Apple Trees & Honey Bees 31 May 2007

My favorite ad as I kid was the now classic Coke (yes, I love you) commercial, showing a group of hippy-dippies atop a mountain, sitting Indian style (can we still say that?) in a circle, holding hands & singing “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony…” Could it get more kumbayaya than that? The irony is this: I seem to have come full circle myself. Strolling the city streets just yesterday, overflowing with joy for the now that is my New York, I thought it’d be appropriate pick for my theme song at this juncture on my Pixie Path.

A friend came across the below article today. Interested in environmentalism & spirituality, he too seeks to somehow re-shape this world while working & living in Manhattan as a lawyer no less. (All stereotypes shattered here, some of them really do care!) It dovetails with a conversation the two of us had last week & echoes nicely the work & words of Andrew Harvey. As many of you know, I can’t (& won’t) shut up about the effect Andrew’s workshop had on me. Despite the fact that he is (so far) a non-responder (& nobody likes a non-responder) to my email of inquiry, I shall remain a huge fan.

In Orion Magazine, Curtis White bodly postulates that a human society would never willing harm nature. He goes on to write, “Environmentalism can’t succeed until it confronts the destructive nature of modern work—and supplants it.” It’s a rather long article & a wee bit heavy, but you can handle it, right?

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/267

Please don’t get depressed or conclude that saving the world is a lost cause. It’s just gonna take some hard work & maybe, just maybe, a little less shopping! If anyone needs to learn that lesson, it’s me.

On the Chuck Wagon 30 May 2007

I played the game again today. Setting out to walk somewhere in the city, fairly far away, knowing I could take any number of Pixie Path’s to get there, I let the traffic gods guide me. Sure, I have the way I generally go & the way that’s probably the most direct – filled with the fewest construction sites, vagabond vendors, tacky tourists (give that there Empire State building a wide, wide berth, matey) – & would result in a timely arrival at said destination. But, I find it much more fun to force myself to follow the cross walk signals in a slightly Seattle fashion but with the speed & determination of a native NYer. Even if I feel compelled to assert my GPS will another way, I say (hopefully inaudibly) that there must be “something down there” that I’m “supposed to see.” And let me tell you, there always is.

I’ll save one “sign, signs, everywhere signs” story for the next “Sacred Action Item,” for tonight, I must talk about Chuck. There’s usually something special for me at W. 31st & Broadway. Once & only once (& believe me, I’ve looked) there appeared an adorable African with whom I had the most innocent, 8th grade moment over the kebab cart. So shy was I that I lost him to the city streets. So moved was I that I penned a poem about it. & what the hell, maybe I’ll even post it for your entertainment. I do owe you a poem, I know. What kind of person puts that they’re a poet then fails to deliver. It’s not as if that claim to unfame boosts you in anyone’s book, is it, Jason?

Anyway, today I looked up as I rounded my magical W. 31st corner to see a huge sign from good old Charles Schwab, that’s “Chuck” to you & me, “Feel valued no matter what you’re worth.” In recent days, months, years, (lifetimes?), I’ve been working on not attaching the old ego & it’s evil twin, self-esteem, to others’ opinion of me. I try hard, too hard at times, to be perfect & somehow can’t quite shake the old Iowan inside that believe mistakes, misdemeanors, melodrama & even being mad are things we ______________s just don’t do.

But today I was feeling fairly good about myself on my own. And then mere moments before, I’d even gotten a gratis, spontaneous “nice outfit” from a man who seemed highly unlikely to notice and or care about female fashion selection. I’m chalking it up to my new over-sized, retro, pale green, $10 shades & the $5 bright yellow flip-flops I wear for my commute. (Yes, all shopping-freeze bets are OFF when guests hit town or I travel. It’s my favorite & most deadly loophole!) But, more likely than not the man on the street liked the look of my rack, right? It was completely & oh-so-appropriately covered (it’s a work day!) but finely flattered by the springy shirt I scored at the Salvation Army a few weeks ago if I do say so myself.

For more on this see the bOOb Lady’s piece from GMA today. Such the hot button indeed…

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3221538&page=1

(Seamless seque or gratuitous chest chat?)

But back to my somewhat lost point. Oh yeah, so while I was already feeling oh-so-fine about myself today, Chuck’s reminder was a good one. We should all strive to be alive in our inherent value every day, from the inside out, regardless of outfit, hair-do, possible accounting entry error, lapse in good judgement of the unmentionable (who me?) kind or anything else that might make a person cringe in the rear-view mirror. I’ve heard it another way too. “You can be broke without being poor.” It’s entirely up to you.

