sleepin' in the rain

Not necessarily sleeping in. But definitely falling asleep to the sound of rain outside my window. It reminds me of camp, except for that there is no tin roof to sing me to sleep.
It has rained for nearly two days here - so needed, so welcomed. It feels cool now and like winter. And it's plain wonderful. Yoga was quiet tonight except for the sound of the rain outside of the 7th Street Studio. Sitting here in my living room the drips have turned to plops in the puddles outside and as I bundle up in my blanket, slippers, and flannel pajamas, I'm ready to turn in for the night. This last night of school. Before a nice long break. And that, too, is lovely.

looking to some wiser than I

I usually like to reserve quotations for my "friday quotation" but this list of wisdom struck me in a particular way even on day #2 of the week.
I read this on Sunday - a list of things in the Huffington Post that elders wished to pass down to the younger generation.
My reactions to this advice:
- don't choose a career for the money (you need to like it and feel rewarded by something other than a paycheck!): check!
- take care of your body: trying to do this!
- don't miss out on opportunities: working on this...this is a tough one for me as it often involves taking risks, which I'm not great at doing
- don't rush into marrying/choosing a mate (apparently I'm wiser than I thought?!)
- travel more: working on this, too...actually was daydreaming about a summer trip out west just last night...exciting!
- speak your truth: in other words, say what you feel...speak up... For the "quiet, keep-the-peace" child, this is a tough one. I'm getting more comfortable with it though.
- life moves quickly...act now. I feel like I've been hearing this message a lot lately. "Now is what matters", "live in the moment", "don't be consumed by the past or the future", etc... I do think I sometimes take for granted that there will always be another time to do something, say something, etc... and the reality is, there might not be!
- choose happiness. The end. It is a choice. Our choice. Each day. In every moment.
- worrying really doesn't do anything for you. Except for to make you more anxious...and waste your time. Why oh why does it feel like such a natural place to turn then?!
- small acts matter. Small things matter.
Yes...words from our elders (in my own words)...that make so much sense. And so many of them wrote that they wished they had learned these lessons in their 30s (which I'm quickly leaving behind!) instead of in their later years. I think everyone probably says that. But maybe, just maybe, if one or two of these things can settle in my heart, I'll be a little more wise before my time.

friday quotation

I came across this and thought it was lovely...and so I share.

May you always have...
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.

rich from the journey

I think that Dean must be in cahoots with iTunes. (And Katie, too.) Because so often when I leave yoga (and a massage) I am introduced to a new song. Which has a message so powerful or a tune so resonating that I find my way to my computer that very day and seek it out on iTunes. Things could be worse. My music library is all the richer and varied and more meaningful thanks to the two of them.
Tonight the song was the lyrical version of the post I've been wanting to write since last week. Since St. Andrew's Day. My 16th St. Andrew's Day. Which is significant because 16 years sounds like a long time - where has it gone? But also because at St. Andrew's, on your 16th St. Andrew's Day you receive the pendant that I've posted here. A sweet, sweet symbol for me of love and friendship and my passions and my job and challenges and struggles and growth and community and, and, and...there is just so much there.
So much there that the song that Dean played at the end of yoga tonight summed it up. I am "rich from (my) journey" at St. Andrew's. I'm not going anywhere, at least not as far as I know, but I do feel like I'm looking out on some new horizon at St. Andrew's. Maybe it's because Lucy is leaving and that will take us into a new chapter as a school. Maybe it is because the college counseling office is expanding next year and so I know that will take that program to a new level...and me to a new place in terms of everything from work space to work responsibilities. Maybe I just don't know. Maybe it's just a feeling. A feeling of being rich from the journey thus far and amply supplied for the journey ahead. Thanks to Kimmie Rhodes for saying it better than I can...
"Rich from the Journey"
We stood before the waving sea
and stared at vast infinity,
and praised the life that brought us here
to take our ride upon this sphere,
for when we reach the distant shore I know we'll be returning,
rich from the journey
rich from the journey.

You never know what's up ahead.
The tempest rolls and the skies are red,
but, off into the world that waits
between tomorrow and today,
to seek our fortunes and our fates, driven by this yearning,
to be rich from the journey,
rich from the journey.

When it's time to leave the harbor of this dream
we'll have a heart that's filled with memories.

So sail away sweet soul in peace.
Hoist your sails into the breeze.
Beneath these stars so hard to read,
Godspeed the winds that carry me
and tell my friends to look for me for soon I'll be returning,
rich from the journey
rich from the journey
rich from the journey
rich from the journey.

friday quotation

"We are to be animated with a love which embraces all, of every rank and character. A love, which forgets divisions and outward distinctions, that breaks down the old partition walls and seeks a divine spark in every intelligence. Love which longs to redress the existing inequalities of society, which substitutes generous motives for force, which sees nothing degrading in labor but honors all useful occupation, and which everywhere is conscious of just claims and rights of all. Calling upon the mighty to save, not crush, the weak. And a love, which in a word, recognizes the infinite worth of every human spirit."
~ William E. Channing

friday quotation (on saturday)

You don't choose a life, you live one.
~ The Way

Such a good reminder.
I've spent the past few days being grateful for my life ('tis the season, but still a good practice and I'm grateful that as a country we set aside time to give thanks - even if we should do it more often and not just on Thanksgiving).
Maybe not all parts of it would I have chosen, but I sure am doing my best to live my life. And as I live a little longer, I realize that even the parts that I would not have chosen are there for a reason. Yes, that's a terrible cliche. But I'm starting to actually believe it rather than just say it or write it.
So here's to the life I'm living...authentically. compassionately. boldly. lovingly.
(Or at least most of these things most of the time!)

I am...

...the focus at our yoga class on Sunday night was the "..." behind the "I am..." statement. As Dean pointed out, we all have scripts in our heads. Stories that play over and over again, often without our even pressing the imaginary "play" button. Stories that seem to be on auto-pilot to start playing as soon as they are triggered. And he suggested if we could just quiet those scripts sometimes or re-write them and insert some other ending to "I am..." then whatever is to follow might just come to pass. For the rest of class, we tried it. I am strong. I am balanced. I am graceful in reverse warrior. I am steady in standing splits. I am safe. I am kind. I am loving. And so on and so forth. One that kept coming to mind for me was I am here. A constant WIP for me to be absolutely present. Even when I think I am, I am aware that some part of me is somewhere else...dreaming of another time or place...planning my next move, task, dream. I wonder what it would be like to be fully present? I wonder if I ever have been? I would like to think so. I would like to believe that if I keep telling myself, "I am here" then I really will be here or there or however you would say that.
And I love that my meditation for the evening was about storytelling and the voice that we all have within us. "Each of us has a story to tell and our own way of sharing it with the world. It comes out through our words, through our work, and through the simple actions of our daily life. Listen to the stories of the people around you. Listen with your soul. Learn to value without judging and listen with an open heart to the beauty of each story and the importance of the storyteller. Learn to value and appreciate the story you are living now. Awaken to the storyteller within and share your story with the world. Tell it with joy and flair. Commit to telling it with love and passion. Tell it through living your life, doing your work well, and creating the best life you can. Be who you are and love being that." (Journey to the Heart)
So I guess my "I am..." story would begin with "I am Elizabeth. And I am proud to be Elizabeth. And I am learning to love Elizabeth, for who she is, for where she's been, for where she's going, and for who she might become..." And the rest of that story I am continuing to create.