Good morning!Here we are walking the path towards the last few days of 2021.
For those of you who are traveling and finding warmth in faraway places, we are cheering you on! (Give a toe-squish in the sand for us!)
For those of you who are spending time with family and loved ones, we wish you happiness and cheer.
For those of you are spending time alone, we hope that you are embracing peace and finding time to do the things that you love.
For those of you who are working, we wish you success in your projects and a steady and less frenzied pace onward.
For those of you who work to support health, safety, education, sanitation, food distribution, mail service, and any service to the broader world, we bow to you.
For those of you who are sick, we feel for you with our whole hearts.
And, for those of you, who may in fact be all of us, -that feel bruised in the heart with suffering, loss, fatigue and concern, we see you, we hear you, and we feel you.
Holidays are indeed an interesting time of the year and in particular, the cusp of the new year. Amidst the bustle of daily life, the eve of the new year serves as a geographical marker that prompts us to take stock in the positions within our physical, emotional and spiritual worlds.
Likewise, holidays are also marked by certain passages, music and movies. These cues have a way of elevating our spirits, illuminating the good in our world and intoxicating our beings with a wellspring of hope. (Currently, hope is just as much in need as a rapid test). During the past couple of days, my family has been watching Frank Capra’s, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. This movie was not a blockbuster by any means in its day which is surprising given that it masterfully reflected the struggle during wartime, depression and disease. (Not the
hallmark of an Academy Award contender? I digress). However, what rang true in this movie is that it speaks just as powerfully now as it did when it was made. If you’ve not watched the movie, the arc of the main character’s life is outlined and rewound by an external spirit who’s mission it is to guide him back to focus on what is truly important to him. Throughout the movie we grow up with the character as he is touched by events, choices, loss, war, a depression and a catastrophic event that challenges him during a time where he is utterly fatigued and feels that he has nothing left. At this point the spirit intervenes to provide him with a view of how life would be had he not been there. The movie then brings us back into its present where the work of one man’s life powers a chain reaction of goodwill that ripples back towards him to help him rise out of his challenge.
Wow.
The powerful messages here:
Each person has the ability to powerfully effect change.
We need to see and believe that within ourselves.
Our magical helpers may appear in different forms.
Our daily work matters.
Hold onto hope.
While currently much may seem overwhelming, chaotic, and confusing, we do live in a blindingly beautiful world. Before you endeavor upon any new projects or goals to crush in the new year, we urge you to take the time to be your own helper/guide. Rewind and review the tape of your life to recognize how your many footprints have made an impression upon yourself and others. Take stock of what threads you weave through your daily life that sustain you and make you feel whole. Take stock of what threads you weave through your daily life that sustain and make others feel whole. Note with humility, grace and curiosity where past foibles could educate and recalibrate new choices. As the hours and days elapse, understand through the a-ha moments, boredom, pain, losses, elation, defeats and victories, that these range of feelings are omnipresent in the work that we do on and off the mat.
Our practice matters.
Lastly, please remember that you are beautiful, you are loved, you are wise, your are a force.
Keep going.
You make it a wonderful life.
We look forward to practicing next to you in mind, body and spirit.
Happy New Year!
Love-
Sharon and Your TYC Tribe