Gaia Community: ~Matthew's Blog

Two weeks of the TTC + some life thoughts

http://matthew.gaia.com — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:16:35 GMT

So, I just finished my second week of the Strength for Life Transformational Training Camp. I started a week later than intended. All seems to be going well. I missed one FIT session, so need to buckle down on making sure that I go over my program each morning so that doesn't happen again.

I'm feeling a lot of Love for Life right now. There's a lot of uncertainty in my future, at this moment. Yet, the stress that this may normally cause me is giving way to acceptance, bliss, and beautiful release. Every moment is a reminder that I have control over nothing but my own actions. I can choose to respond to life's obstacles with Love and Embrace and Healthful healing, or with fear and avoidance and shadowy denial.

If you are reading this, I thank you. Really. I have so much gratitude for your existence. I know my life's purpose is to serve you. It serves me when I serve you. I'm considering getting my personal trainer's certification, so that I can share my own success and love for life and accomplishing personal goals with the world.

But along with that, I want to hold space for you. I want to honor where you are right now and the beauty in the fact that you want to achieve something more. This is what I do for myself, and it brings me such great Joy on a daily basis.

My plan is to give free personal training sessions to as many people as possible while I work on my certification. If you're interested let me know, and I'll let you know once I get started on my certification program. My hours would be after work hours, obviously. Hopefully, that would work for you :)

Hmmm... what else? I'm sitting at Barnes and Noble right now with a Bill Bryson book on my lap. Have you read any of his stuff? This one is In a Sunburned Country.

Let me know if there's anything I can do to honor your beautiful existence, today.

Isn't Life just an absolutely breathtaking experience?? I think so!

Tags:

Finding Depth With Gaia Soulmates

http://matthew.gaia.com — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:48:09 GMT

So, I met this girl on Gaia Soulmates not too long ago, and I couldn't be more impressed. We e-met only a week and a half ago, and we both feel like we've known each other forever. It is quite astounding to me! Here I am, working for gaia, and I happen to find this person on a site that we run. And it's not like I'm not on other dating sites or that I'm not dating locally in Boulder. I AM doing all that! And yet, I discover this beautiful, amazing, deep person on our site!

I can't tell you too much about her yet. It is too soon. But I can tell you that I really am quite amazed that the intention of our soulmates site is working. It's nowhere near the biggest dating site on the web, but it may already have some of the greatest depth out there.

I hope others who are seeking deep connections with kindred spirits will join up. And when you do, I hope you will have similar experiences to mine :) It is truly wonderful to feel this way!

To Love!

Tags: Gaia, Soulmates, Love

Friday Five at Home

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:05:23 GMT

1) What is you favorite room in your house/ apartment?
My bedroom. It's where I work and play.

2) Who do you feel at home with? (friends, a partner, family, a pet)
My dog and cats and everybody who is kind enough to visit me at my home :)

3) What colors do you have in your home?
off-whites and browns and blues and greys and greens and hmmm... others.

4) If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Gosh, do I have to pick one? I would love to have vacation homes on the East and West coasts in the States, and in many countries around the world. But I like my home to be in Boulder :)

5) Finish this sentence in two to five words: Home is where the .....
~Matthew is!

Tags:

Measuring and Achieving Goals

http://matthew.gaia.com — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:21:39 GMT

On February 7th, 2009, I made a body fat % goal for myself. According to a pair of $3 calipers--that I purchased for the express purpose of keeping track of this goal--my body fat at that time was around 24%. So, I made a goal to get to 15% body fat by May 7th. The number is insignificant. My real goal here was to, over time, see that number decrease. And the more appropriate number to look at, in order to achieve that goal, was the skin fold measurement.

So, I fashioned a workout / nutrition program for myself. And once per week I took my skin fold tests. Once every three weeks I weighed myself to gauge how much fat I had lost and how much muscle I had gained. Here are the results (click the image to see the enlarged version):

I'm very proud to say that I met my goal :) I'm now starting the Strength For Life challenge (with a few minor adjustments--based on my experience--that I'll talk about at a later date) that Shawn Phillips has developed, and I'm in my first week of Base Camp. I'll be starting the Transformational Training Camp on Monday, May 25th. At that time, I'll try to blog regularly about my progress / struggles. It should be fun!

