TOUCH, HUGS, CREATIVITY, FUN & MORE!!!!

Hello there,
I know it's been a long time. Much has happened I don't even know how to catch you up. And I'm so curious as to what you've been up to and how you are as well? I really look forward to hearing from you and knowing what is going on in your heart, your life and soul?
So where to begin, my inner journey or outer or the people here. Well I start by telling you about the work out I did this morning. Have you ever worked out so hard that your legs are dripping with sweat, that is what happened this morning. I love that feeling of every single part of you dripping with hard earned sweat of action, blood pumping and your heart feeling alive, worked and ready to keep going. Yet then at one point the energy starts to decrease asking your body to slow down and then the real dripping begins. I love it! Between dance, aerobics and a little weight training with my bands that I brought with me. I can't tell you how happy I am and fulfilled to bring music, this is the first time I've done it and it's amazing! I get to listen to all the music I don't have time to listen to when I am home, have memories flood me as well as listen to my favorites! Music really digs deep into my core, I'm not sure how people live without it. It's as if I'd die if I went without it for too long, that and dance that is. When I'd travel before I had to go to clubs to get music, now it's all there in my little home with a bed, bathroom, end table and ceiling fan, that's it!!!
I have my music, I'm writing a ton, almost have my diary full of ideas, thoughts and feelings. I have started a painting class, which is really a drawing class so far, but it's amazing seeing what these people can do in such a shore period of time. They are truly talented. Yet from what I've learned they really learn by following and so they don't really have a great amount of creativity, it's all copying their family and friends, so they all tend to draw and paint the same things, but they do it with such swiftness and beauty does it matter? Well it would matter to me as I love my creative mind, the mind that is all mine and no one elses, the mind that the is yours and no one elses. It's lovely, it's our passion within, our soul speaking. So once I get those photos uploaded I'll send them to you. I did finish my batik and it's definately colorful, I may redo it just to see if I like it better in other ways but it was certainly fun doing it and it's great just the way it is. I just like working on it and playing with it. I also started one of my clothes designs last night, it should be done tonight! Yes, my first peice that I designed and someone else sewed. Feels a little weird and wonderful all at the same time. To see this woman named, Rye, work is just amazing. She knows with complete confidence how to do things, where to cut, sew and measure, no second thought, just confident in her work, with no pinning, just sewing. I am so impressed and learning a lot.
The people here blow me away, first they can be the most welcoming, gracious, giving, loving, caring people that do offerings to Buddha every day. They hand make these little baskets every day, sometimes 30 or a 100 of them or more a day and set them out in front of there business, which is also their home, in certain areas of their home and businesses, they do it on the side walk, on their cars, burn insence, and this whole glorious ritual that is just amazing to watch, smell and hear, sometimes they do some kind of chanting as well-almost like speaking with the Gods. They do this ritual 3 times a day, they can be completely broke and they'll still go to the market and find a way of buying all the supplies to make offerings as they believe if they don't give a offering to Buddha first then they won't recieve business. They tell us tourists that it is good luck if we buy something from them. It's sometimes hard to say no but then there is only so much you want to buy and so much you want period.
I have another dentist story for you, yes, I met this wonderful man that has never made more than $6000.00 a year in his life, he lives half his life in Hawaii and such a beautiful light. He came all the way here, working extra hours cracking coconuts for $.30 per coconut he cracked so he could come here to Bali and get his teeth done. He only had 3 top teeth when he arrived with a long mustache to hide his mouth. Well within a week he had those teeth removed, root canals and lots of drilling and things done. The next day he took no pain medicine, only 2 pain pills the day of. Then they made a pocket to where his top teeth will snap in and then he was teethful, smiling and he took off his long mustache to show his gorgeous smile to go with his bright blue eyes. He was so happy. For years no brushing, no flossing and now he has gorgeous teeth for only the price of $1800.00 compared to $8000.00 at home. So just in case you want a vacation with great teeth I know the place!
I have made friends with a lovely little kitty at the library where I do my art classes, of course red, sweet, gorgeous and they want me to adopt it. Well I'm not sure but I think it's on it's way to adopting me. But there is no way I'm going to put it on a plane to where ever I'm going so I'll remain to borrow the sweet red thing. Me and red kitties!!!
