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    Did You Do Anything Fun for the Labor Day Weekend?

    ByElizabeth

    When I go back to work tomorrow, people will ask me whether I did anything “fun” over the Labor Day Weekend, just as before the weekend I was asked it I had anything “fun” planned.  At recent gatherings where I have bumped into people I haven’t seen in a while, all the questions have been about whether I did anything exciting this summer.  I have been pondering these questions and what they say about how we structure our lives.  For me, the seasons change based on what I cook and eat, how I dress, and to some degree, when I sleep (more at night when it is cold and dark; more afternoon naps when it is overly hot and bright), but I both work and take breaks throughout the year, so summer did not bring anything more or less exciting than usual.

    I am acutely aware that part of the reason I have the luxury to live in accordance with the seasons is that I am not on a school schedule, and I have a job that allows me a little flexibility in terms on when to take breaks and when I come and go on any given day.  I also realize that I have blurred the difference between work and “fun.”  I have had a most enjoyable Labor Day weekend, but some would think much of it has been work:  I taught two classes; I gardened; I cooked; I’ve done some housecleaning; I am writing this blog entry, etc.  As I took pleasure in all of these activities, I think of it as having had fun, even though everything I did was something someone could have been doing as “work.”  I think that when we take pleasure in our work, we are less in need of grasping at “fun” and can find more joy in the leisure activities that are more usually labeled as “fun.”

    I hope whatever you have been doing, whether working or playing, you are enjoying the day, and can take a few moments to reflect on those who fought long and hard for ordinary workers to be able to have the time to play in between working.

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    Found Exhortation (India Style)

    ByElizabeth

    Only after walking along the two lane streets in a sari and sandals, sharing the road with exhaust-fume spewing buses, three-wheelers, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, cows, goats, dogs, street vendors, and pedestrians amidst dust, puddles, sewage, potholes, cowpats, dog shit, goat turds, and piles of organic and non-biodegradable trash, could one understand how a campaign to end the practice of littering would link it to evil.  Thanks to my fellow traveler Eric for pointing out this sign.

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    Still More Color (An Appreciation)

    ByElizabeth

    Today, when I was thinking about that for which I am most grateful and taking a lunchtime walk through the neighborhood, I decided that my persistent appreciation for beauty is worthy of the highest gratitude. The ability always to be entranced by beauty has gotten me through many a moment of potential suffering.

    Though many of the trees have lost their leaves, the spectacular color show continues.  Some of the trees are still sporting green leaves, so there is more to come.  And then will come the time to enjoy the exquisite architecture and shape of the branches themselves against the winter sky–it’s own kind of beauty.

    color 1a color 1b color 1c color 1e

     

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    Have You Ever Seen a Woman Use a Leaf Blower?

    ByElizabeth

    There hasn’t been a day in the past two months when I haven’t needed to cover my nose, mouth, and ears because I needed to walk past someone using a leaf blower.

    They stink with burning fuel, stir up allergens, and aren’t really any more efficient than a rake and a broom. Why are they so ubiquitous? And why is that I have never seen a woman using one, but I have seen men of all races, ages, and socio-economic status cheerfully using one?

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Thanksgiving Yoga (Web Version of E-Newsletter)

    ByElizabeth

    Dear Friends,

    I am perhaps a little late in sending out this announcement.  The time when I usually would have sent it was smack in the middle of the enmeshed and engulfing energies of the election and Hurricane Sandy.  In contemplating what I should write in my invitation to the annual Thanksgiving Day Yoga Fundraiser for Oxfam, I had such an assortment of ideas about gratitude, about abundance, about service, about expressing and receiving thanks, especially when so many are experiencing conflict, hardship, pain, and loss, that I found myself as if I had nothing to say.  It occurred to me, among my many musings, that as long as I have something to give, it wouldn’t matter if I have nothing to say.

    One of the key reasons I meditate and practice asana is to spend defined periods of time being intentionally one-pointed (ekagrata) in my focus.  Out of the apparent maelstrom of experiences, sensations, emotions, and ideas to which we are exposed and in which we can be immersed or even submerged, a point of focus can arise for speaking or acting that frees us from being so caught up in the whirl that we cannot move.  Being intimate with and knowing how to get to the space of stillness and focus–and remembrance of what is most important to us, which I think is a critical element of true gratitude–can help us better take care of ourselves and the society and ecosystems with which we are intertwined.

    In a light of focused intention to make offering, I invite those of you who will be in town to join me for an all-levels class at Willow Street Yoga, Takoma Park, from 10:00-11:30am on Thanksgiving  to celebrate the day and to share our abundance and gratitude with those in need. A tradition for me and for Willow Street and a perfect way to expand the holiday. Friends and family of all levels welcome, including teens, tweens with yoga experience, seniors and everyone else in between. All proceeds go to Oxfam.

    To all of you, I wish you much spontaneous experience of gratitude.  I think of all of you and send my well wishes, especially those who are facing difficult challenges.

    Peace and light,

    Elizabeth

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