Thoughts on ‘Julie and Julia’

I watched the movie ‘Julie and Julia’ Saturday night and found it inspirational. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s about a woman who blogs about Julia Childs who was a huge impact on not just bringing French cooking to America but one of the first woman chefs.

I found it inspirational because of the similarities of the lives of the two women and myself. Julie blogs, they both do something they’re passionate about even through difficulty, and they are both married and have very loving, successful relationships.

Inspirational because they both started from scratch and became very successful. I won’t tell you what each of the woman’s success was but it made me ask myself (again) what the desired result would be from my blog.

I want people to get to know me from my blog to feel more comfortable to take my classes if they are in my area and if they aren’t....? I am in the process of writing a book about Prenatal Yoga for those who don’t have something like that in their area. Eventually, writing books on each of the other classes that I teach as well, such as Mom & Baby Yoga.

And then there’s the sense of peace that everyone deserves. I would love to write a book to help people, especially women, find that peace in their daily life. You can’t possibly have peace 100% of the time, if you are a living human being, but you can live there most of the time.

“Julie and Julia”. If you blog, if you are a women with goals, if you are passionate about something in your life... this is the movie for you. If you would like to check out the REAL blog about Julia Child, find it HERE.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

I’ve recently found out that US Congress voted to not say “Merry Christmas” on radio and television. Being Pagan I was, at first, pleased by this decision as I am pretty tired of people trying to force their beliefs on me and as you read on in today’s blog you’ll see why.

Someone I know and love made a comment on her Facebook page about the US Congress decision and the fire was lit! Non-Christians were called “bigots and fools”! People from larger, multi-cultural areas will LOVE this beauty......“The ones that have taken this upon themselves to complain about this holiday, HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING THE DAY OFF PAID FROM THE PLACE THEY ARE EMPLOYED!!! Talk about being a hypocrite! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL .. enjoy your paid day”

Ok, my husband and I are NOT paid for ANY holidays but we aren’t Atheists, we do have holidays of our own as do other religions who aren’t paid for those. Here’s another beauty, “I personally enjoy saying merry Christmas to all... you don’t like what ya see here get the ------ out”. So, who’s calling WHO the hypocrite here? ?

Thankfully, I have open-minded, loving, Christian friends who are considerate enough to take note of the fact that my family is Pagan and wish me a happy Solstice, congratulate me when we have a nice celebration and not only do they NOT wish me a Merry Christmas but they don’t EVER say “get the ____out”! For those loving friends I am truly grateful and it is because of those loving friends that I changed my mind about celebrating Congress’ decision on putting the stopper in ‘Merry Christmas’ and instead will be hopeful for Canada to someday include MORE religious beliefs to their plate. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could hear about other loving religious celebrations when they come up? That would be the most loving response I can think of regarding religion right now. And that’s really what it’s all about, right? Not about who's beliefs are right or wrong but loving each other!

Here’s what Stats Canada has to say about religion in Canada...

• Overview: Canada still predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant
  
• Roman Catholics: the largest religious group in Canada
  
• Growth in Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism
  
• Increase in those reporting “No religion”

Stat Can link found here: http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/contents.cfm

Research on Paganism in Canada said this, “Paganism is Canada's fastest-growing religion, according to Statistics Canada. There are 21080 declared pagans in Canada.”

Saying no to ‘Merry Christmas’ is (in my opinion) not about ‘poo poo-ing’ someone’s religious beliefs but being fair to those who believe differently. YES, it IS possible for others to believe differently from you. It’s called ‘individuality’. Maybe take the time to find out about your friends and neighbours before saying it! Wouldn’t THAT be the LOVING thing to do? If I had a Hindu friend I would surely not say “Happy Winter Solstice”, instead I would find out more about what he/she celebrates.... I would maybe ASK! Now that would be intelligent, meaningful conversation that (hopefully) your friend would appreciate.

Here are some more links of interest....

• http://www.ca.paganfederation.org/
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51738700148&ref=search&sid=714020577.1380945087..1&v=info
  
• http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2009/12/christmas-or-winter-holiday-let-our-leaders-vote/

I am not about to give a religion or history lesson here on my blog, but as I said, my little family is Pagan and if anyone is interested... for us that means a 10 day celebration of Winter Solstice or Yule where we try to celebrate by doing something small each day to welcome back the light as the daylight grows longer and be grateful for this season and loved ones.

Wishing each and every-body peace, love and blessings in this and every life celebration.

Kim
PS feel free to leave a loving comment. Thanks! XX

Gym Membership

So, I constantly write about the importance of ‘Time for YOU’ but when you have a busy life, kids, and little support to do just that, it can seem overwhelming of just where to start.

I’ve been thinking of re-joining a gym for the past year but child care is an issue for me and my husband, not wanting to leave our daughter with just anyone. Today I took the plunge. It seems like a lot of money but when you break it down it really isn't.

I decided on the local YMCA which is only $17 per month for unlimited child care. Right there, it’s a good deal!! Then, take into consideration that she’ll be enrolled into a weekly program that’s included in her membership... well, it makes me wonder why I hadn’t looked into this sooner. Then, there’s the classes I’ll be taking. Normally, one class is about $120 for two months but I’ll be taking two classes plus using their treadmills, ellipticals, and whatever else I can fit in. Another big bonus is that my husband and I can have some child-free time. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that it’s a rare occurrence for us.

It all starts tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted as to how it is going but I’m really nervous. Willow has only been left with one of my friends and nobody else, besides mommy and daddy. I am trying to look at it another way... Willow is an only child and only goes to my friend’s house once a week. I want her to grow and have stimulation and joy in her life. Wish us luck!

Blessings,

Kim