Thursday, September 21, 2017

Still Better Than Nothing

As I move through my 15 minutes of blogging today, this post from July of 2016 seems most appropriate.

Better Than Nothing

A favorite mantra of mine, particularly when I'm feeling overwhelmed.


20 minutes at the gym?  Better than nothing.



10 minutes working on that project that follows you wherever you go?  Better than nothing.



Sometimes that's all you can do.  As long as it doesn't become your regular approach, you're okay.

Like this short post.

Better than nothing.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, a little boy lived on a farm in North Dakota. He went to a one-room schoolhouse. He would spend hours looking at the globe, tracing his finger over the shapes and strange names. 

"Mongolia. I'm going to go there some day."

Once upon a time a little girl lived in a little town in Wisconsin. She would make up stories and dance and sing into her hairbrush microphone, so much that her sisters and brother would yell at her to shut up.

"Some day I'm going to be a singer."

The little boy and the little girl grew up, met each other and married. Their marriage was typical, full of ups and downs, arguments and love fests, good times and bum times. Because they agreed their love for each other mattered more than anything else, they compromised over and over again. One year, the little boy would live out his dreams while the little girl worked to help him. The next year, the little girl would live out her dreams while the little boy worked to help him. Somehow, this arrangement lasted for decades.

Today is their wedding anniversary and they aren't together, 
but you don't need to feel sad for them. 

They aren't together because they are living their dreams.

The little boy is in Mongolia, seeing the wild horses and drinking yak milk.

The little girl is on a stage in Beijing, China, singing her heart out.

The only things missing are the globe and the hairbrush microphone.

Happy Anniversary, Richard.
I love you more.



The Glamorous Life, Beijing Style

Beijing, the capital of China. When I hear the word Beijing, I think Mao, bad air, and too many people. None of which are on my top 10 list.

Well, the air IS bad.

AQI of 175 today which means unhealthy, wear your mask.

And Mao does still exist here.

The entrance to the Forbidden City.

And there are people, LOTS of people here.

Temple of Heaven with lots of people.
But Beijing is so much more than bad air and Mao. There's a vibrant, cosmopolitan feeling in the atmosphere. Young people ride by on bikes from one of the many bikeshare companies, fancy cars (Lexus, BMW and Mercedes are big here) drive by and the crowds are loving Sister Act.  The first night, while heading to the Great Leap Brewery, I felt like I was walking in Paris. I did. The beer scene is hopping (pun intended) and food of all cuisines is easy to find. Last week, I ate American Barbeque with another excellent Chinese beer, Slow Boat. FYI, most of these beers seem to have an ex-pat partner or two.

Once again, China has surprised me. Yes, dodging parked bikes and aggressive cars while wearing a face mask is tricky, but I'm okay with that for three weeks.

Go ahead! Park it wherever you want!

How they look after the bike company workers clean up.


I've tried to see as many sites as possible. Beloved joined me this week (he's now off to Mongolia for a few days) and we packed in even more, including:

 the Lama Temple, which is a must-see in my opinion.







Summer Palace (which was mobbed the day I was there)



Great Wall, of course. Actually, I went there twice, once with my colleagues and once with Beloved.



Forbidden City, which is HUGE




Walking is an absolute necessity here, as is patience. Beijing is home to 22 million people and most days it feels like that many are visiting as well. I'm having no problem reaching 10,000 steps a day!

Don't forget that I also go to work every night (twice on Saturdays and Sundays), spreading love and joy. I am truly embracing the magnificent abundance and navigating gracefully (my Guiding Star slogan).

Our run here in Beijing ends on Sunday. Beloved returns from Mongolia and we head to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors on Monday. Then it's on to Shanghai for 2 weeks there.

There's so much to tell you, but this must be enough for now. Please feel free to ask questions by posting a comment here on Creatavita or on your favorite social media platform.