Tags: Matthew, strength, goals, measure, accomplish

Friday Five of Food

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:39:16 GMT

1) What did you have for breakfast?
Scrambled egg whites with tofu, onions, green peppers, carrots, and tomato. Two pieces of Spelt toast with Earth Balance. And a banana. Plus a giant glass of water.

2) Have you grown your own food?
Yes, last year I had a garden and we grew all sorts of veggies.

3) What is your favorite beverage?
Water!!!

4) Do you like to cook?
Yes, but I don't like coming up with what to cook.

5) What is your favorite vegetable(s)?
Hmmmm... it depends on how it is prepared. Ethiopian food is delicious, and I just love the way they make their beats at Ras Kassa's.

Tags: Friday Five, Food

Friday Five of Superstition

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:05:10 GMT

It's the second "Friday the Thirteenth" in a row, today. This can ONLY happen when first Friday the thirteenth of the year falls in February on a non-leap year. I wonder how rare it is. In any event, here is my Friday Five:

1) Do you have a lucky charm? (socks, coins, small rubber chickens?)
I don't believe in lucky charms. But someone close to me got me a pink crystal that's supposed to help attract my True Love to me. I mentioned then that I don't believe in such things. Still, every now and then I'll hold the crystal in my hand and indulge the magical vMeme that is inside of me... inside of all of us.

2) Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? (and what happened?)
I don't think so. I might have found a mutated three-leaf clover once, though, that looked kind of like a four leaf clover.

3) Do you throw coins into fountains for wishes?
Yes, sometimes. Although, I give more meaning to it as being an act of non-attachment.

4) Do you have any quirky or unique superstitions?
No. Sorry for such a boring answer. But I don't. I suppose I could make one up though. How about this? Drinking green beer on St. Patrick's Day cures what ales ya. (Get it? "ales" ya, instead of "ails" ya. It's beer. Ale. Get it?)

5) Have you ever seen a shooting star? (did you make a wish?)
Yes, I love shooting stars. In the summer time.

Tags: Friday Five, Superstition

What would you put in your own personal time capsule?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:47:21 GMT

Space dust, a rusty nail, five aglets, and a hand-written note that simply says, "Welcome to the future :)"

Tags: QaR, time capsule, future, self

How does your mind relate to your body?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:59:21 GMT

I consider it more as a body-mind than two separate things.

Tags: QaR, mind, body, life, holistic

If you were a color, what would you be?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:19:44 GMT

Today? Probably chocolate watermelon. I don't know about tomorrow!

Tags: QaR, color, life, being, living

Inspirational Friday Five

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:04:53 GMT

1) Who has served as a role model in your life?
My dog

2) What book (s) have inspired you?
My Brain is Open

3) What are you excited about today?
That I can sleep as long as I want

4) Does music inspire you?
Yeah, I like Kan'nal, Stuart Davis, and some other good tunes.

5) What qualities inspire you in others?
Integrity, Openness, Compassion, Listening Skills, Understanding, Empathy

Tags: Friday Five

Express Your Friday Five!

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:53:21 GMT

From the Team blog!

1) How do you like to express yourself? (words, actions, writing, song?)
Pantomime! And speaking, and writing, and doing, and not doing, and dance! (see photo).

2) What songs/ music inspires you?
It varies. Currently, I'm inspired by silence more than music.

3) Do you like museums?
Sort of. I mean, I like to make fun of what's in museums. And that's fun. But I don't like to offend. So, it's kind of a catch-22.

4) What is your favorite color(s)?
Kind of a dark tealish aqua-blue, I think. But I like the interplay of different colors more than any one color.

5) What kind of art or décor do you have at home?
Paintings, statues, weaved fabrics, a fountain, a real (fake) Christmas tree.

Copy and paste the questions in your blog and add your own answers! Tag with "Friday Five" :) and invite friends!

Tags: Friday Five, Express Yourself

Relax With the Friday Five

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:44:03 GMT

See the team blog for more on this topic :)

1) What do you love to do in your free time?

I love being around people. Chatting. Shooting the breeze. I can enjoy this activity either in a relaxed environment or something more exciting like on a hike.

2) What music helps you relax?

I don't use music to relax. I just relax.

3) What movie did you enjoy recently?