So this morning I had a great inner time really going in. My thoughts were amazing. Do you ever thing of these things, I think we all do, I think? What do I really believe in? Really believe in. Who am I really, underneith the beautiful exterior the everyone sees, who am I? What makes me tick? Where was it in time that made people stop touching? When did it happen that touch meant more than, I just care for you as my friend? When did parents stop touching their children? When will it be that the abuse stops in the touching? How can we stop these things? How can we stop the hunger of the world? A question I've been pondering since 3rd grade when I dreamt of taking over the NAU dome in Flagstaff and making it a homeless shelter/school for people who needed a hand getting off the streets and building a career to care for themselves. A dream I've had for so long. It drives me crazy there are so many homeless and hungry, there is no reason for it.
Why don't people just drop by any more? I know, I live in LA and some people are a ways away, but how wonderful it was when I was growing up to have a friend just pop by have a laugh, some tea, play a game, take a walk and then go on with our day. Why did the the slumber parties have to stop? I miss those a lot. I used to have really close friends that we'd snuggle and watch movies and take baths and showers together-no I wasn't only 16 years old, I was 27 years old and my best friend and I did these things, it was wonderful to share so clean time together scrubbing each others backs and washing each others hair. It just gets old washing your own hair day in and day out for all of our lives? Does it?
The things I believe in all seem to be around relationships funny enough, but that seems to be my life path I guess. I believe in touch, hugging, great and conscious parenting, conserving nature by using less toilet paper (or none at all), using less paper towels, using cotton pads and not the plastic ones, conserving water,not letting it run when unneeded, re-using paper, and turning off the lights when we don't use them. I am learning more and more to laugh at myself and how to truly just feel and be instead of think my way out of things. And to be lighter inside and out. I can go on and on about that, but I'll stop for now on that. But really think and feel and see what you believe in and who you are, I'd love to know what you feel on it if you care to share. For me I just love to cuddle, give love, learning to receive love, working on how to deal with my inner anger, let it out at times in a healthy way and tell my truth to the world and be powerful and brave with it-it's not always easy but it's getting easier.
So I've found two glorious all organic restaurants in town that have lots of raw foods, so if you are ever worried about not eating here, just to let you know, there is healthy food! Plus an organic farmers market on Wednesdays! The food is good and well priced for organic! This county has great tempe and tofu dishes. I love their tempe, it's quite addictive. If you ever get to an indonesian restaurant order the Gado Gado, yummmmm.
For those of you who have heard of, seen or read about The Secret, well this town has a meeting every Wednesday night as a support group and plays the movie from time to time. It was so wonderful to see 25 people in a circle all there to be reminded or learn about The Secret, the law of attraction. It's opened up some great communications with people, I got to share what I know of the secret first hand in my life with some locals which is great as they don't have this way of thinking yet. It's just nice to get some like minded people around me and feel that energy. It was held in this gorgeous room that I suggested I teach a dance class in and everyone seemed to be happy about that-so I may be doing that soon.
I have a 2 month visa here, it's almost been 3 weeks and I'm far from being done here. I am considering extending my visa a month so I can do this creative work and then travel some to some of the islands-well Lombok and the Gili Islands actually and get to the mountains as well. It will be nice just not to have to be on such a time limit. It really doesn't sit well with my system. Well I found out yesterday there is a live drawing class! Yes, I love drawing people and want to learn more about it. Learning the shadowing and how to make it look real. I'm excited about that, it's twice a week so I'm there!!! So I'll be there tomorrow and next Wednesday! I got a cell phone, yes crazy, I came here to get away from my phone but it is so helpful. For a cell phone thatis 3 band and I can use on my whole trip and be able to use it instead of the phone service or a pay phone is so nice and people can call me. So it's already come in handy with some situations, like my friend Mary coming to see me, we were able to find out where each other was and when. All for $45.00, for all that convenience! It's very simple and I haven't figured out how to set up my voice mail but at least it's there and most people do texting any way as it's cheaper for everyone.
We are still in rainy season, I had no idea as it was gorgeous with rain the first few days, but now you have to love the soggy feeling!!! This is a little blurb out of my diary: Well yesterday was a really good day yet a damp day. It rained almost all day, one of those days that dampened your core, so you feel moist inside and out. Your paper and clothes feel full of ater, waiting to pour out in any minute. The ink won't write on paper, the paper won't recieve the ink. Your clothes feel dank and not there warmig you as the wetness seeps right in under them as they are not there. Your chest feels exposed and vulnerable to the elemetns, as if the air is going right into your skin and cooling and dampening everything within you. Chilling your core.
