by Mary Claybon | Mar 26, 2012 | Uncategorized |
Our Trip to India and Nepal
We just returned from the trip of a lifetime-a three-week journey to India and Nepal.
I have wanted to visit India since my days of studying Hinduism and Buddhism and my friendship with Sharma, a Hindu priest. Also since studying, practicing and teaching Yoga, and of course reading Eat, Pray, Love.
The fun part was that I went with my love of over 40 years, my husband Steve. We both have significant birthdays this year-my 60th and his 65th so wanted to do something special. We had three weeks off because his dental assistant was going on a long vacation in late February, early March. We used our travel agent here in Cincinnati, Laura Rinsky of Wayfarer Travel, who coordinated the trip with a travel agent in India, Naveen of Noble House Tours, whose name was given to us by Indian friends. This is the best time to visit India and Nepal. The temperatures range between 70 and 90 with cooler evenings and very little rain.
Everyone thought Steve was just tolerating my bucket list and coming along for the ride, but he was also very excited to have this adventure with me.
And an adventure it was. I filled two journals and we took 2400 photos.
Our three week itinerary included, Delhi, India's capital, Kathmandu , Nepal, Varanasi, India on the Ganges River, Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, the Pink City, and then Southern India-Cochin, Travancore, and Kavalam in Kerala, India along the Arabian Seacoast. We ended our trip in Mumbai, a city of wealth and extreme poverty melded in one huge metropolis much like New York or Chicago. We had guides and drivers at every destination provided by Noble House Tours.
Our senses were overwhelmed with experiences that we had little time to process as we moved from place to place.
India is a noisy country, very populated and very busy. Our guides in all the places we visited would say their city never sleeps. It’s true. You can hear life 24 hours a day and the roads are always crowded. Without a horn, you are a helpless driver and the roads are treacherous. With a horn, you fit right in and traffic flows in an intuitive sense between drivers and pedestrians.A frequent sound was the prayers and chanting heard as we passed and visited places of worship and meditation.
India is also colorful and full of sights you’ll not experience anywhere else. If you close your eyes you have missed something-from the colorful fabric selections of the saris worn by women, the Tibetan flags above Buddhist stupas, the costumes of the Hindu gods and goddesses, the fresh produce artistically displayed by the morning and evening vendors in the outside markets, bodies wrapped in white and adorned with red dye prior to their burning along rivers, and then the natural colors of the flowers and trees, especially in Southern India.
India is a country of many aromas and odors, some pleasant like the food cooked by local vendors in outside markets and the incense burning in the streets and temples. And then some more noxious odors from the cow manure to human excrement (more than half of all Indians lack indoor plumbing), and the fumes of the traffic vehicles in the street. It was common to see people wearing masks to prevent inhalation of the pollutants.
We love Indian food so the tastes and flavors of India were delicious to us. The meats, fish, legumes and vegetables of India are made with rich spices –cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and more. Nepalese food is similar to Indian food. Both are surprisingly mild in their preparation compared to the spicy hot Indian food we enjoy at our favorite local Indian restaurant at home.
As I reflect on the sense of touch, I don’t recall consciously experiencing tactile sensation as much. It is true that when walking down a street there was little space between people so we frequently brushed up against strangers and we did touch the fabrics in the shops. But I must say, we were conscious of keeping our hands clean with sanitizer and washing them frequently so as not to pick up a disease or parasite. The restroom facilities are sparse and primitive so we carried our own toilet paper and hand wipes and avoided touching. I had not thought of how protective we were of this sense.
Then there is the sense of emotional feeling, which is both heightened and deadened in India. We had little time to process all that we experienced and had to ignore the constant beggars that approached us in the streets. At times I felt heartless as I avoided them, averting my eyes from connecting with them, and continuing to move forward with our guides for site seeing. When we had some free time away from guides and drivers in the comfort of our many hotels, airplane flights, train rides, and houseboat adventures, we simply let our mind and senses rest in order to be able to take in more at our next destination, each a surprise and each powerfully different.
Now that we are home, we have time to look back and process some of what we experienced. When we were there, we experienced peace and stirring at the same time. We continue to experience that peace, but also the stirring and have yet to process all that we sensed and felt.
