their side of the street.  We are perfectly imperfect. And if you are confused by someone's character use the secret decoder of watching if their actions match their words.  Many people have the talent of charming words, but in the end their skills don't match their words and you can have a trust broken, even though they keep SAYING what you hope to hear.  

    If friends are nearby, I can drop off soup when they are sick.  Watch kids so they can rest.  Make dinner when a baby is born.  Invite them to stay in my home if they need a safe place of refuge.  True prayers are actions.  If you see someone in need, you have to find a way to take an action to help them.

    A friend recently said, "Leigh Anne you are so sweet,"  when I offered to loan her $50.  The Creator is sweet to me, so I pay Him back by paying it forward.

Challenge:  what are 10 things that Jumpstart your heart?  Write them down.  Choose one to fit into your day today. And if you see someone in need, figure out an action to help them.  Are they hungry? Feed them.  Are they tired? Help them rest.  Would $20 help them met a need?  Gift it to them.