BEING

I had the chance to spend time in Northern Vermont, very close to the border of Canada. Where the trees are green and lush and the rain came down every night like buckets of water being dropped from the sky. Wildflowers enjoying their life, growing free on the side of every road I passed. Yellow, orange lilies popped up everywhere as if to say hi, welcome to our beautiful home. As a philosophy student and someone who appreciates the natural ebb and flow of life, everything in our world can be seen as a teaching, a lesson. The flourishing energy in nature was a playground of guidance.

The first lesson I had was about time. Back in my everyday life, time is precious. I live in Brooklyn, running a business and caring for my family and loved ones. Trying to fit everything in from my daily chores, spiritual practice, self care rituals, social life and so much more can get overwhelming. I am no stranger to using the word hustle or busy. Most people can relate. But something about being on vacation, in a place where the tree branches move with the wind and the animals play in their woods, time felt like it was standing still.

I played the guitar to Taylor Swift songs that my niece picked out while she was doing a 300 piece puzzle. We enjoyed the moments. There was no clock, no agenda, no place to go and it showed me how peaceful it is to enjoy one thing at a time. I wasn’t thinking about cooking or working, instead just being in the moment. Just being.

The second lesson that came to my attention was the state motto of New Hampshire. Live Free or Die was on all the license plates and some murals in the town of Littleton. I gravitated towards this energy as I appreciate freedom in my life and dedicate my energy to being free from my mind’s chatter. Everyone will have their own interpretation of the motto and I’m sure not everyone will notice it or even care. The lesson was that there is so much out there in the world and our experiences, interpretations, desires become the stories we tell and the lens from which we see everything around us.

The last lesson that I’ll share came from a mid afternoon swim at the pond down the road from my sister’s house. My niece who is 8 years old tried a new pair of snorkeling goggles. They didn’t fit right and while I was on the paddle board with my dog, Jagger, my niece took off the goggles and they slipped through her hands! She wasn’t quick enough and I wasn’t even trying to get them because then Jagger might have fell into the water (he always wears a life vest in case you were wondering) so the goggles disappeared.

My niece was disappointed with herself and she started to tear up and tried to hide her feelings. I watched her go from sad to mad to even pointing a finger at me asking why I didn’t jump in and grab the goggles. Emotios can shift in a heartbeat but the lesson for me was with my sister. My sister, who stayed calm and focused, kept diving down to the bottom to find the goggles but every time she dove in, the water got murky. The cloudy water made it hard to see the bottom of the pond.

This is the analogy we use in yoga. Yoga is the cessation of mind fluctuations. We practice being a witness of the mind. All of our thoughts are like the waves in a body of water. They stir up emotions where you can’t see or understand clearly who we truly are. The practice of yoga and meditation benefits a deep awareness of inner stillness.

After some time, my sister found the goggles! My niece and I screeched with joy. A $10 pair of goggles gave us all a beautiful memory and individual teaching from the experience.

Life is living and so are we. Here’s our reminder to BE and enjoy BEING.