Kung Fu Panda. I've seen it twice now. I love this line: "The past is history. The future? A mystery. But right now is a gift. That is why it is called 'the present'." I'm paraphrasing, but it went something like that. God, I love Jack Black.

4) Who makes you laugh?

My family and friends know how to crack me up!

5) Where do you go/ do to recharge?

Ironically, I unplug to recharge. I just stay away from the computer for a while!

Tags: friday five, relaxing, fun, laughter, joy

What question made the biggest impact on your life?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:46:53 GMT

Who am I?

Tags: QaR, questions, change, world, perspective, difference

Authentic Sadness

http://matthew.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:12:24 GMT

I'm not sure exactly what to write. But I feel I should say something. I should let you all know. I'm lying in my bed right now, typing with my eyes closed. Tears are wetting my cheeks. It's not like I haven't faced this sadness. I've been facing it for months now. I've even been seeing a therapist to help me through it. I guess I was a little embarassed to tell you. Embarassed because I was so proud. I was so proud to call Ayako my wife. And now I can't do that. I can't do that anymore. We are getting divorced. My lip is quivering as I write this. I'm sorry to have to tell you this. I wish it weren't so. But, now you at least know why I'm so sad. I wish I could say it's because of the lousy economy. But it's not. It's because I've lost the object of my devotion. I am so very sad.

Tags: Matthew, Ayako, Divorce, Sadness

What's your favorite form of creative expression?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:00:38 GMT

Humor. I enjoy the creativity involved in making people laugh.

Tags: QaR, creativity, art, expression, movement, enthusiasm

Friday Five

http://matthew.gaia.com — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:34:13 GMT

1) What are you thankful for today?

A warm home in this colder weather.

2) What do you appreciate about the Earth?

That it supports so much life.

3) Who is the last being you said "thank you" to?

He'kili.

4) When was the last time someone thanked you?

Gah, I'm not good at remembering that kind of stuff. Probably within the last 15 minutes, since I fix a lot of stuff on this site for a lot of different people.

5) What is your favorite way to say thank you?

"Thank you very much!"

Tags: Friday Five

What are you working on?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:39:31 GMT

I am working on being authentic every second of every day. I'm also working on Gaia!

Tags: QaR, work, projects, creations, creativity

Dude, I'm like 29

http://matthew.gaia.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:56:56 GMT

OK, it just sunk in. Yesterday was my birthday (thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday AND to everyone who didn't but would have had they known!!)

I'm 29. Seriously. Not only am I not a teenager anymore, I'm practically not even in my 20s anymore. Sheesh! But you know what they say... "age is just a number" that measures how freaking ooooooold you are!!

I know some of you are laughing at me for feeling old at 29. You're saying to yourself, "Honey! You ain't got nuthin' to be's ashamed of. mmm hmm!" And you're right. I don't. But still, I'm in awe of how quickly the last ten years flew by. AWE, I TELL YOU!! Like, "Awe jeez, that went by fast!" or "Awe man, am I really 29 already?"

Wow. It feels good to get that off my chest.

But now I can feel myself closing in on 30, like a vortex sucking me toward the next age, and there's nothing I can do to stop it...

..................................or is there? (to be continued...) Stay tuned for the next episode of "~Matthew's a year older, again!" coming to a blog near you, in just 364 days!

Tags: Matthew, 29. Old Man

Do you know your purpose in life?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:20:42 GMT

NO!

Tags: QaR, purpose, mission, meaning

How do your emotions affect your body?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:53:19 GMT

Interesting question! I'd say, "completely". In fact, if emotions aren't affecting my body, then I'm probably denying the emotion. My task is to notice how my body is feeling, whenever I'm feeling a strong emotion. And I breathe into that area, and let the emotion pass through me completely. And let the emotion affect me completely.

If it's sadness, my body may convulse while tears stream down my cheeks.

If it's joy, my body feels light and like it opens up to the universe with a great freedom of self. <--hard to explain actually.

When I'm angry, I feel firmly planted on the ground. I feel powerful but with control. Anger is an expression of my boundaries.

Well, I suppose there are many other emotions that correlate to many other bodily feelings. But what I like about this question is that it points to a good way connect to the body. When I feel an emotion, it's a great opportunity to pay attention to my breath and sensations in my body.

Tags: QaR, body, emotions, physiology, stressors, relaxation, connection