Found Exhortation


Last week, I was talking to a friend of mine from yoga and mentioned that I was almost embarrassed that I found myself being extra careful on the stairs of the house because I so much want to avoid any need to go to the doctor.
The next day a neighbor posted a picture of her bandaged ankle; she sprained it falling down the stairs.
I felt a little better about my feeling a need for my minor care-taking.

When I was going through airport security today in San Francisco on my way to Los Angeles, the security guard made me stop. She patted my hair all around my neck and then let me go. I had read an article a few weeks ago (probably in the New York Times), written by an African-American woman complaining of the hair pat-down. The author said that though she knew many woman of color who had experienced it, she knew of no white women, no matter how curly their hair. When it happened, I thought, “well, I’m a white woman who has been given the hair pat-down.”
When my blonde friend, whose hair is thick and curly, met me at the gate, I asked if they had patted her hair. It was not a surprise the answer was “no.”. My wild and frizzy, dark, ethnically jewish hair is still scarier to this society than pretty blonde, northern european tresses.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
It is a gloriously cool and breezy morning of the type that is common for New England and very rare for DC, especially heading into Independence Day weekend. I had a longer and earlier walk than I usually do. I have an early morning meeting at the Internal Revenue Service.
As I walked down Constitution Avenue past the museums and federal buildings, I wondered how many of the hundreds of millions of people whose lives are impacted by the IRS ever think of it as a building with real, live human beings working inside of it.
It can be tremendously difficult to see a broader perspective when faced with things that cause us burden, obligation, or challenge. One of the key reasons to practice yoga, and in Anusara yoga to practice (it is indeed a practice we have to work on) opening to grace, is to recognize our humanity and the light in all things so that life feels more beautiful even when we are struggling.
This ad, which I saw while I was riding the train to NYC last week, reminded me of a primary reason I practice yoga. The sincere yogin doesn’t negate the spaces between opportunities to vacation, but seeks to live fully each day.
It might be more enjoyable to play or adventure than to have a stressful day at the office on any given day, but I’d hate to think I am a better person only when I have vacated work and home.