That’s it for me as I’ve got some massive meditation to do tonight, complete with a wee bit of “cord cutting.” More on that one later…

Sleep tight & buck up with Chuck! Your stock is ALWAYS soaring!

p.s. one for the lost boy…

 

You were Z. and I was me, wrapped up

arm and sandwiching small talk between big

looks today, where west thirty-first meets Broadway.

Kebab-cart line moved too fast for us. Shy then

but now so brave from behind my screen, I see

your sweet smile and wonder which restaurant

you work in and why I went home without an answer.

 

Ask the Universe (& the Internet) 29 May 2007

In my continued quest for life to be peaceful, easy & comfortable, it’s time to kick up the Pixie Dust & ask for some help. So here I am at the butt crack o’ dawn, awake, at the computer & drafting my divine order form for that which I desire (& therefore require) at this juncture. Thanks to some great GoDaddy customer service, I’ve got an email address (jennifer@urbanpixie.com) to accompany my blog but now must build the house to become my more permanent home, www.urbanpixie.com.

We used to play this game in the car on our 17 hour treks across America’s roads, returning to our Iowa roots. Passing the time it took to get through wide, less-than completely wonderful, seemingly-endless Ohio, it’s what kids did before the DVD magically appeared in the car ceiling. That & fight over the back-seat’s prime real estate in the Chevy Citation. Let’s see if it still works…

I’m thinking of a person:

• A talented, affordable, accountable, responsible, responsive “fucking artiste” to design my website, a little birdhouse in society’s soul if you will
• This person will get me, my vision & the point that trouble-shooting hurts my blogging brain. He/she shall sweep in to take it all away, leaving me to do that which I love, this
• This person will believe in the beauty & possibility inherent in the Universe & give good, unlimited & unlimiting advice
• Maybe it’s more appropriate of me to manifest a team of two because 6 tits are indeed better than 4? This time, it seems right to go in grace & see what shows up
• & Dad, just because it’s kinda your game anyway, maybe they could come by next Tuesday too?

I’m a powerful creator who must get her ass in the shower & off to the train now. Happy return to the work week!

Case in point: it’s really 6:02 a.m. but it appears my post went up at 10:02. I did manage to locate & adjust the UTC feature but it still seems to stay the same? Anyway, I haven’t got time for the pain in the patooti!

Email me: jennifer@urbanpixie.com

Six Tits Are Better Than Four 28 May 2007

The Urban Pixie is alone again after the abrupt, early a.m. departure of my dear Melisa & her new-to-me niece, Jenna, today. On this Memorial Day, I seek to celebrate my sensational, spirited sisters & salute the terrific triumvirate that we were this weekend. All of us “fucking artistes” in our own way, we laughed, cried, shared, shopped, sipped & spun fun as we took on the town. Any way we “look at it,” an enJOYable time was had by all!

When traveling two by two as we did last time my Melisa visited me, certain choices came with contention. Not huge fights by any means but a little edge appeared in us both when we’d address the simple “shop or plop?” question or ask the age old “what should we get for dinner?” The beauty of this trip’s three was that each member put the needs of the group whole above their own, rather than breaking off into “waring camps” of Mexican vs. Pizza. The important thing to note, of course, is that not just any three will do. Choose the right, racktacular six tits, though, & watch the magic happen.

Proof of evidence: The entire time Melisa & Jenna spent in the city, we were in the flow of divine timing. The trains came when we needed them, the bus pulled up as we hit the curb, the Latte cum bathroom need was met without effort & everything from nutty new shoes to beautiful Betsey Johnson belts appeared. Nothing we did was hard. (Ok, the trek through Times Square Saturday night was hell, but we set ourselves up for that one. Mission accomlished.) But carry this in your Pixie Pocket: when things don’t feel hard, you know the universe is giving you the green light, lovelies. Not that there aren’t things that take effort or require hard work (see Dr. A below) for a prime example. Just note that we can calibrate slightly & see things play out in front of us a lot less painfully.

My Seattle writing group, to which I remain oh-so so closely connected, is also a titular triangle as I may have mentioned earlier. Amy, Elisabeth & I buoy eachother’s boobs each Sunday over the phone & keep in constant communication through email during the wild weeks. Since our formation, we’ve all bloomed & blossomed more than I could have ever imagined. Elisabeth, the bOOb Lady, has long loved the power of three & seen potent, plentiful examples of its influence in her own life. But when we three set sail on our storied sojourn, sharing in this shape was a slight shift for me. In less than two years, we have each made incredible leaps in life & the proof is in the Pixie Dust. I am here in NYC, writing this & living my magical life full of love & light. Amy is whipping the second, spectacular draft of her memoir into edited elegance as well as prepping to make her workshop debut at an International conference later this summer. And Elisabeth is leading the way with her book release this fall & her interview with Good Morning America taped last Thursday here at ABC. More to come on that one, but clearly, big things happen when our six nipples click!

