I woke this morning with an intense awareness of a friend who left his body several years ago. That he and others who are no longer physically present in my life are so very much a part of my present consciousness leads me to a fuller awareness of the dance of life and consciousness. Nataraja.
For the past hour or so, one of my neighbors has been shoveling the sidewalk. He is a young teenager; for a while a younger girl was out with him, too. They both had shovels and were working pretty vigorously. I always wave and say hi to these neighbors, but have an uneasy relationship with them. In the 19 years I have lived on the block, various members of the household (though not these particular kids) have broken into my house and threatened me and my neighbors. People who live in the house and their visitors regularly throw litter into my yard, and other neighbors have reported that they have caught kids currently living in the house throwing stones at houses and cars.
The shoveling was going on for a long time and the sounds were getting closer. Sure enough, this young man, perhaps because he was feeling trapped by being stuck in the house all day and was feeling full of energy, was shoveling the entire sidewalk, including the space in front of my house. I am delighted and grateful. I was not looking forward to going out and doing it myself. I will make certain to thank him. He has reminded me that I need always to be open to receiving the good from whatever source, however unexpected.
I do not do the poses as an end in themselves. I practice moving my body mindfully so that I can move as best serves my life. Among other things, I like to be sufficiently flexible and secure in my balance to maintain a vertical garden.
