Sat Nam and muchas gracias for the overwhelming Birthday blessings and hellos!

See the road on left, straight DOWN!

What a great birthday and a great week! Last week was full again, with yoga classes in the school on Monday evening, they love the Kundalini yoga! Then we had another musical evening of a Swiss Jazz trio playing in the grand teatro! Amazing talent! Wednesday I took the night home to study and Thursday was dinner out and we had planned a big friday night out to celebrate Belle’s Birthday, but, she had a tummy bug. So a few of us went out to dinner and Saturday she had recovered and the day began with my birthday. Now, you know my family is the sweetest ever, and Senora Magarinos baked 3 cakes!! Yes, I guess she is determined to fatten me up!  Tres tortas! Two banana cakes one with fresh cut up bananas layered inside with dulce de leche drizzled on top! STOP! Because now, the next one is killer, rich dark chocolate with strawberries in the middle and chocolate on top! Now, are you ready?  We ate them at desayunar!! BREAKFAST!  Oh my! I had already had my yogurt and fruit and then she gives me a huge plate with two giant pieces on it! Well, you have to eat it! So I ate most of it, and then we did a nice yoga class in the house for the family! They love it!  We started off slow to digest but it all worked out!

After that, and many hugs, I ran to call my family in the USA! and reached my son, before I had to be back for the special lunch! A delicious fresh pasta, vegetable type salad (frio) with a no fat yogurt dressing, and of course, I had to finish off the CAKE! It was a riot!

I waddled out of there back to a cafe to finish calls before we were all to hike up that hill I have told you about to the Mirador Cafe for, yes, more cake!!!! I actually could not eat cake, but thank goodness Belle felt better and managed to have her tiramisu!!! The best I have ever seen! The view from this point is the most magnificent in town, you sit perched high over the town and can see for miles. After a while it is hard to believe how wonderful the view is! We hiked back down, and all had dinner at a great little tiny vegetarian cafe and some others from school joined us. It was a great day and night!

View from The Mirador

I returned home to finish studying as my professor had given me a test to take on Sunday night to see how I was doing.  I awoke in the middle of the night and as I got up, I walked outside and on the patio I looked up and saw the glorious full moon! It was hanging low over the mountains with the twinkling lights of the city below, I just felt filled up with the light from it! I hope you saw the moon too!

I have a tradition with myself, every year on my birthday, I reread the last years worth of journal entries, and kind of look at how the year went, how I feel and what has shifted for me.  I actually went back to 2007 and I was pretty happy to see that in 2007 I had written that in 2009 I needed to be on a great adventure and somewhere where I could be challenged and have fun! Guess those thoughts have some power!

What I did see too, was how much growth and realization I have had.  I could see where I shifted my perceptions and where I let go of a lot of OLD garbage.  I encourage you to journal, and be brave and write down what you really want in life, you can make it happen!

Speaking of, we now have two more new students in our house, as two left over the end of last week.  Both of these women have done what a multitude of other people have done in our school. They have quit their jobs, (after saving money and securing a years worth of savings) and have taken off for their great adventures.  I know we all cannot do this, with kids, houses, bills, and our lifestyles. But what I am seeing out here is that we get so attached to thinking that we are supposed to have a life that is like that, when maybe it is not what we want.  So, maybe, the idea is not for everyone to run off and quit their jobs, but for us to really look at our lives, and at the “things” that keep up tied down, and to ask ourselves the hard questions. Is this really what I want? Am I really living my life as I would if I could change anything?  If so, what would it be?

Are the material things really making me happy? I am amazed at how little we can live with when we pack it up and go! I am down to a few shirts, pants and only 2 pairs of shoes! I know!!!!!!!!!!! Esta es incredible!!!

What happens when we hold on too tight!

But, heh, it works! I know when I get home, I will pare it down more and keep on doing that. If we are working like a dog just to keep up with the demands of our society, what the heck is that???  If you can, and you want, pare it down, give it away, let it go, and watch your freedom grow!  I am just amazed at how many of these 20-35year olds, are in this mode! Also, there are a lot of us older ones doing it too!

Anyway, Sunday was a great day as we took a bus to Tarabuco, a small village known for its unique weavings. Now, I was especially interested in a particular weaving, that only the men do, they are rare and especially beautiful, I learned about them in the Textilo Museo. Well, I found ONE! Literally we only saw one in town that was this beautiful. I bought it! I know, pare down!!!! It folds flat!  I did not have enough dinero on me, so I managed to talk to the vender in espanol! and he came to Sucre to bring it to me and today we met and it is muy bonito!

Birget and Iris from Swisse!! in Tarabuco market

Well dear friends, I miss you, I miss our classes and I am thinking of you when I teach here! We have a class tonight, my last at the school as I leave here Saturday for La Paz. I begin to learn the past tenses tomorrow, big day!!! Every single morning you are in my heart and prayers as I rise to greet the sun and meditate with the church bells ringing, the sun crawling over the mountain top and the sounds of Snatam playing on my laptop! Wahe Guru, muchas gracias Dios for this life!! and for friends!

ps. I head to La Paz in two days, hard to imagine, time is flying!