11-11

11-11 is the eleventh day of the eleventh month of our calendar.  It is Veterans’ Day (still on 11-11 and not on the nearest Monday).  It is a day to contemplate what I, as a citizen, can do to invert a National policy of creating war and turning our young people into soldiers and then neglecting and abusing them when they come home wounded physically and psychologically.  Surely, it should be the reverse:  we should be doing everything we can to avoid war and then do everything we can to take care of the health and welfare of those who have served.

11-11 is also a day for me to honor my own ancestors; it is the anniversary of the day my beloved Grandmother Rose left her body.

11-11 is a day of celebration; it is my mother’s birthday.  She has said that when she was a littlge child, that she thought the parades and the day off from school were for her birthday.

11-11 is also a delightful treat of relative leisure (Federal Holiday in the middle of the week).

It is rare for me that a single day has so many different personal imports.  Each day, though, indeed each moment, impacts all of us so differently depending on our life circumstances.  Some of those impacts just happen; some are chosen; some are how we react both to what happens and what we choose.  I’ll be enjoying my day off to the fullest, but will also be sending loving energy to those in need, especially those suffering from current and past wars.

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    Teaching Less to Practice More

    This morning is the last Saturday in the foreseeable future when, even waking up before dawn, I have to cut short my morning practice to get on the metro to go teach. I have a strong memory of a relatively novice teacher telling me, before I started teaching, that she was going to stop teaching indefinitely because she needed more time for her own practice. At times over the years, when my other job was at its most demanding, I would think about that statement. Mostly, though, I have circumscribed other activities to fit in time for work, teaching, and a full practice.

    It came time to admit, though, after nearly two years of steady study with 0Paul Muller-Ortega, which expanded my meditation practice from 25-30 minutes a day, in addition to asana practice and studying, to an hour a day plus additional practices and more studying, that there are not enough hours in a day for all I want to do.

    I have been teaching on Saturday mornings for a number of years now. I love my Saturday morning students and have embraced the discipline of getting to class to teach.

    The energies have shifted. I will still teach my noon class on Saturday and my weeknight classes, but I will have more time for a full practice and perhaps some extra garden time from this shift. I expect that this time to deeper into my own path will bring new energy and light to my teaching. I hope trust I will see my Saturday morning students at other classes and workshops, both when I am teaching and taking class together at Willow Street.

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    Signs Around Town

    A friend emailed me today that her children will be home for rest of the week because their schools lost power from Sandy, and that she is counting her blessings because she and her family came through fine. My parents, who lost trees, including one that went through the roof of their house, are counting themselves well off because they witnessed how bad it could have been. In contrast, some others I know who didn’t experience any real inconvenience to themselves personally though in danger range have said they thought the storm had been “over-hyped.” (I know, being exposed to silly statements such as the latter is a peril of social media).

    Do we need to know hardship ourselves, at least a little, in order to have true sensitivity and compassion? Possibly.

    To all my friends and family challenged in the wake of Sandy or going through another challenge or hardship, please know that you are in my thoughts.

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

One Comment

  1. Dear Elizabeth,
    Your sister is visiting and helped us get into your lovely blog.
    Thanks so much for honoring me and your grandmother.
    Love and blessings as always,
    Me

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