Elephant in the Room

It's been uneventful - well, for the most part. Actually, that's a lie. I've been bouncing around lately and I love it. In case if you forgot, I have problems sitting still for very long. I'm an active sleeper - ask anybody who has spent a night in the same bed as me.

This is why I need Annie to come visit me :(

First things first. Last Wednesday through Saturday was my department's recruitment weekend. We had 7 recruits come and visit - one of which was a classmate from Madison!! We can never have too many Badgers in the Triangle! I picked up a recruit from the airport (after sitting there waiting for 2 hours because of delays) Wednesday night. Me and a few other grad students had breakfast with them on Thursday and Friday morning (free food? I'm there). Then Friday night, we all had dinner at the Mellow Mushroom :)

The other exciting news is that I ended up in the hospital Thursday night. I had been battling a fever and other symptoms all week and my body finally had enough and decided it would be fun to faint. Y'all know me. I almost never take medicine so me deciding it was time to go visit the doctors...you know it was bad. Thankfully, I have some of the sweetest friends in the universe. David took me into the hospital and stayed with me the whole time. Emma, bless her heart, still is offering to help me out in any way I need it. No worries, it was just the flu. THE FLU. I haven't gotten the flu since I like a toddler or something. Apparently my body didn't know what to do so it freaked out. No worries, I'm back into running and climbing. The only thing that isn't up to par is my laughing. I laugh which then turns into a terrible coughing up a lung fit. Hopefully that disappears soon!

Pushing that aside, let's talk about the meaning of "Om mani padme hum." It is sometimes called the compassion or Chenrezig's mantra. Most of y'all have heard of it and have probably said it once or twice without knowing what it really means. Om mani padme hum is a 6 syllable mantra: om ma-ni pad-me hum. Each syllable has a very deep meaning and purification.

OM: think of giving love/time. Purifies ignorance of true mind nature which is the root of samsara.

MA: think of morality & ethics. Purifies anger - the worst negative mind state.

NI: think of patience. Purifies stinginess.

PAD: joyful mind/joyful effort. Purifies attachment.

ME: concentration. Purifies jealousy.

HUM: wisdom. Purifies pride/arrogance.

Oh dear. I found the cute puppy links....

D'awww!!! Daddy please please please bring Annie!!

 "People in America have funny way of saying things. You say 'There's an elephant in the room' when something important needs to be talked about but isn't. In Tibet, we don't say that. Of course there is an elephant in the room! Your mind is an elephant and you must tame it and have it walk calmly next to you. Silly Americans!" -Geshela Gelek Chodha

"The environment is our body. The air is our breath. The water is our blood. The trees are our limbs. The environment is very sacred." -Geshela Gelek

Love will draw an elephant through a keyhole. -Samuel Richardson

Snow Snow Go Away

What's crack-a-lackin' folks? I am going crazy with being locked up indoors. I need to go climbing like right now. The last time I went climbing was a pathetic attempt Monday night after I flew back into Raleigh after visiting Aaron for his birthday. Being sick and tired isn't really the best combination for a rocking work out at the gym. Then on Wednesday, I was going to climb after my work but that just didn't happen...why you ask? Snow.

I have no idea where this is but I will find out where and go climb it.

Well, we took a look outside and all the highways and main roads were completely gridlocked. I google mapped a new route home and started on my journey. It was slow moving but there wasn't much traffic until I hit Crabtree Mall. It was utter chaos. Cars were spun out in every direction, parked haphazardly everywhere, sliding across 4 lanes of traffic and the median into my lane, one car was on fire at some point, and many people flipping out. Since I was born and raised in Wisconsin, 3 inches of snow isn't a big deal and manageable to drive in. But when all 1.2 million citizens of the Raleigh area leave work at the same time...all hell is going to break loose. Nury told me one of her aunts usually has a 20 minute drive from work. Well, it took her 5 HOURS to get home. Maybe that will show you a little perspective of what it was like.

See what I mean? We have a panic attack because we don't get snow often enough down here to learn how to deal with it appropriately. Buy your bread and milk beforehand!!

Anyways, so I finally ran into the gridlock and managed to find a backroad that would kind of get me home. My friend David offered to let me stay at his place since it is miles closer to where I was than my own house. So I started on my way to his place. The roads weren't too bad yet but they weren't all that nice off of main roads. Now Northerners - please understand my dilemma here. I was following a car (nobody was ahead of her) when she stopped on an UPHILL to let another car in. I know us Southerners are really sweet and where just being ourselves. Please don't take offense when I shout this: YOU DON'T STOP YOUR CAR ON AN UPHILL WHEN IT'S ICY AND SNOWING. You will get your car stuck because your tires can't get traction on ice. Putting two and two together, you can tell she got stuck. Therefore, I got stuck behind her. I tried everything to get around her - backed up and took a running start and tried going around her but oncoming traffic wouldn't allow for that. I managed to get two guys to help me get my car out of the middle of the street and park it on the curb/somebody's yard. Then, I grabbed the essentials from my car and started trekking to David's. Mind you, I didn't have a hat, scarf, gloves, or boots because I wasn't really planning on having to trek 5 miles anywhere in that crap.

This is a view of Fayetteville Street in downtown outside the Wells Fargo Tower. **Kiddo you might like this**

I made it about halfway when the sweetest, kindest lady told me to come inside her house. She dried my shoes and coat for me and bundled me up in blankets and warm clothes until my stuff was dry. She charged my phone for me, gave me better directions to my friend's house, and kept fretting over me like she would her own daughters. She was really worried about me making it to my friend's house so she invited me to stay for dinner and the night until the storm stopped and I could go get my car. I kept saying, "No, it's okay. My friend doesn't live too far from here. He knows I'm on my way and where I'm at. I don't mind walking to his pace." When my clothes were dry, she bundled me up in more warm clothes, gave me a wool hat and scarf, some clothes, waterproof boots and long socks, AND an umbrella to keep me dry. She gave me her phone number and address if I ever needed anything along the way and to tell her when I got to David's. BLESS HER HEART. 

Now I know why the roads weren't plowed :)

I continued on my journey to David's. I was on a road that felt like it was never going to end. Then I saw the light. My refuge camp was in sight! His friend Alicia was also taking refuge for the night. No worries Mom, Dad, and Brett - I was fed and kept warm! In the morning, we took Alicia back to her car and got her out (her poor dog, Bella, was home by herself all night) and then we got me to my car, back on the road, and home. My dear friend Tristan asked if I needed help getting my car out (he heard I had to abandon my car but not that I made it home safely). He had been pulling people out the previous day as well. 

So moral of the story. I haven't been climbing for way too long and my palms are sweating just thinking about it. Solution: climbing tonight after work. 

Second moral of the story. Southerners are the absolute kindest sweethearts to ever walk Earth. I have the best friends I could ask for and I love them to the Sun and back. I cannot thank all y'all enough for helping me out.

Most of us have found comfort in the hugs of good friends or family members in times of stress or trouble. Athletes celebrate victories by hugging their teammates. We use hugs to wish someone good luck, show support, or to say hello, goodbye and goodnight. Sometimes we hug each other for no reason at all. 

KEEP LOVE IN YOUR HEART. A LIFE WITHOUT IT IS LIKE A SUNLESS GARDEN WHERE THE FLOWERS ARE DEAD. -Oscar Wilde