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here and . . . now what?
If we’re honest, we’ll admit that this is the place where most of us exist.
We love new and novel. We need constant stimulation. And our culture only further cultivates and feeds our constant addiction to change.
I mean – Is something new always improved?
Which bring me to a bone I must pick with yoga teachers everywhere. What is up with the constant mantra, “step out of your comfort zone?”
Are you kidding with me? Most of us wouldn’t know “comfort” if it hit us on the head. In which case, it wouldn’t be so comforting, now would it?
I listened to two students describe a recent experience they had in a yoga class. Apparently it was a workshop they both signed up for and at the last minute there was a switch. Not only was the instructor replaced – but the style and format was wildly different as well.
And neither found the change enjoyable.
One decided to leave and returned home to her neighborhood yoga studio – the place she calls comfortably her own. The other suffered through the workshop in the name of being “open.”
Which, I ask, is the one more enlightened?
I say if you have found a zone of comfort – stay! Suffering is overrated, trust me!
Just for your information – the old Honda Civic I’ve driven for years, my Ugg boots from yesteryear, and my husband are all very comfortable. And a test drive of anything other shall offer me nothing more than confirmation of what I know – and possibly a divorce.
Further, there are certain things which make me extremely uncomfortable – none of which I ever plan on trying. This includes, yet is not limited to, naked yoga, bungee jumping, and sitting in a sweat lodge.
Its taken me 40 some odd years to figure out what brings me peace. I’m not complacent – I’m simply happy. Content.
And yes – comfortable.
Filed under: inspiration, yoga | 2 Comments
Tags: change, naked yoga
last month, i was working on the layout for an advertising piece.
my husband, an expert in the area, reviewed my work once i was done. his immediate comment was that my ad looked so busy, with too much information . . . leaving what was really vital buried amongst what really wasn’t.
art mimics life. and unfortunately, this was not much different than the way i’ve been living.
back to my ad – my husband told me to write down the 4 most important ideas and put them in order. then get rid of 95% of the rest. never let the reader guess at what it is that truly matters. in one snapshot, emphasize what’s important and forget the rest.
didn’t take long for me to make the necessary adjustments. i knew immediately what i valued the most. and i barely gave the rest a second thought. i don’t even know why i felt so compelled to jam in so much irrelevance to begin with. and the finished product was far more reflective and effective.
my life needs to read like my ad. boldly putting forth only that which is most dear – and all the rest either deleted and reduced to a minimum. there should never be any confusion about what, and who, I really value.
my son came to me today and asked me to the movies. (on my dime, of course!). i looked around the house. there were a few dishes in the sink and mail in my inbox. not to mention, another project deadline looming.
but today, i remember my lesson from yesterday. today, i push my list of chores aside and leave work for a weekday. i am sure all emails can wait . . . but my son should not.
today he will know he’s most important.
billy makes my top 4 - EVERY day!
Filed under: monthly musings | Leave a Comment
Tags: family, inspiration, priorities
the promise of tomorrow
If you live in and around DC – you can’t help but be swept within the wave of intense excitement and radiant energy. For the upcoming inauguration will likely be the most well-attended and extraordinary ceremony in perhaps this nation’s history.
The enthusiasm is literally palpable.
But wait a second . . . currently as a country, we are engaged in two wars, our economy is in terrible crisis, and people are losing their homes and jobs in record numbers. I don’t care who you are – you are experiencing it. You feel it. To say times are tough is an understatement at best.
And yet, despite all the bleak news – our country is preparing for a celebration of immense proportions. Why? Certainly, as brilliant a leader and man as I believe our president-elect to be – even he could not be so powerful as to erase our grim current reality. Rather, it is what he represents: hope.
In our most difficult times – we turn to hope; and it is this hope that will ignite future change.
Hope is the greatest motivator of all. And sometimes – it’s all we have. Yet most of the time, it’s all we need. Hope is the seed of all action. It is that glimmer of light – however far in the distance – that guides us forward and out of the dark.
Hope is the expectation that tomorrow will be different and better than today, and within our renewed faith, is our commitment towards making it so.
The air is frigid outside. All bridges into DC are closed. And most anyone who manages to get into the city, will never even get within a mile of the Capitol steps. Still the crowds assemble. And soon – I will be among them.
Because this Tuesday, I will not just be witness to the swearing in of our 44th president – I will be witnessing a dream fulfilled, the restoration of faith, and the bright light of hope.
Filed under: monthly musings | Leave a Comment
Tags: barack obama, change, hope, inauguration