This morning was sunny but it's about to rain again. The streets really get flooded, and you have to really dodge the the water holes as you don't know if they go through to the drain or only to the side walk. As parts of the side walks are gone, it's funny really how they just have no problem with this, we are so spoiled. There would be a lawsuit in the US for this.
Well I went to the city, yes the capital to go shoppping with a new friend I have found here, well she's gone now, but man oh man. 2 Sagitarious' shopping, we shop the same exact way and shopped for 9 hours, I made sure we got fed when out energy was dropping as we both get cranky, she checked in make sure we were both getting what we needed, I solved the problem of timing so we could both get what we needed. We came away with a peaceful day, lots of material for sewing, a airline ticket for her, cell phone for me and she bought $47.00 worth of beads that would be about $500.00 in the US, that was amazing to me. We got back home tired but went out for a nice meal of pizza-yes pizza, you just have to at times and then gabbing with another friend and passing out. I'd never shopped 9 hours and was happy we got on so well, it was great! So now I have fabric to sew with and put my designs to. Some of the fabric are batik sarongs, one of a kind peices and gorgeous. So I'm excited to have my first peice finished tonight! I am loving being creative and really getting into it. I think of it and drawing and painting all the time now. It's so much fun. It's been so long since I've been this creative! I have a ton of fabric at home and haven't sewed in about 5-7 years on a regular basis. Hopefully this will be a great jump start. I am really getting into relaxing and reading for a half day and doing nothing but being with myself. No television, no million phone calls to make, just being, relaxing, writing and feeling. It's quite amazing how much a body needs to unwind from 5 1/2 years of only thinking of work and how to make money, even in my off time.
I had my first motor bike experience, going to a crazy market where you walk in and they see you as a walking wallet and almost fight over who is going to show you what and who will you buy from. 5 minutes in there and I was gone. They don't get that some of us can't shop that way, I need to just look and have it be peaceful. But I did find some great statues made of wood that may have to become mine before I leave. I love their carvings here. It is really slow here for the locals and I can see their faces being in such desperation as they made these gorgeous buildings and then the tourist stop coming after the bombs. The motor bike ride was great, to see the rice fields and see everything right there, going through tiny streets, dodging cars, bikes, trucks and they have no problem driving into on coming traffic as they know that they will scoot over, no horns just "oh, I need to move over". It's truly mind blowing there aren't more accidents but they work as a team, unity and as one community of people. I wonder how it was even more when there weren't any tourists as now I see them walk down the street and they talk with all the locals, it's as if they all know each other, but you know they don't as even if you go outside of their area they still talk to everyone there, how lovely. Wouldn't it be great if LA and the US started doing that, or all big cities, what a wonderful way to live. Oh, you are a human, let's talk to you. Reminds me of Leo Buscaglia-if you ever get the chance to read his book living, loving and learning, it's so heart felt and lovely. I've listened to him on tape, thanks to Anne!!!, and I am reading his book right now. He says so many things that I have felt and believed in since I can remember, it's just so nice to have some one else say it back to me. He is all heart and soul. And so impassioned about life.
I am considering joining the gym here, it's only 100,000 a month-that is about $11.00. Seems like a lot with those numbers though. We'll see. I like my workouts at home. But then I've started to train the guy that runs my guesthouse, it's fun. I get to use my personal training skills to help him get in shape!!! How fun! Maybe I can do that at the gym as well, I am open to everything at this point. I'm considering putting up a flier for doing haircuts as well, I love this!
I took some great photos of myself this morning, pretty funny, as I was all dripping wet and all of a sudden I stopped and had to take a photo and realized these are great photos to learn to draw from. So who knows I'll get some developed and see if I can draw them. It's all so much fun. I am really melting into fun here and exploring. There are some hard days as I do spend many days just doing my own thing and most days I am loving it but sometimes I long to just be with the ones that know me and cuddle up and feel completely loved and safe in their arms. But mostly I am doing really great!
So I have written a book here and who knows if you'll make it through to here. But I thank you for reading if you did make it through. I send you love and would love to hear from you, your heart, about your goals and dreams and anything else you care to share with me. I love you, Heather
BIG HUGS TO YOU!!!!!