Successful Saturday So Far

This is my workspace this morning:
Why, thank you, it is amazing, yes I know.

Oh the day that I can get up and dressed and make my morning commute of....downstairs and into the library where my little "reading corner" is set up, and where I took the pains, upon initial move-in, of installing the lovely canopy and pictures, centered just so, because my bedroom ceiling (where the canopy would ordinarily go) is too high.

(that also means it's undustable. And there's popcorn. Blech.)

In other news, I got off work a smidge early yesterday, and wanted to surprise T (who has Fridays off). I clipclopped over to my car and sped out of Pasadena, just to wind up stuck on a gridlocked 101S.

....argh...

(of course there was nothing on the radio traffic updates about it...there was no accident or anything, just too many people on the road. Stupid overpopulation. It's what we get for settling in a land that has no natural water tables (CA). That means everyone has to live close together, really)

But back to the point. I was stuck and I started to feel the red haze creep up from my toes (red haze = road rage). But, I'm also aware that getting spittin' mad does not traffic move, so I thought of a practice that we were given in an Akido presentation at my last school seminar.

you can try this at home, folks!

Two people stand, face to face. One points his/her finger at the other's throat/chest and moves toward them, with the finger leading. This is supposed to simulate an attack, so that should be the focus of the pointer's attention. The pointer moves at a slow walk, and of course stops when the pointed finger is a couple inches away from the other's throat.

Notice how the pointer felt the "attack" went. Notice how the receiver felt.

Take II: The receiver, before the pointer starts to move, takes a couple of deep breaths to center herself/himself. You can close your eyes if you want, but don't think of protection or anything. Just make it so that you are full present, aware, and relaxed. All of you is with you, not thinking about this or that or being pulled in random directions. Center.

Then the pointing and walking is repeated, and you'll (the receiver) will feel protected and not worried about the finger anymore. The pointer may feel something too.

When I did it, I felt the air around my classmate thicken (only toward my finger, the attack "weapon", I guess) when I moved within about a foot of her. It was amazing! Why knows how this works, I won't get into it here - maybe you can just tell by small body language signs (tightness in the face and body, eye contact - oh, one more thing, hold eye contact during the exercise) that they're not afraid of you and it takes some of your mental strength away as you get closer to the point of actual contact. On the other side of the spectrum, maybe you're aware of a strengthening of their electrical/energetic/whatever "aura", once they feel centered. Whatever you believe, it's a cool exercise.

But, back to traffic.

So I was sitting in traffic, and when I started to get angry, I centered. My anger instantly subsided. And not only that, but (you can feel the palpable road range on LA highways) I felt myself a calm island in a sea of annoyance! It was kind of cool, in a freakish way.

As I was inching along, I noticed an archway above the road that I never had before:
You can't see it in the picture, but there is graffiti on the mini pillars below the road there. How did that get there? The guys spray painting would have had to hang upside down. And that's like 5 stories up. Man, what people will do in an effort to be heard....

I'll take blogging, thanks.

So, as far as my prototype weekend goes, it's on track so far! Then again, it IS only 7:39am. There's still a lot of day before me. We'll see...

Happy Weekend!