David, Joelle and Johnnie Besnette

Gathering Our Straying Thoughts
Centering Ourselves When our thoughts are scattered in several directions at once and we are no longer conscious of what we are doing or why, it is time to center ourselves. When we center ourselves, we begin by acknowledging that we have become spread too thin and we are no longer unified inside. Our thoughts might be out of sync with our feelings, and our actions may be out of sync with both. The main signs that we need to center ourselves are scattered thoughts and a feeling of disconnection or numbness, as if we are no longer able to take anything in. In addition, we may feel unfocused and not present in our bodies. Centering ourselves is a way of coming to terms with all the different energies within us and drawing them back into ourselves.

Centering yourself means that you are working from or being aware of the core of your being in the solar plexus area of your body. At first it may not make sense, but as you progress you will understand what this feels like. We naturally know how to center ourselves when we take a deep breath, for example, before making a big announcement or doing something big. Another way to center ourselves is to sit down and engage in breath meditation. We can start by simply getting into a comfortable upright position and noticing as our breath enters and leaves our bodies. Our breath flows into our center and out from our center, and this process can serve as a template for all of our interactions in the world. In conversations, we can take what our friends are saying into the center of our beings and respond from the center. Our whole lives mirror this ebb and flow of energy that begins and ends at the center of ourselves. If we follow this ebb and flow, we are in harmony with the uni! verse, and when we find we are out of harmony, we can always come back into balance by sitting down and observing our breath.

When we sit down to center ourselves we can imagine that we are gathering our straying thoughts and energies back into ourselves, the way a mother duck gathers her babies around her. We can also visualize ourselves casting a net and pulling all the disparate parts of ourselves back to the center of our being, creating a sense of fluid integration. From this place of centeredness, we can begin again, directing ourselves outward in a more intentional way. What do you think?

From the Dailyom.com

Don’t swallow gum

SMART ASS ANSWER #6 — It was mealtime during a flight on Hooters Airline. ‘Would you like dinner?’ the flight attendant asked John, seated in front. ‘What are my choices?’ John asked. ‘Yes or no,’ she replied.

SMART ASS ANSWER #5 — A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, ‘ Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub.’

SMART ASS ANSWER #4 — A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn’t find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, ‘Do these turkeys get any bigger?’ The stock boy replied, ‘No ma’am, they’re dead.’

SMART ASS ANSWER #3 — The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. ‘I’ve been waiting for you all day,’ the cop said. The kid replied, ‘Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could.’ When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

SMART ASS ANSWER #2 — A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that reads, ‘Low Bridge Ahead.’ Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, ‘Got stuck, huh?’ The truck driver says, ‘No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas.’

SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2006 — A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow’s final exam. ‘Now class, I won’t tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that’s it, no other excuses whatsoever!’ A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, ‘What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?’ The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says, ‘Well, I guess you’d have to write the exam with your other hand.’

Two bonus extras:

#1. A blonde goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. She says to the clerk, ‘May I have 50 Christmas stamps?’
The clerk says, ‘What denomination?’ The blonde says, ‘God help us. Has it come to this? Well, then, give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists.’

# 2. A woman is standing nude looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not happy with what she sees and says to her husband, ‘I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.’ The husband replies, ‘Your eyesight’s damn near perfect.’

He never heard the shot..

I decided to take Friday off from the computer to go get some snowboarding in. It’s been a year or so since I have gotten up to the mountains, but within a run or two I was back to where I was. We went to Copper Mountain and it was really great snow and no crowds. Other than it being about 5 below zero, it was a great day. I went with a few friends. More photos

Once upon a time, there was a nonconforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter.

However, soon the weather turned so cold that he reluctantly decided to fly south. In a short time ice began to form on his wings and he fell to earth in a barnyard, almost frozen. A cow passed by and crapped on the little sparrow. The sparrow thought it was the end. But, the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings. Warm and happy, able to breathe, he started to sing. Just then a large cat came by and hearing the chirping investigated the sounds.

The cat cleared away the manure, found the chirping bird and promptly ate him.

The moral of the story:

1) Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy

2) Everyone who gets you out of the shit is not necessarily your friend.

3) And, if you’re warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.

Carrie has been selected as our local 9news leader of the year. Congratulations! The news release stated: “In her nomination of Besnette for the award, Caz Matthews, president of WellPoint Inc., said, “Carrie acts with a skilled balance of grace and force, never alienating, always respectful, and with a polite and convicted strength that just gets results.”

They should have also mentioned that she is the best auntie in the world to her nephew Johnnie

Anyways, we are all very proud of you Carrie!

Love,

Your Family

Valentine’s day sneaks up on you from out of nowhere. I still feel like I am cleaning up Holiday decorations and trying to clean up my diet from all of the “naughtys” that I ingested over the past few weeks - mostly good wine with my parents while they were here, and the occasional scoop of ice cream (did you know the average American gains 7-10 pounds in December?).

Anyways, many people can be caught off guard by Valentine’s day, and they scramble to get a gift for their sweetie at the last minute. Usually it is chocolate or roses - the standards.

I have a friend in Arizona that puts together some amazing gift baskets. She has a Valentine’s basket that is superb - It includes:

Ferrero Prestige fine assorted confections, White tea spa lotion, White tea body butter, bubble bath, bath shrunchy shimmering body refresher, candle, heart pillow, hot cocoa and cookie!

You can take a look at her creations here.

Judy takes a lot of pride in her baskets, and they do include some really cool stuff. She can ship anywhere in the US, so give her a call at 9280779-2060 to order a really great gift for your sweetheart this year!

“Demands on your time can make you weary now, for no matter how much you do, it may not feel like it’s enough to please others. This could leave you feeling empty and frustrated, unless you shift your focus. Instead of trying to please anyone else, set realistic goals and then just do the best you can.”

Definitely feeling like there are a lot of irons in the fire…but I guess that’s a good thing!

Ashrita Furman has a great story about how mind, spirit and body are connected. He has the “record for having the most world records” and his story is quite interesting. You can read about him here

My sister Carrie and our great friend Erin just got back from a trip to Nepal. They trekked all over the place and even went to Everest Base Camp. They are back and have some great photos. You can see more of them here