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Connections and Community: Galas, Markets, and in-Person Events May 31, 2025 16:03
If you prefer to listen to this month's blog offering, please click HERE for the audio link.
Over the course of the past few weeks, I have had several opportunities to attend events and to meet with individuals in person. This has been a refreshing change, since I usually interact with customers and clients online.
In late April, the Student Government Association at Butler University hosted a fundraising gala, and they invited me to attend as a vendor. This was an intimate event held in Dugan Hall, which is a beautiful new building that houses the Lacy School of Business.
As an alumna, it is always a joy for me to return to the Butler campus, and this evening’s event was no exception. I enjoyed chatting with the students, faculty members, and the other vendors who attended this gala. It was a lovely event, and a few quarter malas found new homes as well.
Adelynn, the student who had invited me to the event, helped me carry a box to my car afterwards. She told me that her grandmother had also attended Butler and shared stories about Starlight Musicals, which used to be held at what is now Hinkle Fieldhouse. I told her that I saw Liberace there once with my family when I was in junior high school.
Adelynn also remembered her grandmother mentioning the C-Club, which was a cafeteria for commuter students. I remember studying there between classes, reviewing Beowulf and reading poetry by Richard Brautigan and Etheridge Knight. They served excellent soups and sandwiches there. Now, it’s more like a small convenient store and study area. I wondered if Adelynn’s grandmother and I attended classes at Butler around the same time.
I thanked her for inviting me to the gala and for helping me carry my things to my car. This was the second time I had attended an event like this at Butler, and I hope to attend other events there in the future.
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In early May, I attended a Mother’s Day Market at Hub & Spoke in Fishers, Indiana. It was also an intimate event, but that’s OK with me. Actually, I prefer smaller events to those that are extremely crowded and noisy. It’s good to have time to interact with people. Some people have questions about what malas are and how to use them. It gives me an opportunity to explain the meaning of the beads, the knots, and the tassels and to demonstrate how to use malas in meditation practice.
It’s also helpful for people to be able to see these designs in person, especially the quarter malas. These “mini malas” are much more popular at in-person events compared to online sales. In fact, I don’t offer quarter malas on my website anymore, but I’m happy to create them as custom designs. For those who may be new to practicing with malas, these fun-sized designs are portable, affordable, and practical.
A dozen other vendors were with me at this market, also, and I enjoyed chatting with my vendor neighbors. The women across from my table sold beautiful personalized bouquets of fresh flowers and plants. On my left was a woman who worked at a local brick and mortar shop and offered hand-made soaps, teas, and essential oils.
The woman on my right was a scientist who worked full-time at a research lab, but she was helping out a friend by selling her jewelry on her behalf.
A full mala and a few quarter malas found new homes during this event, so this Mother’s Day Market was a success, as well.
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I don’t attend very many in-person events like this. Typically, individuals will reach out for custom designs. May was certainly the month of quarter malas for me. Two weeks ago, one of my colleagues at school, Candice, asked me to create a quarter mala for her.
What’s nice about a local, in-person request like this is it allows me to bring bead samples directly to people. Usually, when I create a custom design for someone, I communicate via email and send them photos of bead options and possible layout designs.
In Candice’s case, I was able to bring in samples of Moonstone, Rose Quartz, Chrysocolla, Amazonite, Labradorite, and Amethyst beads for her to see and hold. That tactile connection is really important.
Once she decided on the beads she liked best, I was able to create two potential layout designs for her. I strung one set of beads on a variegated pink cord, and the second set on a bright teal cord.
She really liked both designs, and I was happy to create two quarter malas for her to support her personal practice.
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A few days ago, I met with a woman named Paula who is in the process of organizing an outdoor summer festival next month. Because I will be traveling out of the country, I will not be able to attend this event; however, we met for coffee at a local coffee shop because she was interested in a full mala that I had posted on my website.
Paula explained on the phone prior to our meeting that a full mala was not in her budget at this time, but our conversation inspired me to create a quarter mala design for her that was similar to the full mala that she liked.
Consequently, I created the All You Need Is Love Quarter Mala and sent her a photo. She loved it, and we met at Mocha Nut Coffee Shop soon after that so that I could deliver her new quarter mala to her in person. We talked about our families, our travels, and our career paths over a London Fog and a Mocha Latte. We also chatted about upcoming retreats that she plans to offer, and I indicated an interest in being a vendor at these events as well.
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It's so nice to be able to interact with people in person and to have the time to chat about our lives and what matters most to us. After all, interconnection and interdependence are important aspects of meditation.
I’m also glad that I had several opportunities this month to meet with people in person and to create malas and quarter malas that will support their personal practices.
I do have one more event coming up in June. Wellbeing Fest will occur at the Perry Township Event Center in Indianapolis from 11-4 on June 8th. If interested, please visit holistichubwellbeingfest.com for more information and details.
If you don’t live in the Indianapolis area, and you are interested in a custom mala or quarter mala design, please don’t hesitate to send me an email via our Contact Us page. I am happy to create a one-of-a-kind design to support and inspire your meditation practice as well.
I hope you enjoy this last day of May, and I hope that June treats you well.
Thank you for taking the time to read or listen to this month’s blog post.
Take care—and keep practicing!
