My natural inclination all my life has been to hit the ground running. Our ever-moving culture rewards us for how much we do, how hard we work, how little we sleep and how many items we can check off our daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, mental “to do” lists. It seems if we can commiserate it somehow makes this way of being acceptable even admirable. Some folks measure virtue and goodness around how many activities can be packed in a day.
The Sanskrit word for contentment is Santosha. Practicing yoga and connecting with the breath every day has enabled me to find more within my life. The slow shift from “doing” to “being” is nothing short of a miracle. Trying to align my thoughts with who I am vs. what I do, after years of conditioning is a very new way of being which I am learning to love.
Over the spring and summer I had the privilege of an extended visit from my middle daughter Kaci. She stayed at our home for most of her first pregnancy while her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. Focusing on the here and now Kaci lived her life in the moment stringing together days, weeks, finally, months. She disciplined her mind to release all in her life she couldn’t control.
Watching her was beautiful and poignant. She, her younger sister and I spent many days together touching and photographing her growing belly. Hunting and gathering items to be sent in overseas packages became a science, what would parish, what was necessary, what was special and what was fun. Her soldier received gifts filled with her heart. He received a 3-d glimpse of his baby in her womb via high-tech images transferred from computer to paper, mundane yet so important socks, underwear and toiletries, sweet personal touches shared just between the two them, and countless other items. Her days were productive and meaningful. Conversations were positive and hopeful. The example she set was a lesson in choosing thoughts and behaviors making the most of the now. Kaci’s daily mantra was that of many military wives “No news is good news, all is well.” Thankfully my son-in-law arrived home healthy and whole two and a half weeks before the birth of their son born on 11/25/13. On a recent visit to their home, I watched a lovely new family finding joy moment to moment.
Although I have one of those busy daily agendas, today I chose to embrace the simple yet essential moments before and after the tasks at hand. This morning I tasted my coffee, I gazed out my bedroom window watched the sky grow from dark to light. Breathing deeply, I said “thank you’. I already had a wonderful conversation with my eldest daughter Kara. The rest of the day will be filled with meetings, clients and the last regularly scheduled public class I will teach at my studio. “All will be well.” I plan to love my man, call my mom, laugh with my youngest daughter, Dani, and dance. These are the moments that count. No need to compare, compete or complain to myself or with others. Thank you Kaci.
