My Sacred Place

I was going through some old Google docs and came across this piece that I wrote for one of my grad classes on Meditation. I can still smell the salty air and feel the rock of the boat from this past weekend.

My parents have a really nice Pontoon boat and this past Friday was a perfect boating day. We enjoyed several hours on the water and stopped at the beautiful spot below for a quick swim.

Near Sneads Ferry, NC

Mandy Lyman

April 7, 2009
Dr. Brewster-Meditation



My Sacred Place
Allow me to take you on a journey to my little slice of heaven. This journey will lead you to my ideal setting for meditation practice. I hope you find it as I do.
Astrologically as a cancer, I’m a water sign; I love being near the water. It could be the beach, a pool, lake, or pond. My favorite pet is a fish, and if I could only have one drink for the rest of my life it would be water. My paternal grandmother is one of the most important people in my life; she used to be a “sun goddess” as she explains it, always lying in the sun getting a tan. I remember one summer my parents decided to take a couples vacation and my sister and I got to stay with our grandparents. My grandma took us to the pool several times a week that summer and I practiced swimming and diving until I was too tired and hungry to move. Those were some incredible days of summer spent hanging around the pool soaking up the rays.

When I think about practicing meditation, I immediately want to go to the beach. Thankfully I live a very short drive from North Topsail Beach. I don’t have a particular spot, just somewhere away from the crowd. I don’t want to be “in” the water, just in eye or ear shot. I could sit under the welcoming branches of a maple tree near a shallow pond, or on the weathered boards of a fishing dock along the beach. The beauty of the massive waves as blue as sapphires with their precious white caps crashing against the permeable sand then shrinking back into the vast ocean can be a mesmerizing experience. The conversation between a flock of seagulls as they gracefully glide along what seems to be an invisible blanket across the heavenly sky, or the salty sea air blowing across my face as I take a deep breath only further grounding my spirit in my surroundings, perhaps becoming a part of the location for a few moments. This is God’s magnificent work, nothing less. This is where I dream of achieving the most productive of mindfulness moments in non doing.

A fun song by Little Big Town

"I've got sunshine..." until the clouds roll in

The weather in Stuttgart, Germany is not very predictable. Most of the time it's cold, rainy, gloomy, or a combination of the three. When we do get a nice day, we have to take advantage of it right away. I learned that the hard way several times so I'm speaking from experience. Once I woke up and I was too tired to go play in the sunshine so I took Brady (our new dog) out to pee and we both went back to sleep. I woke up, took a shower, made some lunch, got dressed to take Brady for a walk, and all of a sudden...thunder, lightening, wind, and hail...in JUNE!

Hail

Just last month I remember being at our friend Warren's house grilling steaks and chicken on his back patio. I know we spent a few hours in the hot sun hanging out and enjoying being in the company of friends. The clouds in the sky became dark rather quickly and before we could even react, I was being pinged in the head by balls of cold, hard hail. It lasted for a while because I eventually had to take an umbrella outside to get the meat and potatoes off the grill. So as you can see, when the weather is nice out, we try to enjoy it right away or else we deal with the regret that we wasted the sunshine.

This is why I've been dropping everything when it's nice outside and taking Brady down to the Böblingen See (lake) to walk around, chase ducks, and relax under a shade tree.

I think he's more afraid of the ducks than they are of him but one day he'll catch one and bring it home for dinner!

He does so well when little children stop and pet him. Most of the people we come across speak very little to no English so Brady is learning some words in German.

Brady our Poodle...he's 2!

Take advantage of every day while you can, they are all gifts from God.
Ein Prost,
Mandy

Making a break for it

Sadly, my husband left last weekend to work in three different countries (outside of Germany) and he will be gone for five weeks. This didn't come as a surprise and even though TADs (temporary assigned duty) are just another part of being in the Marine Corps, that doesn't mean I have to like it; and that doesn't mean it's easy to deal with. I've been kind of depressed since the day before he left; I'm sure being stuck in this rehab facility has something to do with it.

Today I got cabin fever and even though it turned into a gloomy wet day, I decided to break out and go for a car ride. I was so sick of eating German food that even though I rarely enjoy McDonalds, that was all I could think about eating for dinner. I jumped in my car which was parked in the parking garage (for 2 euro/day) and turned on the GPS to search for the nearest McDonalds. It was only 11 km away so I didn't hesitate before heading out on the open road.

