New Year, Mr. Rogers, and Mt. Bonnell

The New Year has started out GREAT!!! Which I'm very happy about considering how trying 2009 has been for me on so many levels. But the other day, Gioconda put on Facebook that she was planning on going to Mt. Bonnell to greet the first sunrise of the year, and I thought that sounded great. So I got up before dawn this morning, got cutesied up, and headed out to Mt. Bonnell. I was the first to arrive when it was still dark and quiet without many people there. These days I'm a bit conflicted about how much alone time I should really have as it is time to reflect. But sometimes, too much reflection I think can just give you a complex. But fortunately, within the next 10 minutes or so, people started showing up.

All in all, it was me, Sabia, Gioconda, Sanieh, Wendy, Keith, and Sanieh's friend that I hadn't met before who I think is hilarious. I brought scones, as did Sanieh, while Wendy brought some sweet muffins and Gioconda brought hot chocolate. Oh my, the chocolate was a nice high. So we stood around, joked around, and shivered around a picnic table until the sun peaked over the horizon. Once we cold see it, we all started chanting the Gayatri Mantra until the sun had fully risen, which was a nice invitation to the New Year I think.

Afterwards, we stood around and joked and talked a little about what our intentions are for the New Year. For me, the big one this year is Connection. So, Saraswati mantras in the morning, and really looking at things on a level of connecting with myself more effectively, my already established relationships, and moving out to connect outside of that in general as well. While we were discussing this, I brought out a book that I had bought recently while Christmas shopping. I was in an antique store and saw a book called "Life's Journeys According to Mr. Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way." I picked it up and went to the first excerpt, which was just what I needed at the time, and I started tearing up in the antique store. The woman behind the counter said "Mr. Rogers always knows just what to say, doesn't he?" Of course I agreed, and bought the book.

As I've been going through the book, I've seen so much wisdom that I've needed to hear, and decided that it is something I want to share. I shared it with my friends on Mt. Bonnell, and now, I want to share it with you, my neighbor. I think that Mr. Rogers would be fine with me posting these, as I'm sure they are reminders that he would like anyone to hear. So this is the first excerpt from the book:

From the Section "Who You Are Right Now"

There are many times that I wish I had heard that "just who you are at this moment, with the way that you're feeling, is fine. You don't have to be anything more than who you are right now." I'd like to think it's also something that's happened to me through the years, that I'm more able to accept myself as I happen to be, rather than as somebody thought I should be.

-Mr. Rogers

More of these sweet excerpts to come. Oh yeah, and Krauncasana is my new pose of the year.