Life at Omega

I've been thinking that some of you may be interested in what life is like here at Omega. I'm in my 4th week here and am finding a much more balanced life than last year. Last year I was so surprised and excited about the many classes that were available to staff, that I went to as many as I could. Consequently, I didn't have a lot of quiet time. This year I am only picking a few classes each week and spending much more time reading in a hammock by the lake. Delightful! Last night after dinner I was reading in a hammock and someone in a hammock near me began playing the guitar - how lovely was that! Each year at this time in the summer, we have a trapeze/circus artist here and the guests come to take his workshop during arts week. Then they put on a circus/trapeze show for the entire staff & guests. It is fabulous and amazing to see how quickly the participants learn. I'm trying to get up my courage to give it a try. We'll see. As many of you know, I am a big fan of Brian Weiss (author of Many Lives, Many Masters) and attended his workshop last year. Well, I'm doing it again and it begins this Friday. I'm curious to see how different the experience will be this time. My Life Skills Workshop this session is Yoga from the inside out and we meet twice a week for two hours each. It's a good workshop and my body needs it. Being here has exposed me to so many different types of yoga and I truly appreciate that. Finally, in closing I want to share a quote I heard from Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (he was the one who had the original vision for Omega). "If you only knew what the potentials in your being are, you would realize that it is your ignorance of those potentials that limit you."

My sabbatical continues . . .

This sabbatical began as a one-year journey to do some things I wanted to do before I got too old to do them. But life takes funny turns and I found that I really like being a gypsy. Also, discovered that one 7-week work session at Omega was definitely not enough! Plus I have met so many other people living a similar lifestyle and making it work. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am back at the Omega Institute working in Reception and living in my beautiful new tent (thanks to my wonderful kids)! I arrived here on June 25 and will stay until October 8. I really wanted to see the fall in the Hudson River Valley, plus 7 weeks was way too short last year. This year I drove out so I could bring my bike. It is good to have it here and I have ridden twice. The hills are tough, so it will take awhile to get my strength up to ride longer. We haven't found any bike trails yet that aren't loaded with hills. Coming back to a place you love is always a concern because you know it will be different. I am happy to say that I love it here as much as ever. Maybe even more as now I know my way around and am more comfortable being here. There are many of the same people here, plus a whole batch of new faces. All the people from last year's Reception team have returned and we are so glad to all be working together again. Some of the activities I have done since arriving include canoeing, biking, yoga, gong meditation & comedy improv. Had two movie nights in Rhinebeck - hope everyone has seen, "The Exotic Marigold Hotel". There is something magical about being here. Maybe it's the peace and quiet or the kind friendly staff. We do believe you can feel the spiritual energy that makes you reflect on life. It is amazing to feel so connected to all forms of wild life here. The birds begin their morning chatter about 5:00 a.m. and I call it Omega's snooze alarm because then you know you can sleep for another hour or so. Perhaps it's realizing you need nothing more than a tent, few clothes, and a good book to make you happy. In reading a book in the library I came across this quote from Gandhi, "Live simply that others might simply live".

Living in France as a vegetarian

I've been asked how I did eating in France as a vegetarian and I found it quite a challenge. First thoughts when going to France is, "I could live on bread, cheese & wine"! Nice idea, but it gets old fast. I still love all those things, but need more. I have discovered that Pizza is a universal language - no matter where you go, they have pizza and it is spelled the same way so no doubt you know what you are getting. Consequently, I ate many marguerita pizzas. With my limited French, I do know most of the French words for meat items, plus I can say, "je suis vegetarienne". They did have fabulous farmer's markets in France and if I had the proper cooking utensils, I could have made some healthy meals. Like everything else in life, we learn as we go so I will be more prepared next time.