Only five minutes into my drive I hit some traffic, it was 5:15pm so I'm sure everyone else was just getting off work. I didn't mind because by that time the sun was shining, and there was a cool breeze flowing through my car. It looked like the rain was only in a tiny part of Bad Urach, what luck!

I made a few wrong turns but still didn't care; I was out on the open road in my red Volkswagen loving life and on my way to some American fast food. When I reached McDonalds, I ordered a Chicken McNugget meal with a Cola Light. The woman working the intercom system at the drive-thru did not speak English, thankfully, I could order auf Deutsch. Once I paid and received my food, I drove to the grocery store parking lot next door and enjoyed my very hot dinner. I couldn't finish the whole meal, I was actually very excited about this because it must mean my stomach has shrunk.

After I finished my meal, I set my GPS back to Fachkliniken Hohenurach and blasted some Nena- 99 Luftballons from a CD made just for me by my friend Henry before I moved to Germany.

Now THAT's how you seize the Day!




Liebe,
Mandy

Balcony Bible verses & German Käse-Sahne-Kuchen, simple pleasures

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
It's been a while since I've felt like I've actually seized anything. Maybe last Sunday when I drove my car only 19 days post back surgery I could count that but not much else has really stood out as "seizing" this month. This evening however, I decided to pluck myself some me time.

In case you were wondering, Carpe diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace that has become an aphorism. It is popularly translated as "seize the day". Carpe literally means "to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, gather", but Ovid used the word in the sense of, "To enjoy, seize, use, make use of". Courtesy of Wikipedia

Käse-Sahne-Kuchen

So back to plucking...I purchased a slice of Käse-Sahne-Kuchen from the cafe located here in Fachkliniken Hohenurach, my physical therapy rehabilitation clinic in Bad Urach. I also bought a Coca-Cola Zero because the only thing we patients get served all day is water and tea. I took the cake to my room and sat on my balcony, eating each bite slowly, listening to the birds chirp and the wind flow through the trees. I finally felt at peace and in my "happy place."

My actual piece

When I was finished with every last bite I opened my pocket Bible and began reading where I had left off, with Psalms. My Mother-in-law got me started on reading the bible chronologically and it has been very calming and soothing to my soul. If you'd like to join in the fun, here's a helpful site: Blue Letter Bible. Today is day number 144, if you'd like to begin where I am reading.


I hope you all are remembering to take the time to stop and smell the roses. It only takes a few minutes each day to take a break and center yourself again and it does wonders for your mind, body, and spirit.




Cheers!

Mango Monday

Monday, May 9, 2011
Today I slept in until 1100 because somehow throughout the night I ended up on my stomach, a position I was warned to stay away from by my doctor. I was in such pain at 0700, I asked Matt to get me some water and another Tramadol as I attempted to roll over onto my back.

When I finally got out of bed, I washed my dry, itchy face with some Mary Kay Facial Cleanser, brushed my teeth with the new tooth paste Matt bought for me, and then repositioned my bed head hair style into a tighter pony tail on top of my head.

For a snack, I grabbed the mango from the top shelf of the refrigerator and I stood in the kitchen enjoying every sweet ounce of that delicious fruit until it was nothing but a large hairy seed. It's been awhile since I took the time to live in a single moment and I forgot how amazingly rewarding that feeling was.

I spent approximately four hours on the phone today with the local Tricare office, International SOS (Tricare overseas/Europe headquarters), and nearby German physical therapy centers trying to figure out when and where I would start going to rehab to help me recover after my back surgery (Percutaneous Nucleotomy).

When Matt came home from work I was relaxing on the couch and he handed me a beautiful bouquet of carnations and lilies. I am so blessed to have such a loving, supportive husband. This week has really been stressful on us both. Matt has had to cook and clean on top of take care of me by helping me get in and out of bed or up from a seated position since I can't bend over or reach to either side. He's been really strong for me and helped me to stay positive and hope for a speedy recovery.



Cheers,
Mandy

Leavin' on a C-17, Carolina Bound Baby!

Day 92
Saturday, April 2, 2011
I woke up at 0350 and couldn’t fall back asleep; I think I was too excited for sleep and I didn’t want to miss my flight. I got out of bed at 0400 and got right in the shower. I blow-dried my hair, got dressed, and by 0445 we were heading out the door of the hotel and across the street to the Terminal to get my name on the list. I think Matt was sleepier than I was, and I felt bad for making him wake up so early but as soon as I was guaranteed a seat he was going to go right back to bed. It wasn’t until 0630 that we found out I had a spot on the “0545 flight" (at this point I realized we were not leaving at 0545) and I was on my way to the security gate. Matt kissed me goodbye and headed back to the hotel to sleep, as I prepared to board my first military plane in over 18 years.

