Ten Thousand Joys and Ten Thousand Sorrows

Ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows, Chuang Tzu Taoist sage fourth-century BCE.

My sister and I have spent the last three months helping mom move back and forth from a hospital to a health center.  At 93 things happen and I am happy to say she is doing well.  During that time I met many wonderful people,  Two that I will never forget.  The first is a tiny 96 year old woman that doesn't attract a lot of attention unless you listen closely for her sharp wit.  We became instant friends and she started calling my sister and I her "girls".  We always left her room laughing and talking about her infectious personality.  She reminded us of our Nona Mary with her brilliant wit and never ending twinkle in her eye always saying whatever comes to mind.    My other new friend is 103 years old.  She is filled with warmth which shines through her eyes, a gentle heart and an endearing smile. Her famous saying to us is" I have lived through many hard times and many good times", then she shrugs her shoulders and smiles takes your hands in hers and gives them a kiss.  Always making us feel that our visit was a wonderful gift.   I leave her room thinking does it have to take 103 years to find that place of acceptance that life is Ten Thousand Joys and Ten Thousand Sorrows.  

What I will take away from all this is remembering   When life is great and when life is hard know that  "this too shall pass". Try and find the middle ground of acceptance, let go of the story line and know it is all part of my journey.

Namaste 

Unwrapping your gifts

Why is it easer to talk about our faults than our gifts?  Last night during my workshop we were completling our final exercise which was to create our Life's Mission Statement, an exercise used by iPEC.

The task was list 3 things that make you unique.   Immediately I heard a low grumble of "oh no".   If instead I asked the group to list 3 of their faults, the response would have been  "oh that's easy".  One person was brave enough to say  "I don't know what my gifts are".  I'm curious why that is.  Possibly because we have always heard it's not good to brag or maybe we were raised in a household that focused on what was not right so we could fix it.    

Remember whatever we focus on increases.  When we only focus on our faults they continue to grow and develop into our core beliefs.  Imagine the shift of energy we can experience by starting to acknowledge and recognize that which makes us unique.  If you really can not find anything that is special about yourself try asking a dear friend, I'm sure they can help you.  Use these new found strengths on a daily basis and begin to feel the transformation.

Leave your ego at the door......

Yoga is a very important part of my life.  One of my favorite expressions pertaining to a yoga studio is  "Leave your ego at the door".  So this morning as I was walking through that door the saying came to mind and I added:  Leave your ego at the door, get on your mat and start from where you are.  If we look to others for INSPIRATION, we plant the seeds of possibility.  If we look at others in COMPARISON, we feel better than or not as good as everyone we come in contact with. When I rolled up my mat and left the studio I thought, by stepping away from the ego and not comparing ourselves to others we learn how to become "comfortable in our own skin".  So I invite you to experiment today.  Become aware of how you look at people and situations?  Is it through your ego by comparison or through your soul for inspiration? Then notice which one feels better.   Namaste