Educational Excellence

It’s Monday . . .

Another chance to be the best you can be … and see the best … in yourself and others! I choose this approach to life because while I may “speak” less, my words reflect my thoughts of peace and harmony. Humans often like to speak negative about each other, and, believe it or not, THIS makes some people happy!!! Okay, so when I wonder why “destruction” and “negative talk” make some people happy when “comradery”, friendship and peace make others “happy”, it becomes clear why there is so much destruction in our environment! Some of us actually try to destroy EACH OTHER!!!

The weekend had some small highlights for me, which is why I look at each weekend as a “retreat” of sorts. I mean, we spin … we twirl … we flip our thoughts … and then the next “day”, we do it all over again. This, for me, is how folks get ingrained in “negative thinking” and behavior … and not even realize it!! I was fortunate to have taken a yoga class Saturday morning with a group of folks and took care of a bunch or needed errands in my personal life, too. Sunday was another quiet day for me, which I like more and more nowadays, as I practiced yoga again in the morning, but this time, I sat in the jacuzzi at the gym for a half hour, met some nice gents and talked a bit, then I splashed into the pool there to get in some laps. It is something about the flow of water around my body that I like, smoothness when swimming below the surface as well as a type of harmony with the water!! I had a blast!!

But it was Sunday afternoon’s “World Peace Meditation” in Arts Park here in Hollywood, FL sponsored by the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Group also out of Hollywood that put the “icing on the cake”! Roz Reich had sent me, as always, an invitation by e-mail to remind me of the World Peace Meditation, and, feeling the “dis-ease” of the world (thanks Yogi Alex for putting this into words during our meditation) that spreads through our human environment, I needed a “retreat”. Our session began with a yoga instructor from Hollywood taking us through some of the fundamental movements involved in yoga. Most folks don’t get it but this “practice” allows one to “reconnect” with ones life!! Deep breathing, not heavy panting, flowing movements of the body as one connects ones breath to ones spirit. This is all internal work, which is often harder than “pumping iron”! It actually has a calming affect!

There was Meredith Porte of the Brahma Kumaris (producer of programs for WLRN) seated up in front of us, with “yogis” Marco, Alex and Kevin. Each of them took their opportunity to guide us in peaceful meditation as we enjoy the ambiance of ArtsPark in Young Circle in downtown Hollywood, Florida! There is a huge old tree that is used as the backdrop for our meditation group and several fountains pushing water up in streams that give that extra touch of tranquility in the great outdoors. (I took a few minutes to “embrace” friends and family struggling through the clean up of the treacherous winter snow storms up North!) Of course, there was an occasional “police siren” in the background amidst the sounds of the children and families enjoying the park yester-eve; but we took it all in as part of our meditation – it is reflective of the world we live in. The theme came up over and over yesterday for me, between the televangelists messages of “seeing the best in each other” and my “yogi” friends from the Brahma Kumaris Hollywood Meditation Group. In fact, Roz Reich came up to me in the beginning of the yoga practice, greeted me and gifted Educational Excellence a very kind and thoughtful contribution from she and her husband, with whom she occasionally shares my e-mails. Thank you Roz!

Here’s to wishing each and everyone of you the best today. Embrace those things that you’d like to see in the world, and hopefully, they are positive!

Peace,

John I. Cook