What am I searching for? When will I be happy, and what will bring about this happiness? Why does that guy have it all and I don’t? How do I know I am on the right path? Where do I look for guidance? Who What Where When WHY?
We search for answers, and for clues that things are as they should be. A raise at work signals you are doing a good job. A hug from your teen shows you are connected to your child. A smile from a stranger affirms that you are connected to the world. So does it follow that no raise this year means your performance was poor; the cold shoulder from your high schooler proves you are a failure as a parent; someone letting the door bang in your face means that the outside world doesn’t even notice you?
Here is something to consider: Everything is neutral. There is no good, no bad, there just Is. Allowing salary to dictate worth as a person would mean that the Wall Street guy is a better person than the Visiting Nurse who takes care of your aunt. Each is doing important work, and their value cannot be known by their weekly paychecks. The guy who rushed by you in the doorway wasn’t slamming the door in YOUR face, he was simply unaware of you, for reasons of his own. And don’t get me started on teenagers -- they are beginning the important and difficult work of separating from their parents, so just breathe through those years and don’t take anything personally!
In yoga, we salute the Light in each other, acknowledging that we are all part of the same Light. We do our best not to judge. We remind ourselves that the person with the perfect Trkonasana is not better than her neighbor using three blocks and a strap to set her pose; they are two people in different places. Feeling the connection, knowing that we are each a part of the other, will foster a feeling of peace and love toward all. And it will help you feel better, too. Aren’t we all searching for Love, Peace, and Joy? Where else can these be found, but in each other.
We search for answers, and for clues that things are as they should be. A raise at work signals you are doing a good job. A hug from your teen shows you are connected to your child. A smile from a stranger affirms that you are connected to the world. So does it follow that no raise this year means your performance was poor; the cold shoulder from your high schooler proves you are a failure as a parent; someone letting the door bang in your face means that the outside world doesn’t even notice you?
Here is something to consider: Everything is neutral. There is no good, no bad, there just Is. Allowing salary to dictate worth as a person would mean that the Wall Street guy is a better person than the Visiting Nurse who takes care of your aunt. Each is doing important work, and their value cannot be known by their weekly paychecks. The guy who rushed by you in the doorway wasn’t slamming the door in YOUR face, he was simply unaware of you, for reasons of his own. And don’t get me started on teenagers -- they are beginning the important and difficult work of separating from their parents, so just breathe through those years and don’t take anything personally!
In yoga, we salute the Light in each other, acknowledging that we are all part of the same Light. We do our best not to judge. We remind ourselves that the person with the perfect Trkonasana is not better than her neighbor using three blocks and a strap to set her pose; they are two people in different places. Feeling the connection, knowing that we are each a part of the other, will foster a feeling of peace and love toward all. And it will help you feel better, too. Aren’t we all searching for Love, Peace, and Joy? Where else can these be found, but in each other.
Well said BOY AM I LUCKY!
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