Dream Boards..

I love Dream Boards! I have three hanging in my office now. They keep me on track, not to mention creating a dream board is a perfect way for those of us who are "artistically challenged" to create something beautiful without having to draw a line. Now, as much as I love creating them, I hate cutting up my magazines to do so. Thanks to Oprah online you can now create your own dream board without having to touch a pair of scissors using their new software which allows you use images stored on your computer or their collection of images courtesy of Getty Images. I created one this morning and as soon as I wrap up this post I'm going back to do another. If you haven't already, check it out and see what you can come up with. Feel free to share when you're done.

You can find the link here.

Happy Dreaming!

Namaste.

The Yoga of Wine

For a while now, I've been playing around with the idea of starting a wine club. The idea started off as little more than a clever excuse to get a group of my friends together for a little food, drink and conversation. In preparation for the big kick-off I've been doing a bit of research on how to throw a successful wine-tasting party. I've discovered that proper wine tasting technique requires the full cooperation of our senses, and most importantly the ability to remain present so as to not miss the subtle and oftentimes fleeting characteristics of each sip. Sound familiar? There is an odd but interesting similarity between the skills necessary to fully experience a glass of wine and those necessary to fully experience the moments of our lives. It is the ability experience life using all of our senses, to determine what suits our tastes and what doesn't. Like with anything (wine, food, music, friends, etc.) the only way you'll ever discover something fantastic is remain open. You'll come across a few varieties that will quickly become your favorite - the go to brands that come in handy when you're in a crunch and you're just as likely to come across a few that after a few sips you discover you'd just as soon pour down the drain before you punish yourself with another taste. What I find most remarkable about wine (and life) is the more committed you are to fully embracing the experience the more likely you are to discover the hidden secrets and complexities that exist in those brands that you thought you knew well. This happens to me every time I drink a glass of Pino Grigio and has happened to me many times after a long heart-to heart with a friend. So the next time you pop open a bottle of your favorite vino stop and take a moment to witness the color, smell the bouquet and swish it around a bit so that every part of your palette can experience all that's there and the next time you sit down with a close friend, lover, parent or child take a moment to go beyond the words and listen with your eyes, ears and heart. Then after the conversation's done reach out an give them a big hug (or kiss) you may be surprised to find that you're old favorites become new again.

Namaste.