Peaceful mind, peaceful world

What if you could create world peace?

That was one of the themes yesterday as I and several thousand other people attended the unveiling of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace on its only Alberta stop of its international exhibition tour.

The Jade Buddha, carved from a solid piece of jade, is 2.7 metres high and sits on a 1.4 metre alabaster throne. It is truly a marvel to see.

According to organizers, the purpose of exhibiting the Jade Buddha around the world is for everyone, irrespective of their religion, to take a moment to reflect upon peace; peace for the world; peace in their relationships; peace for their families and friends; peace at work; peace in their mind.

Seeing this Buddha was a great reminder that one by one we each can make a difference.  It’s true that you create your own reality. What’s going on in your own head has a direct effect on what’s going on around you.

When you are angry, everything seems to conspire against you.

When you are fearful, obstacles arise.

Negativity in your head creates more negativity.

It works the other way too.

When you are optimistic, things seem more positive.

When you are open to possibilities, opportunities appear.

So why not peace?

When you have a peaceful mind, the world becomes a more peaceful place.

How can you bring more peace into your world?

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Tofu in paradise

This post is written by regular guest blogger Neela Bell.

So, I went out for a nice downtown lunch date with my girlfriend last week. We chose this really chic "Vegan" restaurant on 101st and 107th called Padmanadi. You just FEEL cool walking into this hip Indonesian restaurant. There is a massive Buddha (think Jabba the Hut, only lovely) along one wall, and truly the most inspired decorating I've ever seen at an Edmonton eatery. I felt like I was on holidays in Vancouver. I could have eaten lunch in the BATHROOM it was so nice. Ok, enough gushing.

I looked at the menu and did a quick scan. It soon came to my attention that there were quite a few meat dishes. I had prepared myself the whole drive over for what a "vegan restaurant" would be like. I imagined those mixed grain salads you get at Safeway, and maybe some of those weird bamboo shoot things like in hot and sour soup. I silently prayed they would have something like a stir fry.

"What's with the curried chicken??" I asked suspiciously, like my 5 year old does when she spots a flake of oregano on anything.

"It's ... tofu ... that tastes like chicken," my gf responded matter-of-factly. "If they do it right, you can't even tell the difference."

"Interesting." Is what I said out loud. What I was THINKING was more like ... oh grossss ... what do they cook it in to make it chicken flavoured?? and what the heck IS tofu?? Isn't it like soybeans??

Anyway, I'm a grown up and I did a process of elimination scan of the keywords along the menu ... eggplant? (nope) ... ginger beef?? (nix) ... mutton??? (good grief) and finally circled back to the curry vegetable dish which sounded very safe.

I ordered a coffee, which arrived with a little decanter of something that didn't quite look like milk. "Can I get some cream?" (to which the waitress patiently explained that cream comes from a COW ... )

I was reeling, but pulled it together and managed to have a very nice, albeit boundary expanding time at this new little outpost of hipness. We left with a pair of organic apples, and though the lunch was a bit of a trial for me, it felt good to do something completely new. How often do you get to do that?

Neela Bell is a teacher, aspiring writer and mother of two.

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What defines real?

A recent blog called When it Comes to Aging, Real is Really In discusses the current trend in Hollywood of choosing actresses of a certain age who look “real” – that is actresses that have not had a ton of work done.

I wonder if this conversation somewhat misses the point.

If real is really in, what defines real?

Is real actually defined by how we look?

I would agree that one aspect of real has to do with how we look – or more to the point, our own acceptance of our physical self. That delicious place of being able to love oneself at all ages and stages, in all shapes and sizes. I’m not sure that feeling originates from the outside in.

When I think about some “Hollywood role models” that seem to embrace their real selves, it has more to do with the qualities they exude rather than what they look like. Sure they might have given up hair dye or avoided too much plastic surgery, but that’s not what makes them real. They are confident, articulate, passionate, caring, funny and a whole host of other qualities that have nothing to do with appearance.

I’m not convinced that just because a woman chooses plastic surgery it excludes her from the sisterhood of real. Who knows why she made that decision? Real also includes insecurity and perfectionism.

Perhaps real will be really in when we stop talking about what we look like and start talking about who we are.

How do you define real?

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The hero with a thousand faces

This post is written by regular guest blogger Neela Bell.

I've been thinking about the faces I have. Well, actually, I've been thinking about how MANY of them I have; mother, teacher, girlfriend, daughter, aspiring writer, aspiring housekeeper, aspiring exerciser, and most of all (lately) aspiring spirit-full woman. It's almost like I turned 40 and suddenly I was a thousand new people.

I was on my hands and knees last week, picking up noodles (flung far and wide from my two year old) and I noticed Joseph Campbell's book (which I shamelessly ripped off for this blog's title) winking at me from the bottom of the bookshelf. It's a great book about the journey of the "hero" in all of us, and how it manifests itself in many faces and stories we continue to share.

I had a little "ah ha!" moment down there amongst the scattered Ichiban. It struck me how much "doing" I do in all the roles I've created, and how little "being" I have made space for. I wear so many faces, like a method actor, I often forget where the role ends and where I begin.

The other day, my girlfriend offered to watch my kids so I could spend some time alone at the local Second Cup. I looked at her with wide-eyed AMAZEMENT, as if she was suggesting I bungee jump off the High Level Bridge.

"Why would I want to do THAT??" I responded, with a lack of gratitude I'm ashamed of even now in the retelling.

"So you could spend some time by yourself ... "

What I did not realize then, but have come to know now, is that the last person I want to spend quality time alone with is me. In truth, I'm not even sure who that woman is. Which version of myself would I take to the coffee shop? And what could I possibly say to her when we got there.

This ... this exact thing ... is my hero's journey. It is the brave setting aside of faces until the remaining woman is one I can't wait to get to know. It is a path I am taking the first steps on, beginning with these shared words. The journey begins.

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Shazam! It's time for a makeover

Makeover seems to be the buzzword of the 21^st century. Everywhere you turn someone is making over something – houses, clothes, hairstyles, you name it. So I guess it’s not surprising that after decades Wonder Woman gets a makeover too.

I have to admit I’ve never been convinced that she could save the world in that get-up. Hot pants and knee high boots just don’t seem that practical. Most wonder women I know would rather settle for something comfortable from lululemon and quite likely wouldn’t have their “pretty bits” hanging out either.

Here’s the thing – sometimes a makeover is just what’s called for. If you are like Wonder Woman and have been wearing the same outfits for years, it’s probably time for a change. If you still have the same haircut you had in high school – and you didn’t just graduate – it’s time for something new.

Sometimes when I look at pictures of myself from the past I have a “What was I thinking?” moment. And then I remember that at the time, those glasses, shoulder pads or perms were the height of fashion. Hard to believe, but they were!

Things change.

You change.

A makeover is about bringing your outside self in alignment with your inside self. It has nothing to do with other people telling you what you should look like. I think it has to happen from the inside out. If anyone had bothered to ask Wonder Woman, I wonder what she would have had to say.

What are your makeover thoughts?

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