Portland Moment of Zen

Rapepublicans, rich angry men yelling at empty chairs got you down? Just ease on down your local river. It’s medicinal!

Yes, you CAN get two 12 ft Old Town kayaks on top of a Honda Civic 2 door.

Few weeks ago, after over 15 years of not smoking, I decided to gift myself with an Old Town (made in America) kayak. It cost me the equivalent of 15 cartons of cigarettes. I’ve been doing yoga for over a year now which has gained me some more mobility in my chest and shoulders and both my doctor and my Yogi told me to go work out on the river.

Kayaking has been very healing in many ways. You don’t run across many who don’t love Mother Earth when you’re on a river. You truly can’t fight water. You have to work with it. Allow it. Be it.

It’s not just working my chest, shoulders… it’s meditation. I’ve been doing TM for a year now and I had never realized before that I had no idea how to breathe. Yes, breathe.

I’ve found that breath is like Peace. You can’t have it if you try to hold on to it. Most of the stuff we “have” isn’t even worth having. None of it really is needed. We fill up our homes with so much crap as we do our own bodies.

You can’t have Peace if you try to hold on to it. It’s like your breath. Try holding on to it. Trust me, you will fail trying to greedily hold on to it.

Let Go.
Allow.
Receive.
Have.
Let Go.

I felt that if I “Let Go” I wouldn’t be useful in any movement let alone the much needed Peace Movement. But slowly, I’ve been holding my breath in numerous forms. Anger. Doubt. Frustration. I’m just now learning that I can be angry but only in a healthy way. I have to have balance in my life. I’ve had some illnesses and surgeries that have slowed me down. At first I was ANGRY about that – typical Scorpion Unreasonable Woman that I am.

So, I’ve been meditating, doing yoga, singing in the shower… and the world still seems to be burning down around me. But it’s not. As long as I am not falling apart, as along as I am still moving forward, as long as I am taking care of things I need to do to take care of myself – this world has so much to offer – if we just stop yelling, fighting, arguing and experience it.

Then we can go and march for it with a new found sense of Peace, Love and Wonder. Am I less angry? Hell, No! But I try really fucking hard to not let those fires consume me anymore. I really need to allow them to help me burn brighter.

Let me take you down my river. Just for a few minutes. I promise to bring you back.

Kayaks, unlike outboards or other loud, gas powered zen disturbers, are silent. You can sneak up on sleeping ducks… and they don’t even mind.

Great Blue Heron aka The River Keeper.
Or in Hockey terms, The official Blue Coat of the Tualatin. Making sure we don’t stand up or leave our seats.

This uber young Peeping Tom somehow knew we weren’t packing anything more than granola bars and chapstick.
Can you see him?

Therapy for arthritis in my sternum… and my weary, liberal soul.

Just chillaxing in my ultra cool hat. Which is now adorned with my old black on white peace button. It’s nice wearing clothes that don’t stink of pepper spray 🙂