Going through security was pretty standard, we had to remove our shoes and put everything in buckets on a conveyor belt to be scanned. We had to walk through the metal detector and we were not allowed to carry on liquids of more than 3 ounces. I of course had over 20 ounces of Curry Wurst sauce, a container of Liberwurst, a can of sardines, (all for my Mom) and some really expensive 6 oz bottle of hair conditioner. All of that was NOT allowed on the flight, I wanted to cry.

Then, the super amazing, sweetheart of a man who found all of these “illegal items” put them in a bag and told me where to go to get them put in my checked suitcase. Finally, something good was happening to me during my Space A travel experience. I was able to squeeze everything into my bag after one poor Airman had to remove six suitcases, three strollers, and two booster seats from on top of it. I was very grateful and I felt a little bad for making people do all this extra work, especially since the flight is free, and I should have known better than try to carry-on those items. 

C-17

We had some bad weather before our scheduled takeoff so we didn’t actually depart until 0830. I was so tired by then; I could barely keep my eyes open so I fell asleep for a little while in my jump seat. If you’ve never been on a military flight, this is going to really freak you out. I am sitting on a “jump seat” which looks like a folding chair made of metal and nylon material. We all have seat belts and flotation devices but there are no overhead compartments, no folding trays, and there will be no in-flight movie or music to keep us company on the 11 hour flight.

I am sitting directly in front of an Army truck with a tiny metal sign underneath the passenger side door that says, “SLAVE RECTACLE INSIDE.” I’m not really sure what to think of it. The truck is bolted down with chains and is parked behind another vehicle that looks like a jeep with four seats, no roof, and a trailer with tires as big as the jeep itself, which has a large camo-colored box on it, with a sign that says, "Must wear ear protection when door is open."

Once we listened to the “normal” safety speech and are at a safe altitude, we are told it's ok to unbuckle our seat belts, and as long as we don’t lay under the trucks, we are free to roam the plane as we wish. People immediately start unpacking sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. They are taking their shoes off, putting in their ear buds, and going to sleep right on the floor, sprawled out like they're in their own beds. I've never seen anything like this before, now I wish I had a blanket and pillow to do the same. Thankfully the crew had some blankets, and since I had an empty seat on either side of me, I just made myself as comfortable as possible on the jump seats. 

Not long after we all get comfortable, the crew comes around with our box meals that we ordered at the time of check-in. I should mention a few things first. The crew members on this flight are all military service members, in uniform, flight suits to be exact. The plane is so loud that ear plugs were handed out as soon as we all took our seats. We really can’t hear anything going on on the other side of the trucks where thankfully, most of the people with children decided to sit. I made sure to let them on the plane first so I could at least have a shot at not sitting by them. There are no assigned seats on these flights.

It wasn’t even 0900, and I wasn’t ready to eat but I knew I would be glad I had it later. When they began handing out the boxes they realized they are short by three. I still don’t have one, and now I’m hungry, what luck! We only paid $4.25 for these meals and I was told it would be a sandwich, soda, water, a snack or two, and a candy bar…not bad for $4.25! All I had packed myself was a bag of teriyaki beef jerky which was going to really stink if I opened it, and a baggie full of Kellogg's Fiber One crackers. Oh, and security somehow missed the 16 oz water bottle that I had in my bag which felt like a win until I noticed the pallet of free water they had for us to drink. I was eventually given a box lunch but I’m pretty sure that’s because somebody volunteered to give one up who may have ordered two. The man next to me was one of them and he even offered to share the one he kept until I was brought my own, how sweet. He ate his food right away and then opened his Bible and started to read. I put my box meal under the chair next to me and tried to go to sleep.

I woke back up at 1000 and convinced myself not to eat anything because I knew I would be hungry later. There was a weird smell of fried chicken in the air and I began to think the box meals didn’t contain sandwiches. Two hours later, I woke back up and opened my box to find chicken tenders which probably would have tasted a lot better hot. There was a sign on the box that said, “Contents should be consumed no longer than four hours after takeoff.” I just made it in the time frame, and began to eat a few pieces of chicken. There was a bag of nacho cheese flavored corn chips, a Snickers bar, a Mountain Dew, a Nutrigrain bar, and a bottle of water. I ate the rest later since I still had eight hours to go.

