What do we do now?

At the end of a yoga class, it is typical to bow to your fellow yogis and utter, Namaste. This loosely translates into, The light in me shines on the light in you; we are all part of the same light. As human beings, we are all flames of the same fire. For one to deny the light and refuse to shine is to make the bonfire smaller. Pausing to judge, complain, and blame only douses the flames some more. The remedy is to redouble our efforts to feed the flame and increase the light that encompasses us all, for we are all connected, together, as One.

Think of a candlelight service. It begins in darkness, but as soon as the first candle sparks, there is light. One candle ignites the next, and soon the light encompasses all. It takes one candle to begin, one person to hold the light for his neighbor who cannot bear it right now, one person to pass the flame. The light passes on to the next heart and the next, vanquishing the darkness and opening our hearts to compassion, forgiveness, and love. Especially love.

I take a deep breath and imagine this light glowing in my heart and moving out into the world, growing stronger and brighter with each breath. If you knew that was all it took to vanquish Darkness, wouldn’t you do that, too?

That’s all it takes. Do it.

How would you like to wake up to this gang every morning? I can't imagine what it was like for Mom, having to keep us dressed, combed, fed and relatively content every day, but I do remember how much fun it was being surrounded by so much commotion. There was always someone willing to play, and always a quiet place to escape when I needed to be alone with my Land of Oz series. Now that it's Christmas season, I keep thinking back to the mountains of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning, and the laden, tiered cookie tray, and tiny Santa Claus cups filled with eggnog. All during December I'd "play pretend" with the wax figures of snowmen, elves, and santas, or endlessly rearrange the painted manger figurines. Chris and I would start making Christmas Plans weeks ahead of time, and Chantal would warn us not to wake her up in the middle of the night, or else!

Finally Christmas Eve would arrive. I'd invariably have a stomach-ache from the excitement, and would lie in bed listening for hoofbeats on the roof. The top bunks were coveted on this night, especially, because chances were greater to hear Santa land his sleigh if you were closer to the ceiling! At some point, someone would wake up and we'd tiptoe to the top of the stairs. Sometimes we'd hear a warning, "Go back to bed!", but eventually Mom and Dad would be asleep and we were free to peek through the railing at the glowing tree and the treasures underneath. We were allowed to get our stockings down from the bannister, and would sneak into the bathroom to turn on the light and examine the contents. Didn't want to wake Chantal up! Then back to bed until someone was able to wake Mom and Dad to bring us down to The Main Event.

Hey, Christmas, for kids, is about presents. We might enjoy the stories about Baby Jesus and the drummer boy, but for those few early morning hours, the magic is all about presents and lights and cookies. And red flannel nightgowns.

Wish List

Thanksgiving is behind us, and ahead looms the spectre of Christmas. Is it a friendly ghost or a wicked one for you? Let’s shine it up, turn on some sparkly lights, and make a list of what we want for the holidays this year, to ensure a good time for all!

I’ll take some of that old standby, Peace on Earth, please. And a sprinkling of snow, but not too much, I don’t want to be greedy. Glittery ornaments and some fresh-smelling greens would be appreciated as well. Send me some marvelous stories in the newspapers, full of compassion and good will. Remember that feeling of empathy we discovered during the Hurricane? You can keep that going for a while, too. I’ll take some star shaped cookies, and don’t tell anyone, but I also like fruitcake!

In the spirit of the season, I’ll ask for too much – you can decide what to choose for me. Let’s add good health and prosperity for all, and a barrel of laughs. There’s no such thing as too much hope, so put that on my list, too. Oh, and red wine. A pinch of silliness goes a long way, and will go well with the wine! I already have reindeer antlers (see enclosed photo) but maybe some elfish shoes?

I’ll leave it at that, with the caveat that I get to add more, later. Do you have a deadline? Don’t worry about timing on my end, you can deliver the Peace and Prosperity any time! Thank you, Namaste, Aloha, Shalom, Asti Spumanti, and so it is!

What’s on your list?

Extreme Peace

While watching a video of extreme athletes doing their thing on YouTube, I found myself feeling a little jealous of them. The exhilaration they must feel while flying through the air on skis, or balancing on a board as a tremendous wave drives them forward! The amazing strength, speed and balance demonstrated as the parkour guys leap from pillar to post! And the sight of rock climbers high up on a sheer face simply took my breath away.