India and Nepal, lands far far away and very different, have left us nearer to our own hearts and each other, and changed forever. We are different than before this journey-a nice difference-that difference you feel when you have experienced something deep and profound.
by Mary Claybon | Feb 14, 2012 | Uncategorized |
Today is a day to open your heart and share love with everyone you know.
Today is a day to hug someone.
Today is a day to forgive.
Today is a day to live and love to the fullest.
Happy Valentine's Day
by Mary Claybon | Jan 22, 2012 | Uncategorized |
Hello Readers,
It is three weeks into the new year 2012. I made several resolutions and have yet to feel I am in a flow with them.
One was to meditate more. I have recently repainted my living room and am making this a peaceful reading/meditation room. My new bookshelves were just delivered and the room is a ready retreat. There are no excuses for not sitting. The only one I usally use is that I need to clean the house first and then the meditation time goes by the wayside. It takes discipline and desire to truly take time to sit in meditation. And what I find is that you need at least 20 minutes to quiet the "monkey mind" enough to feel the peace of the meditation. That requirement can also be an obstacle so I let myself sit for 10 minutes or even 5 if that is all my body will let me do.
Another resolution is to get back to a regular yoga class. I am not good at taking classes at a gym or health club facility. I really like taking yoga at a contemplative yoga studio, where the environmnet is conducive to relaxation. We have a membership at a multi-level health club here in Cincinnati but I just can't get into the yoga there. So I am still looking for that perfect place. That expectation can also be an obstacle so I have just incorporated yoga into my day until that place reveals itself.
I also want to read more and yet it seems all I have time for is keeping up with the books for my bookclub, which I love. Our January selection is Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain. This book is a travel memoir during the late 1800's when Mark Twain and a friend decided to travel through Europe on foot. The book begins with his trip in Germany, and since I plan to visit Germany later this year with my sister, I am thoroughly enjoying his chronicals.
So what are your resolutions so far and how are they fitting into the flow of your life? It's only three weeks into the New Year so you have some time.
Stay with it and begin again!
by Mary Claybon | Dec 25, 2011 | Uncategorized |
It's the Holiday Season and I want to wish all of you a very Happy Holiday, whatever you celebrate!
We celebrate both holidays-Hanukah and Christmas. As many of you know, my husband and I come from different faiths. Our 38 year marriage still strong with more love than ever, has had its challenges. One of those challenges was the holiday. I was raised with Christmas being a very big deal both religiously and full of gifts, great food, and lots of decorations. He was raised with Hanukah which was a much more sedate holiday. For most of our marriage we went to Chicago for Christmas, but last year we ended that tradition and stayed home in Cincinnati to celebrate with our grown children and grandchildren. My husband surprised me with a tree. It did have conditions. It was a pre-lit tree with white lights. And then in individual boxes were several ornaments that he had ordered from Brommers Christmas Store in Frankenmuth, Michigan. They were all Hanukah symbols – menorahs, Stars of David, Israeli flags and dredels. I loved them. Each ornament is beautiful and the tree fits perfect on a small wall in our family room. It made not going to Chicago okay.
This year Christmas and Hanukah fall together. So tonight, Christmas Day is also the 6th night of Hanukah. We will light our menorahs and enjoy Christmas. There are gifts under the tree, some from Santa for our granddaughter. She and her parents spend Christmas Eve with us and then spend the night. She is being raised Jewish but her parents said it was okay for Santa to leave a few things for her. We put that order in. Our youngest daughter is also with us. She flew in from Boston. Later we will all go over to my son and daughter in law's to continue gift giving and have dinner.
I am writing this early on Christmas day and noone is up yet. I have the turkey in the oven and the gifts and stockings are ready for the excitement when everyone wakes up. I have been up since 5:30 AM. I love the peace and quiet, and was hoping to do some writing.
We will have breakfast and then my husband will be going to the synagogue this morning to set up beds and a home environment for local homeless people. Our synagogue offers parts of the building during holidays. There will be congregants who are feeding them and meeting their needs for the next week.
Well-I must go-I hear someone waking up.
Have a Happy Holiday and I will write more soon.
I would love to hear how you spend your holiday.