The rest of the flight was pretty quick because I kept falling asleep. I woke up for the last time and heard the pilot say we would arrive in Charleston, SC in 40 minutes. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was only 1215 and we hadn't even stopped in Canada for gas like I was told we were going to have to do. The man next to me turned to look at me just as I had heard the pilots' message and I know we both had this confused look on our faces. We took our ear plugs out and chatted for a minute about how great it was to be landing much sooner than we had thought.

The descent and landing were intensely scary; I prayed the entire time. I kept thinking we were going to crash and the giant truck in front of me was going to roll over and crush every bone in my body. We seemed to be "landing" for 20 minutes. When it was all over, I thanked God for getting me here safe and sound, and I exited the plane. We first had to show our military IDs and customs form to the U.S. Customs Agents who boarded the plane when we landed. Thankfully I was too tired to realize that I actually did bring "meat" in to the country and I marked "no." I later wondered if the jars of Bockwurst and cans of herring, and liverwurst would have caused me to have to open my suitcase before they gave it to me.

My parents arrived just after 1400 and when I saw my Mom in the airport we ran towards each other and hugged. I was surprised to see my Dad because I thought my Mom and Sister were coming to pick me up, so when my Dad walked in I ran and hugged him too. We headed over to the base bowling alley to have a beer and catch up before heading back to Richlands, NC.

My Parents

On our way home, we stopped at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach to eat dinner at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville.

Margaritaville

I'm so happy to be back in Eastern Carolina!


Fields can lie fallow, but we can't; we have less time.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

Fiasco Friday

Day 91
Friday, April 1, 2011
I woke up early again today and began calling Space Available terminals to find a flight out to the States. I was still hoping to leave Saturday on the 0545 flight to Charleston but when I called the Ramstein Inn at 0730 they still didn’t have a room available. I found a flight out of Ramstein, to Pope Air Force Base on Sunday which would actually be a lot closer for my Mom to come pick me up, so I made that my back up plan.

I went back to sleep for a couple of hours, feeling tired, and defeated. When I woke back up I called the Passenger Terminal again and found out there had been an addition made to Saturday’s departure list. This flight was at 0840 to Charleston, SC. I was so excited because this meant I wouldn’t have to stay in the hotel the night before, I could just drive up early in the morning and put my name on the list.

I took a shower, put on some gym clothes, and was just putting the lasagna that I had made in the oven to cook as Matt walked in the door on his lunch break. He usually goes to the gym to work out but because his hand was so badly burnt he decided to skip his weight lifting session and come home to eat and take a nap. While he was sleeping I called the Ramstein Inn one last time to see they had a room. I was worried that the 0840 flight wouldn’t have a seat available and I didn’t want to miss out on the earlier flight if I could help it. I was a little shocked, and very glad to hear that they had an available room this time, and I quickly booked it. When Matt woke up from his nap, I told him the new plan. We would leave for Ramstein when he got home from work, spend some time together, have dinner, get to bed at a descent hour, and I would try to get on the 0545 flight.

Of course nothing was going according to plan for me these past couple of days so why should this new plan work out, right? After I went to the gym, tanned, and took a shower, I picked up Matt from work. It was 1630 which means rush hour had began; we drove straight over to his broke down car so he could fill it up with coolant to drive it home. He didn’t want to leave it where it was parked any longer and he needed to work on it this weekend so we were hoping it would make it back to our house. I think it could have made it if it weren’t for the 8 kilometer stau (traffic jam) on Frog Road where his car decided to overheat again. We both pulled over onto the grass and waited for his car to cool off and the traffic to die down. Two hours later we were back on the road and his car was finally at home.

I wasn’t mad at Matt, maybe a little pissed at his POS car, but I just kept my cool and we got out of the house as fast as we could. It was 1930 when we left and our plan was to make it to Ramstein by 2130 to eat dinner before going to bed. Well, that plan wasn’t going to work either. We hit more traffic on the way there and instead of two hours, it took us three hours and 15 minutes to get to our hotel. Matt checked us in and we drove over to Burger King to grab dinner. I couldn’t believe it was the only take out/drive-thru dining facility on base open at this time on a Friday night. It was midnight before I was finally able to get to sleep.

Expect an early death - it will keep you busier.  ~Martin H. Fischer