I saw a list on Haley's blog about 30 things to talk about on 30 different days. It looked interesting and I decided to do it. Here is Day 1:
Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Hi! My name is Bhakti. I am a spirit soul, currently residing within the heart of this 26-year-old body that could use some more exercise. I have obviously not perfected the realization about my spiritual nature, but I'm working on it, and see results daily :D I meditate every morning - I chant the Hare Krishna mantra for about an hour and a half. It goes like this:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Srila Prabhupada, my spiritual master, translates it as: "Dear Lord [Krishna] and energy of the Lord [Hare], please engage me in Your divine service [Rama]." The idea is to stop hopelessly trying to enjoy dead matter that the world around us is made out of, and to tune into the non-material reality beyond this temporary world via devotional exchanges of love with God and His servants, who essentially mean all of us. Not God, doh ;) there is only One, right? But consciousness is the symptom of a soul. So all people, animals, plants, etc. that are conscious have a soul inside and that means we are all tiny parts of the Supreme Consciousness. And what do parts do? They serve the Whole. So we're all servants of something, and most naturally situated, I would say, when recognizing God as the main person to whom direct our energy and service. From there, it flows everywhere - like, when you water the root of a tree, the whole tree flourishes.
Whoah. Yep that sounds like me on LSD. Lovely to meet you. Ok I'm straight edge, I got you there didn't I? :D
15 interesting facts:
1. The name my parents gave me is Anni Marjatta.
2. My middle name Marjatta literally translates to Berryless. No berries for me.
3. I love blueberries. The real ones, that grow wild in Finnish forests and actually stain your fingers and teeth with purple. Not the big puffy ones that are grown in America. Although I love those too. ORGANIC.
4. I believe there is life on every planet, and between the planets.
5. I'm afraid of animals period.
6. I got married after hanging out with my husband for 2 months. We got engaged after hanging out for a couple of weeks. It's been three happy years now. (edit: we're not together anymore....)
7. I used to have thick crazy dreadlocks. One sunny day I took a friend and a pair of scissors to a park, introduced the two to each other and became really, really short haired.
8. I haven't lived in a house for years now. I live in a Ford cargo van that my hubby converted to run on waste vegetable oil instead of diesel. Ecological and well yes, cramped. (edit: used to, live in Philly now..lol..)
9. During my period I put a special background picture on my desktop that's all pink and says: "It's Raining Cupcakes". It makes me feel sane.
10. I help write a monthly newsletter for Krishna Path and would love you to sign up if you're interested!
11. I'm a pretty good skateboarder as long as I don't need to impress anyone with multiple tricks.
12. I write down everything I eat.
13. The longest I have driven was 17 hours. No caffeine, just iPod and me. I knew Madonna was good for something :D
14. When I was a kid I used to sneak into an old people's nursing home in my town and steal borrow ice cream from the freezer in their cafe.
15. Almost every morning for the past 8 years I've taken a cold shower.
I would gone more wild with my facts but realize my mom reads my blog so this is it folks. Sorry mom for helping myself to the ice cream cones in the nursing home next-door to our house. Please don't tell them :)
Me at Wal-mart parking lot where I woke up and spent this morning:
