There’s Always More

Martha McCormick on August 4, 2017

So many reasons to be excited about yoga. I teach it. I practice it. I study it. There truly is always more!

Excited–check out this article about some preliminary research on how yoga may help with recovery from stroke and lessening the impact of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

I teach at Shakti Yoga Shop and we have some very cool opportunities coming up this fall. Desiree Rumbaugh is bringing her Wisdom Warriors training here in September. She developed it a few years ago when she turned 50 (you’d never guess it). Then, a couple weeks later, Becky and I will do our Intro to Yoga class.

I’m all set to head to the Finger Lakes region of New York for my second visit to Dr. Douglas Brooks’ summer camp. I’ve rented a “cottage in the woods” to retreat to all by myself after days of listening to stories of Rajanaka, the very tiny branch of Hinduism that we study with Douglas.

Looking forward to curry dinner at Douglas’ place and at least a short conversation with his talented and beautiful wife Susan. Four of us are going this year from Des Moines. We will be a force to be reckoned with.

This time studying with Douglas and friends will provide material for my paintings that are also reflections on my trips to India, the stories and philosophy we explore.

Puja at Rajanaka summer camp

Practice–I’ve been lazy about having a home practice. I go to class or teach nearly every day, so why do I need to get on my mat at home? Well, yesterday I made a commitment to do just that.

I took just a few minutes after a walk to stretch my hamstrings and quads and root the head of my femurs deep into the hip sockets. Then I stood on my head for a few minutes. Felt great. But I’ll need to do it again today to really start making it a habit.

The study of yoga–there’s always more. Come along on the adventure!

Let’s Figure It Out

Martha McCormick on August 2, 2017

As we go spinning around the sun, we tend to mark anniversaries. I have one coming up tomorrow. It’s been 11 years since I cleaned out my desk at Iowa State University Extension in Polk County and started my work here at Next Step. I was there til 8 pm on my last day! Who does that?

Someone who is way too invested in work? One who has trouble letting go? Or maybe a person who has bitten off more than she can chew?

Probably all of the above, and more. Just this spring I threw out a box of slides I brought home from work eleven years ago. I was cleaning up my studio and came across several unfinished projects that brought a lump to my throat. I really wanted to make that apron, string those beads and create that lamp.

One thing I appreciated when I started Next Step was time to plan without feeling pressured by multiple deadlines. As my business has grown, and we’ve gotten busier, I sometimes feel hurried again. But the pressure has never gotten as great as it was when I was doing youth development work, writing grants, managing staff and all that went with it.

Owning my own business provides a lot of freedom, but it can be pretty demanding too. The roller coaster of work and no work can be scary. It’s much harder to know if you’re really good at what you do, kind of like looking into fun house mirrors. And of course the variety of people can put you off balance.

Balance is always a challenge. It helps to know your priorities. For a while I had this order–children and other living things, work and me. That’s changed significantly since the kids are grown. Some say if you don’t take care of yourself you don’t have anything to give others, but that’s still a tough sell for me.

I think these secrets to life, love, happiness are ever emerging. After a few careers and nearly 67 trips around the sun, I’m still learning. That’s what makes an adventure!

Run for Office

Martha McCormick on March 11, 2017

The loss of the 2016 election seems to have galvanized women to activism. The year of our next presidential election will be the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote. Just 100 years ago, our foremothers were still fighting for full citizenship in this country.

The US has terribly few women in leadership positions. It’s a problem from the highest office in the US–Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election–to local city councils and school boards.

Over the years I’ve thought about running for office, but I’ve never had the courage. And I’m probably too old. But since the election last November it’s been on my mind a lot.

Do you know someone you think would be a good candidate? Here’s a place to nominate her. Ready to Run is a national movement to get more women ready to run for office; here’s the link to the Iowa workshops.

“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Collaborate

Martha McCormick on February 12, 2017

The cover on the New Yorker this week made me really sad. It seems the light of the Lady of Liberty has gone out. I just signed up to lead an effort in support of immigration and refugee rights. Not sure what I’m getting into, but it will be an adventure.

I love the diversity of Des Moines. It has increased so much since I started working here in 1980, and it still is not that great, but it’s much richer than it was.

When Republican Governor Robert Ray spread the welcome mat for Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants, he did a great thing. Since then, Des Moines has become home to a rainbow of people from all over the world. There are more than 100 languages spoken in the homes of DMPS students.

It’s exciting to walk through a grocery store and hear other languages and drive down the street and see people wearing traditional Burmese or Somali dress. We have restaurants where we can eat Mexican of course but also Thai, Indian and even Ecuadoran. Our neighbors who have come so far enrich us in so many ways.

But is this about to change? I hope not! We will work to continue the welcoming tradition of Iowa.

This week Shelly and I worked with a group of Ugandan college students who were visiting Drake University. It was a highlight of a team building session for the Adams Leadership Academy. They were so candid and open. They were so excited to experience snow!

When I asked them to close their eyes for a centering exercise, they were afraid I was going to hypnotize them! Shelly and I led them through Real Colors. Justine was the only one with a dominant “orange” personality so she and I worked out the “brightening” activity together, identifying joys, strengths, needs and values for our personality preference.

When I said good-bye to them at a reception Thursday evening, Justine was still asking how to achieve her goals. Collaboration, Justine, collaboration. We need ALL the colors to be successful.

Read a Book

Martha McCormick on February 12, 2017

Black History matters. We are at a critical juncture in race relations in our country. There is so much conflict and very little understanding.

This February offers some unusual opportunities for learning about the Black perspective on American culture and history. Fences is a powerful movie based on a play about a Black family in the 1950s and early 60s. I had such a strong reaction to the acting, which has been nominated for a number of awards. And won some too!

Another important film that is doing well at the box office and winning awards is Hidden Figures. It’s about the key role a group of African American women played in the space race. It’s got so much good stuff in it and moves fast enough that you can miss some things if you aren’t careful. I’m thinking of seeing it again.

But wait! There was a book before there was a movie! Wouldn’t you know? Speaking of books, I want to share a couple reading lists that can get us started down a road to better understanding the Black experience of America. Powell’s Books published this Black Lives Matter Reading List.

The New York Times ran a story about a group of teenagers who vandalized a historic Black schoolhouse in Virginia. Their punishment was to read a book a month for a year and report on it.

I’ve read some, but not nearly enough of the books on these reading lists. I can personally recommend these though:

  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • The Help by Kathryn Stockett

So, take some time to see a movie or read a book. Then let us know what you think about them, and how they make you feel. And maybe even how you might change a little bit.

Black History Matters

Martha McCormick on February 2, 2017

What a great start to Black History Month. Attending a performance of Abraham In Motion wasn’t the mindless escape from reality I naively expected. I’ve been buying tickets to the Dance Series at the Des Moines Civic Center for several years, and I usually let myself be surprised at the three performances.

In other words, I hadn’t done my homework; didn’t check Kyle Abraham and his troupe out ahead of time. The three dances gave us lots to think about. The final image projected behind the dancers was a negative photograph–a line of Klansmen on horseback.

As European Americans, we don’t think about race very much. We don’t have to. That’s one of our many privileges.

We don’t recognize that Black history is a strong and intertwined strand of the history of these United States. When the first slave ship landed on America’s shores in 1619, its occupants began the learning and building that created the economy and infrastructure we enjoy today. Without pay. With abuse. It rarely occurs to us to think about this part of our history.

Last year Michelle Obama spoke about living in The Whitehouse which was built by slaves. Media made a big deal of that statement, but soon found that yes indeed, the first Black First Family was living in a home built by slaves. And presiding over a country built by slaves.

As we watched the Abraham in Motion tonight, I couldn’t help thinking about how much indignity, prejudice, persecution and hatred Black people have endured for the last 400 years. And still they dance. They make music and play tennis. Black people have helped us get to the moon, and they have developed food we eat every day.

And still African Americans endure discrimination in housing and education. They are killed in their innocence by cops who suffer no consequences. They crowd our prisons for crimes that are rarely punished when committed by white people.

I’ve done a lot of reading on the issue of race in America, and I still feel hesitant to write about it. I worry about offending. I’m not sure I have all the facts. Really, I’m pretty sure I don’t.

Today I listened to Krista Tippett interview Congressman John Lewis on her program “On Being.” He talked about love for everyone. Strong love. Love that can look a perpetrator in the eye with courage. This is the kind of love we need to take out into the world every day. That’s our homework.

Make Art. Cats Do

Martha McCormick on January 17, 2017

It’s winter in Iowa. An odd winter, but winter nonetheless. No snow to speak of; temperatures vacillating wildly from single digits to 40s and 50s. Yesterday an ice storm hit, but today temperatures in the 30s have melted it all away. No winter wonderland for us; we’re yearning for sunshine or snow to color gray winter days. I’m not the only one in the house with cabin fever.

Slipper Art by RosyThe cats have started doing art projects. This morning Rosy created the slipper piece, artfully arranging one of her catnip toys in my sheepskin slipper on the carpet by the front door.

Food Art by SilviaSeveral days ago my daughter sent me a photo of her cat Silvia’s work in her food bowl.

Tater continues to refine a fiber piece on the arm of our favorite brocade chair, in spite of consistent and considerable discouragement. Art Critics!

I have a book called Why Cats Paint: A theory of feline aesthetics. I tried to get my cat Bitsy to paint a number of years ago, with limited success. Cats are famously independent after all.

Bitsy and Martha paintingShe did check out the pastels and help me watercolor. I’m pretty sure I have some samples of her work tucked away in my drawer for refrigerator-quality projects. But now that Silvia and Rosy are showing real promise, I will definitely be organizing some cat-friendly studio space.

If cats can make art, we certainly can! Get over any fear that you “can’t draw” or that you’re “not creative.” Get out that yarn, those beads and baubles, tissue paper, scissors and brushes. Clear away the clutter and paint your world. It may be winter, but we don’t have to be stuck with gray and white!

Bitsy-with-Pastels

Suit Up and Show Up

Martha McCormick on November 9, 2016

Nobody died. But it feels like a tragedy of major proportions. We have a president-elect who has openly expressed contempt for women, people of color, immigrants, Muslims, disabled people and LGBTQ folks. What have we done? How do we respond to this?

I honestly don’t know, but I have some thoughts in this first 18 hours or so of pondering. My first reaction was that I don’t know if I can live in a country so hateful. Sometime around 2:30am the sky was bright, and I looked out several windows for the quarter moon I expected to see.

Instead I saw the sky filled with stars, unusual in the middle of Des Moines. The view of Orion’s bow and arrows gave me my first glimmer of hope.The constellation Orion

Somehow this morning I was still hoping to wake from a nightmare. But the stomach ache was real. What to do?

I got out of bed, put on my walking clothes and went for a walk. The sunrise was beautiful; the autumn colors magnificent. I decided my best response is to suit up and show up. Get dressed and do the work as best I can. Every day.Autumn leaves

We will need to take bigger steps as citizens if our country is to survive in any semblance of peace, fairness and justice. Take it local. Stand up for people who have way more at stake than I do. Be fierce, but diplomatic. Be a nasty woman, but with grace.

Volunteer for Poverty Simulation

Martha McCormick on November 6, 2016

We welcome anyone interested in participating in this meaningful and impactful exercise. Please contact Linda Hulleman at the WDM Chamber at 515-222-3679 if you would like to take part.

You Can Too

Martha McCormick on August 30, 2016

I can sweet talk, oh yes I can, but I choose to speak forthrightly. To declare, to proclaim. Speak now; find evidence later. But DO find the evidence. Don’t skip the hard stuff.

I’m known for outbursts, oh yes I am, but I choose to use my passion something like a fire tempers metal. Temper words. Anneal my words in the heat of experience. Smooth out the roughness.

I can be crazy, oh yes I can, but I deny others the chance to call me loose cannon. Crackpot. Be first to call myself out. Keep my options open.

I can lay on the schmooze, oh yes I can, but I choose to find traits in others worthy of my praise. A smile. An act of kindness. Acceptance of a responsibility. I choose to celebrate the precise. The smallest feature, the tiniest act.

I can storm, oh yes I can, but I choose to find the sunshine peering from behind the cloud. Go back to bed; start the day over. Again and again. Be the gentle rain that nourishes rather than the torrent sweeping the world away in its path.

I can wheedle, oh yes I can but I choose to drive a hard bargain. To pitch my position. Speak of what might be. Paint a picture of injustice and find solutions. Try my darnedest to get you on my side. Then end as friends.

How to become friends? Get to know each other. Isn’t that the way? Easy to dislike what you don’t know. So much more difficult to put down your friend than the one you’ve never spoken to. The person you have so much in common with.

How to talk to strangers? Break down the walls. No battering ram, no bullets through plate glass. Stone throwing is so Middle Ages. But perhaps a hammer and chisel picking at a small depression in the mortar. Expanding it bit by bit until it is the size of a peephole. Oh! Now I see you! Soon I can place my ear against the hole and you your mouth. Soon we can crawl through and stand beside each other. Progress is painful but necessary.

I can speak harsh words, oh yes I can. But I can heal too. With a touch. With a word. With a smile.