I know it’s not always possible to get that third set of tits, but I’d recommend trying. & generally, one should nix the mixed-sex set of three, work ones excluded of course. The love triangle is totally two tits too many!

Happy Memorial Day & start to a splendito summer, my sweets.

Yours, The Urban Pixie

p.s. Thanks to this fine city for putting your best self forward this weekend. We may just get Melisa to make the move!

p.p.s. Dr. Archibald reminded me that our time in Sydney (circa 1993-4) traveling with our beloved Brit Joanna, as “The Nannies” was actually my first triumphant titular triangle. There’s no need to wonder, it even works Down Under!

Oh lookie there, what a beautiful pair:

The Doctor is INcredible 25 May 2007

Today’s post is a toast to my dear Sarah Jane, otherwise known as Dr. Archibald now. While the road was a rough one at times, Sarah powered through with amazing strength, dedication, authenticity & graduated from U. of Wisconsin last weekend. I’m sorry to have missed the official celebration but share in her sweet success from here.
Sarah is a gift to my life & a genuine shining star! She’s gonna set the policy world on fire somehow & help “her people” find a better place on this planet of ours. & look how cute she is too…

SJA, ILY & am SOOOOOO proud to be your best girl after all these years. I can’t wait to see where the path takes you next!

Kiss the World 23 May 2007

Tonight I offer you a quick note of a quote as I settle in to do some Pixie fixing. Hopefully, I can figure out how to have subscribers as the masses are clamoring, people, clamoring for progress. A self-starter I may be, no one could ever accuse me of being technically advanced.

I read this today & liked:

“One regret, dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough.”

-Hafiz

So, there you have it. Make-out with life, my dears.

The Urban Pixie

P.S. I must confess, I have a new white handbag. Oops, I did it again…

How Lucky Am I? 22 May 2007

On this the first anniversary of my arrival in NYC, I must take a few moments to exclaim, very enthusiastically, that the honeymoon is far from over! But, more importantly, I’d like to express my gratitude to the powers that be for bringing me here & heaping on the blessings every day since. I’m too tired to type too much (bad, bad blogger) but here are the highlights of my graditudinal goodies:

• for my home in the Heights, the best one I ever had (despite the extra souls, howling courtyard cats & Super who thinks I’m a cheap bastard. Someone should tell you that everything costs extra when you sign on the dotted line!)
• for my wonderful work family who lets me know everyday how happy they are that I hath not attended Harvard & that my problem has never been (nor will ever be) an animal. It’s time for Behind Denny’s again, boys.
• for all my official & unofficial ladies launching in too many directions to count. You amaze me, you really do.
• for my new Unity universe which now includes an official “church crush.” Sunday never seemed so good!
• for my Poet Tree peeps & our ever-evolving personal styles. I can’t wait to hit the Ear Inn again.

But, this one takes the cake. I decided there was no time like today to send a little Pixie Dust to the parentals. Perhaps a little hard to believe, but this was the last leap in my marrying my authentic self & sending her into the big wide world. I am 36 after all. Nonetheless, thanks to you, Mom & Dad, for your love, support, encouragement, over-looking of offensive language & effusive emails today. I’m even quoting you on it:

“I now understand why it took 4 days and 11+ hours to respond to dear old Dad; you are a busy Urban Pixie…One of my constant prayers includes words of thanks that the Lord delivered you to this time and that (NYC) place.”

Me too, Dad, me too.

Now, NYC, let’s get to bed, baby!!

The UP

P.S. Thanks to my spectacular sis, we can all launch our lists to www.gimundo.com, a gratitude site that’s trying to gather 1 million
statements of gratitude by Turkey Day. You’ll hear more from Dad on that one for sure. Gobble, Gobble.

Cards on the Table 20 May 2007

“I wanna love ya, I wanna love and treat ya -
Love and treat ya right,”

sang the seventy year-old man in the stained suit. He belted out the Bob to those of us standing this soggy Saturday in the 42nd Street station. Watching him hold his headphones, singing & dancing up a storm, the other platform peeps & I couldn’t stop smiling or singing along. As this wasn’t my usual stop, there was no doubt in my mind that all the train trouble had brought me there, just then, to hear him.