Improvising and Meditation: Every Change Is Part of the Practice October 2, 2024 12:31
If you prefer to listen to this month's blog offering, please click HERE for the audio link.
We are taught early on to fear and hide our mistakes. The antidote, according to Stephen Nachmanovitch, is finger kissing.
“Finger Kissing” was one of my favorite chapters from Nachmanovitch’s The Art of Is: Improvising as a Way of Life. I love the idea behind this action.
Finger kissing is an act of grace—gratitude—appreciation for the self. It’s an act of anti-judgment—of self-love and self-acceptance—of generosity.
Its playful—it’s intimate—it’s endearing. It’s an act of self-forgiveness—it’s encouraging—and it’s light-hearted.
It’s also a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously—and not to be too hard on ourselves. After all, we are all doing the best we can in this moment. Besides, perfection is never the goal, and as Winston Churchill famously stated, “perfection is the enemy of progress.”
The practice of finger kissing is about being present and mindful. It’s about taking time to listen intently to what’s happening around us and within us.
***
This morning, I stepped outside to make morning offerings. I had a stick of lit incense in my hands along with a cup of birdseed and two small apples.
I slipped into shoes and stepped out into the cool morning darkness. It had rained the night before. The ground was soft, and the sounds of crickets guided me to the Buddha statue in the yard.
As I recited the morning prayer and arranged the offerings, I looked up and saw a bright, gibbous moon framed in cypress branches. I took a moment to take it all in—the moonlight—the branches—the smell of fresh rain—the symphony of crickets—the cool morning air—the offerings.
Finger kissing is like that, too. It’s an act of appreciating what we have in the moment and taking a moment to take it all in. It’s also an act of nourishing ourselves.
I conclude each morning offering session with a brief dedication prayer. Honestly, after reading this chapter, I think I’d like to add finger kissing after the dedication to seal the practice with gratitude, mindfulness, and joy.
***
Later in the day, I had a few minutes between student tutoring sessions, so I walked around the track behind our school.
The sky was overcast and cloudy, and I felt the cool air against my skin. Rain was coming, but not yet. I had enough time to walk a few laps.
Our school is not far from the airport, and every few minutes a plane would fly overhead. Each time, I’d pause, look up, and wave. I wished everyone on board a safe trip. My hope was that someone looking out one of the small windows would return the wave.
I heard the sounds of speeding cars and trucks on I-465. I watched a half dozen killdeer hopping around and feeding in the grassy field that I was circumambulating. I spied a bright yellow feather clinging to the faded pavement, and I felt a deep appreciation for this moment.
***
On September 17, Stephen Nachmanovitch, writer, musician, philosopher, and improviser, visited Butler University for a lecture and performance.
I first heard about his work from my Feldenkrais friend, Tiffany Sankary. She frequently referenced his book, The Art of Is during her online classes, which motivated me to read his book.
According to Nachmanovitch, “Improvising means coming prepared, but not being attached to the preparation.”
It made me think of the many years of teaching English full-time in a public-school setting. I would spend hours creating meaningful, relevant lesson plans for my students, knowing full-well that they would not occur as planned. However, I also knew that if I didn’t prepare, the results would be confusing and disastrous.
Interruptions and changes are inevitable. Questions will arise. Being prepared is essential, and being willing to pivot and go with the flow at a moment’s notice are critical skills for teaching and learning.
According to Nachmanovitch, improvising is about “paying exquisite attention” and how “nothing can spoil your concentration if every change that comes is part of the practice.”
During his lecture at Butler, he admitted that he didn’t plan ahead of time what he would talk about that evening. He relied on his previous experiences, education, and training to guide him. He paid close attention to audience members. He encouraged us to ask questions, and he let our questions guide him.
The same was true for his improvised musical performance. He played an electric violin, but didn’t rely on sheet music. Instead, he relied on intuition and mindfulness. His performance was experimental, playful, immediate, and authentic. He wasn’t attached to the outcome, and he wasn’t fixated on playing every note perfectly.
Instead, he was listening intently, responding intuitively and musically. We were engaged in a collective conversation.
At the end of the performance, he invited several Butler dance students to join him on the stage. (He had been working with dance students in workshops on campus earlier in the week). As he played his electric violin, dancers moved about the stage. The improvised conversation continued as all participants listened, responded, and reacted to one another. Each contributed to the conversation without worrying about being “right” or “perfect.”
They discovered form and grace from thin air. His music framed the silence; their movements framed the stillness.
***
Improvising is a form of meditation—or—meditation is an act of improvising.
Both involve becoming comfortable with constant change. Both are also meaningful and necessary practices that are impossible to assess or evaluate.
I hope you take a little time today to practice meditation and improvising—whether that involves sitting quietly on a cushion, reciting mantra with a mala, walking around your neighborhood, or dancing in your kitchen as you listen to music.
May you take time to listen attentively today and notice whatever is going on around you.
May you be curious and playful. May you respond with confidence, compassion, wisdom, and grace.
And afterwards, may you offer a sincere dedication… and kiss each of your fingers.
***
Thanks for reading or listening to this month’s offering. Please visit the current Middle Moon Malas collection of hand-knotted malas. Each design was created to inspire and support your personal practice. For custom design inquiries, please send me a message through the Contact Us Page.