Shadow and Light
I’ve heard people say the brighter the light, the darker the shadow, but never the darker the shadow, the brighter the light. Curious. May more light shine in what is too much darkness.
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Found Exhortation
I prefer the exhortations: be careful, be mindful, pay attention. It is good to heed what is around us, being open to the optimal next step on the unfolding path.
But if we get too wary or fearful, if we spend too much time watching out for and guarding against danger, then we may well miss opportunities to enhance our lives and those around us.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
I had previously committed to volunteering at the Lantern at the same time as the demonstration at the White House against the separation, incarceration, and deportation of those seeking asylum. I left the house an hour early and got off the bus at Farragut Square instead of taking it all the way to Georgetown. Volunteers were actively coordinating and people were starting to gather.
I talked to people who were heading over as I walked on to the Lantern, and I brought the demonstration with me.
Advance thoughts on the inauguration festivities
The picture on top shows police blockades put up on the west side of the Capitol for inaugural preparations. The bottom picture shows a bandstand erected at the extreme west end of the Capitol lawn looking over the reflecting pool and the Mall. I’ve refrained from posting pictures of the hundreds of port-a-potties on the Capitol side of the Mall. Event planners brought in 5,000 — more than has ever been put in the Mall area for an event. The ones next to the Capitol are “United” port-a-potties; do you think they planned that?Hard to imagine 2,000,000 plus or minus a million in this space. I’ve been here with 700,000 or maybe even 800,000 at the fireworks and a couple of really big demonstrations. But what seems a nice open space seems awfully small to hold that many people. Just think: right now there are only 450,000 residents of the District of Columbia and the greater metropolitan area has only about 3,000,000 (last time I checked, maybe it’s a couple hundred more). But having them all 10-20 blocks from my house on one side with 10,000 of their charter buses only 8-15 blocks seems a shocking sandwich of huddled humanity.
Where will you be? I know a few of you are volunteering and will have seats on the bleachers. Many more of you have said you don’t plan to go any where near the festivities, but will appreciate this rush of energy from your warm homes or a friends’ house in your own neighborhood. Several hundred thousand people on a nice day would be one thing, but a million plus on a bitter cold day with large chunks of the city not only cut off for cars, but also cyclists and pedestrians, seems quite another.
I do not think it means that I am not celebrating (nor a real tantrika) if I end up choosing not to squeeze myself into the crowd because I find it hard to revel in a crowd. I’ll just be celebrating in my own way with groups of a size where I feel more comfortable. I’ll be up in Takoma Park on Saturday teaching my regular Willow Street yoga classes. On Sunday, I’ve planned dinner with a friend, but I am not sure about trying to plunge into the sea of humanity at the Lincoln Memorial earlier in the day. On Monday, I plan to join 400 other yogins at a giant kirtan as my “inaugural event.” As for Tuesday — I’ll wait to see what the energy feels like. Whatever I’m doing, I will be sending energetic support for the trees. They are stressed enough in the city that it is hard to have their roots trampled by so many people. If you come down to be part of the crowd, please send loving energy to the trees. Let’s also hope the new administration honors its promises and starts taking care of trees all over the country and the planet (and let’s support advocacy groups that work to care for the environment — now’s a great time to move forward in a positive way).
- Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Quaker
A Cookie and a Note
Last week, a co-worker stopped by my office to chat. Not surprisingly, the conversation turned to current affairs, and I voiced my every day growing anger and grief and disgust and commitment to seek more ways to have positive impact. My co-worker essentially responded that as a yoga teacher, she thought I ought to know that I shouldn’t get so upset, things weren’t so bad.
As should not be surprising to those who know me or practice yoga with me or read what I post on social media that I explained that my yoga calls for lucid and engaged citizenship and not escape from challenges and difficult emotions. My co-worker demurred, still wanting her own comfortable silence.
The fateful weekend passed. When I returned to the office this week, I found a note and a cookie on my desk. The note basically said, wow, Charlottesville, I hope you’re feeling ok, I thought you might like a cookie. Without addressing the substance of the note, (my own conflict aversion coming to the fore or perhaps my sense that in this case there was little point in pursuing the conversation further and my co-worker has been a pleasant colleague ), when emailing about another matter, I said merely thank you for the cookie.
I’d thought that would be the end of it, but my co-worker then stopped by to thank me for saying thanks for the cookie, I no longer restrained myself from passionately though tolerably politely articulating what I really thought, including what a privilege it is to be able to have a bakery cookie whether for hunger or comfort.
I can relate to wanting everything to be ok, and I’m really glad I have plenty of food and a comfortable home, but I also believe that with my privilege comes great responsibility, now even more than ever. I seek to be more aware not less. What about you?