I spent the day at an Intimacy workshop ran by Michael, my talented therapist & Intimacy “expert” (in my humble opinion). The 10 of us there today worked through our assorted issues around getting close by getting real. We laughed, we cried but most of all we grew comfortable with expressing our

F -uck

E-verything

A -nd

R-un

& our deep, deep desires for love (no acronym needed). Many of us (including me) had lingering doubt about deserving the love we so want/need/aspire to have. Knowing it intellectually & feeling it in action don’t always go hand in hand.

My two take-aways, (aside from re-affirmation that Michael is magnet for magnificent human beings) were this:

1. Just as we were wounded in relationship, we must heal in relationship. In other words, you can only get so sorted solo.
2. Authentic communication can happen even if you’re really, really afraid. & starting by saying just that, “I’m feeling scared to say …” you are leaping towards love.

The day ended with each of us sharing our “growing edge” otherwise known as the next slightly-uncomfy place we know we have to head from here. For me that was blogging away & continuing to “just say no” to the crumbs o’ love, no matter how tempting a little sample might seem.

Back on the platform, the performer sang on,

“I wanna love ya, I wanna love and treat ya -
Love and treat ya right.

I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i – I’m willing and able,
So I throw my cards on your table!”

To which I sing back bodly,

“Wo-o-o-oah! oh yes, I know; yes, I know – yes, I know now!
Yes, I know; yes, I know – yes, I know now,”

that I don’t deserve to hear anything less that that.

Thanks to N, B, G, A, K, K,P, K & especially to you, Michael. Keep doing that thing you do!

I Ching Therefore I Am 19 May 2007

After a lengthy absence, the Urban Pixie returned to the I Ching last night, in search of some much-needed peace o’ mind. I’d just had a little lapse in control & gave in, sans struggle, to the ego’s urge to act immediately upon a desire. In the scheme of things, my action of impulsive emailing was a minor infraction & there’s nothing juicy to report. But, as per usual, the I Ching was on it!

What I got was “Waiting.” Could it get any clearer than that? It went on to say that we empower the creative by waiting with a correct attitude. Patience produces power; force bursts the beautiful big bubble being blown. Ouch.

While waiting, we should be modest, unassuming, independent & cheerfully detached from any outcomes. Acting impulsively with effort only demonstrates a lack of faith & fear that non-action will bring unhappiness. Because we’re so scared we’ll be cheated out of the positive outcomes we long for, we enact effort, implying we doubt our own truths. Say it ain’t so!

Then, practical guide that it is, the I Ching laid out the 3-Minute Rule to use when the ego has flare-up of desire fire. I’ll apply it to a familiar Urban Pixie scenario to explain:

Wave I – I see a white, hot handbag (going to/from work, this happens every two seconds) & think, “I gotta get me some of that.”

Wave II – I hem & haw a little, pausing in front of the store window, running calculations & pro/con arguments in my head at warp speed.

Wave III – I think again about how cute the bag would look draped over my shoulder on the subway & then about how I don’t really need it right now. After all, the orange one is still meeting with rave reviews. & just like that, I walk away.

The desire will dissipate & the only way it’ll renew in strength is if we return to the thoughts that got us to Wave I in the first place. & sometimes Wave I is a really, really fun ride. Usually, I handle the temptation island outside my office by 1) eating at my desk & 2) bolting by with blinders on at day’s end.

So for now, I have no white bag. But, you never know, summer just started & the Urban Pixie is only so strong!

• Here’s the book I use (thanks to you, JB):

www.amazon.com/Guide-Ching-Carol-K-Anthony/dp/0960383247

P.S. When I really screw up, I get “A Bowl of Rotting Worms.” With “Waiting”, I know I didn’t do too badly!

The bOOb Lady Cometh 18 May 2007

Like a proud parent, no, sister, I’d like to share some HUGE news with you. My writing partner, Elisabeth Squires, a.k.a. “The bOOb Lady,” just called to say she’s coming to NYC next week to tape an interview with Good Morning America. To which I say, “Good fucking morning, America!”& thank the Universe for making her dreams come true. She’s worked so hard on her book & quantum leaping her life in the time I’ve gotten to know & love her. As one third of our titular triangle, Elisabeth has been essential to my writing & life as she has to Amy as well. You’ll hear all about her big ideas & accomplishments soon enough.

But tonight we toast to you, Elisabeth. You are brilliant, beautiful & one breastacular babe!! I love you & can’t wait to hold your hand on Tuesday a.m.

Here she is, America, the bOOb Lady…

http://www.booksonboobs.com/