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- Art and Culture | Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Meditation
It Was a Night to Stay In, But I Needed to Go Out
It was not the kind of night to go across town to run an errand, but it was one that could not wait until after I cam back from vacation (picking up my passport from the company that processes visas for India). I did not really feel the need to go shopping in Georgetown and would have rather gone straight home, but the rain was getting heavier and heavier and traffic was abominable. A taxi would have been a pointless exercise in watching the meter while we barely moved.
So I checked out “Fashion’s Night Out” in the stores near the bus stop. I had a great time visiting with the DC Roller Girls, who were at the Lush store in Georgetown. When the sales people start describing the products to me–they are always very enthusiastic–I often find myself telling them that I know what I need to know about Lush; I first shopped at Lush when it was a single store in Covent Garden.
When it was evident that the rain was not going to let up, and I’d had enough of window shopping from inside, I caught the Circulator bus and enjoyed myself taking photographs. When there is little choice about going out in the rain, it is best, as my teachers remind me and the practices inspire me, to find the beauty and the delight.
My “Black Friday” Spending
I paid to take a yoga workshop with Paul and Sommer Sobin back in town for their annual day after Thanksgiving workshop at Willow Street Yoga, which was just delightful. I spent the money for round trip transportation between Union Station and Silver Spring. I had lunch with friends and paid for my share of lunch: green tea salad, ginger salad, and tofu with sour mustard at Mandalay in Silver Spring. I am grateful for what Willow Street Yoga offers me and the community, for easy access to public transportation (I wish we would spend some of our defense budget on public transportation), and for a wide variety of restaurants with delicious vegetarian and vegan alternatives near to my home.
I chose to spend money today to have a refreshing and rejuvenating vacation day before teaching tomorrow and to support people whose livelihood is providing services and goods that make the community a better place to be and that enrich my own life. I express my gratitude by, in the method created by the consumer society, contributing to the livelihoods of those who will, in exchange for livelihood, provide life-enhancing services and creative gifts to the rest of us.
- Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc) | Meditation | Photos
Thinking About Gratitude
When I was walking to work this morning, trying not to get enmeshed in anxiety about the stresses of the day to come, I invited myself to practice gratitude (and not just being grateful for having only first world problems).
I paused to look all about, at the beauty of this lush summer. When I turned around for a 360 degree appreciation, I saw the view following me was as engaging as the view in the direction I was walking.