As I watched these crazy folks, I realized that extreme sports demand intense concentration. For me, moving from Wild Thing to Full Wheel in yoga class takes attention and a certain amount of courage; but really, if I failed I would only have a headache and maybe a lump on my head. A double flip on a snowboard turns out badly and, well, I’d rather not go there . . . And although there are plenty of physical factors that need to be in place during an extreme challenge, I am sure the mental and emotional factors are at least as important.

There is nothing in my system that would allow me to do any of those things. If you’re like me, preferring the safety of a yoga mat over the perils of a mountain bike, I recommend adding meditation to your routine. I know that sitting in a chair with your eyes closed doesn’t seem to be on par with flying through the snowy air, but I assure you that both activities concentrate and focus the mind in a beneficial way. Extreme sports and meditation each encourage your mind to move away from the thousands of tiny details of life to focus on one thing. While surfing, you’ll focus on what the water may do next; during meditation, you’ll focus on a mantra, your breath, or nothing. In the end, everyone will feel clear, healthy and released.

Your choice: ski-jump or meditate. Result: Peace.

Sharing Gratitude in Adversity

Although it’s been two weeks since Hurricane Sandy blew ashore, there are still people without electricity, water and other life necessities. Others have lost their homes or summer homes; many more have lost the place where they spent happy weeks as children and adults, now that the boardwalks and beaches have washed away. I usually use November as a time to talk about gratitude, but in the wake of Sandy and her snowy cousin Athena, there are some who are not ready to be grateful.

So what do we do with this? How does one spend Thanksgiving Day when a home has been lost, feelings of resentment towards utility companies and governments abound, and kids are running around wearing other peoples’ cast off, though lovingly donated, clothing? How does one summon gratitude once the relief that your family made it out alive fades and you are faced with a dark, muddy mess?

I have no idea. I am sitting in front of my computer in my warm house, having taken a hot shower, and sipping fresh coffee – my imagination comes to a screeching halt when I go too far into thoughts of having lost everything. I can't even log onto my favorite websites without my cheat sheet of passwords; what would I do without anything I rely on daily?

Here’s my thought: Those of us who are warm and snug, well lit when the short day comes to an end, and thinking about Christmas trees and candles lit for beauty, not utility -- we need to step our gratefulness up a notch.

Gratitude is like prayer; it is a thought sent into the universe and spread over the Earth. Thank You doesn’t only land on the one who roasted the turkey; when the chef is thanked she is uplifted and in turn uplifts those around her. Thank You expands and grows and spreads like an aura and when we let the gratitude migrate from our brains to our hearts, it burgeons into a force that carries out into the world. We need to pinch-hit for those who are unable to internalize gratitude this season. And hope they never need to return that favor!

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The Tortoise and the Hare

Face it. Even though the moral of Aesop’s fable is “Slow and steady wins the race,” we all secretly relate more to the hare. It’s all very well for the tortoise to plod along steadily, reaching his goals in an unassuming manner, but where’s the fun, where is the excitement, where is the rush of wind against his face? Must one be slow, serious, and steady (read: boring) in order to succeed? Was it mere frivolity that cost Hare the race?

Tortoise is content with his methods. He puts one foot down at a time, finishing one step before starting another. Meanwhile, Hare has been running in circles, taking side trips, and gleefully expending more energy than necessary to complete the footrace. The outcome of the competition hinged on an error in judgment by Mr. Hare. He judges the tortoise to be so very, very slow that there will be plenty of time for a snooze.

Hare was faster, the obvious winner. He was no fool; he knew what was needed to win, and he did that and more. We blame the nap, the overweening confidence that made Hare think he could snooze and still not lose. We blame the extravagant expenditure of energy, that he gave more than the task required. But brazen confidence has won many a race, and extra effort needn't be detrimental. So what happened here?

Judgment happened. The hare made a judgment about the tortoise that cost him the race. He scoffed and decided he, Hare, was the better of the two and that better wins out. Tortoise, on the other hand, let Hare be Hare. He took Eckhart Tolle’s advice to live in the Now. He kept his mind on what he was doing and didn’t get swept up in the maelstrom around him. It was attitude, not method, which succeeded.

Look at the tortoise’s gentle smile. He’s a Buddha.

(Photo from woondu.com)

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