Bless you all this season.
by Mary Claybon | Nov 26, 2011 | Uncategorized |
_____________________________
How I Spent Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Yes, it revolves around food, but that’s just the backdrop. Really it’s about family. No material gifts-just the gift of family and the reminder to be grateful. Although this is a busy day for cooking, we watch Thanksgiving Day Parades and even go on an outing during the day. We definitely make sure we get a good walk in or some kind of exercise.
This year we had all of my children, grandchildren, my sister from Chicago and her family for dinner and for dessert we opened the house to my son and daughter's in laws. They love to nibble on my leftovers so we keep them out along with dessert. The house was full of laughter, the aromas of delicious food, and the feeling of gratitude we all remember at this time of the year.
I set two tables. One in the dining room and one in the kitchen. The two rooms are near each other so we can listen to the conversations at both. I let everyone decide where they want to sit and mix children with adults. I use my best china, and decorate the tables with autumn adornments.
I am the cook and love making the turkey. We keep kosher so I always order my turkey from Kroger’s kosher butcher a couple of weeks ahead of time. I order a fresh turkey and pick it up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I know that a turkey gobbled days before I buy it, and I do thank him for giving up his life for us. This year I bought an 19 pound fresh turkey. I stuffed it and put it in at 9 just in time to watch the parade. I roasted the turkey covered and basted occasionally and it was done by 4:30.
The dressing I make is a recipe passed on through the generations from my grandmother. Grandma loved to cook. Her dressing always had lots of eggs and butter in the bread, onion and celery mix. I have lightened the recipe by sautéing my onions and celery in olive oil and moisten the bread with vegetarian chicken broth or bullion. I also sneak in extra fiber by adding wheat germ and ground flax seed. Nobody notices anything but the moist flavorful taste of the dressing. I do use several eggs, but throw out half of the yolks. I don’t use a lot of seasoning, just salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh rosemary along with lots of parsley.
We always have lots of vegetable side dishes. I make a green bean casserole from scratch by sautéing mushrooms and onions and adding non-dairy mushroom soup that I thicken with a little flour or cornstarch. Then I add salt and pepper. I use either fresh or frozen green beans and mix all together with the fried onions you see in the classic green bean casserole recipe. I sometimes add some cut up asparagus and a little garlic.
Usually I make a roasted vegetable medley with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and root vegetables tossed with olive oil, garlic, maybe some fresh rosemary, baked at 400 degrees. This year I made sauteed brussel sprouts and sauteed green beans. I had the traditional mashed potatoes but also made a turnip, cauliflower mash for those who don't eat white potatoes.
I made my sweet potatoes in the crock pot. I cut up the sweet potatoes and added three cut up apples. I seasoned with salt, pepper and a little Smart Balance butter substitute. Without any sugar added, the kids said "they tasted like candy."
I served whole grain rolls, white rolls and my daughter's whole made challah bread. I think next year I am going to make my own rolls. They are so much better when I make them from scratch with my own whole grain flours and yeast.
Can’t forget cranberry sauce. I confess, I bought the canned sauce-one whole and the other the cranberry gel.
I served a variety of desserts-cakes, pies and fresh fruit. We had coffee flavored with Baileys. We had an assortment of red and white wine with dinner. This year we bought our pumpkin and apple pies from Costco. We love the chunky apple pie, but the pumpkin was just okay. Next year, I may make my own pumpkin pies. I like to make a whole grain crust and use fresh pumpkin. We shall see.
I don’t worry that my house is immaculate. I just wanted everyone to come, relax, and enjoy the day, the meal, the people, the conversation and the experience of remembering the value of gratitude and joy. It was a wonderful holiday.
I hope you all had Happy Thanksgiving and I wish you a Season of Joy!
by Mary Claybon | Nov 9, 2011 | Uncategorized |
__________________________________________________
It's holiday time starting with the treats of Halloween and celebrating through New Years.
I love the holidays, the food, cooking, baking and celebrating. Having just taken a class on Mindfulness, I thought this would be a great time to share a teleclass I did around the holidays on Mindful Eating. You will hear about my the "diet" book that changed my life and how to eat with joy instead of fear.
Listen and Learn-Grab a cup of tea or download the podcast and listen later. Enjoy!!
