Living the Message

We’re discussing the upcoming week with all 4 grandchildren, juggling the varied interests and ages. The conversation gets stuck on a schedule challenge. After a pause, I say, “What I want to do is be relaxed and playful.” Bob acknowledges that’s a good idea. Then, after a pause, he says, “That’ll be a change.” I bristle inside. I think to myself, “I AM relaxed and playful”.
This morning, picking the ripe blackberries before they get moldy from last night’s rain, I think, Uh oh, if I’m not coming across at home as the relaxed and playful person I am at work, or that I think I am, then something’s wrong. My mind wanders to an idea I read or heard somewhere: there is the resume we accumulate professionally, and the summary of our lives that would be written on a headstone. Maybe I’ve been stressed about the professional resume not developing the way I want it to. And although I put in the time for family and social occasions, the underlying stress and dissatisfaction with my business development is preventing me from being the kind of person I want to be. I give lip service to living in the present moment, and then forget to do it.
“She cooked lots of kale.” Or “she picked lots of blackberries” doesn’t forward my business, nor does it live up to the Nia first Degree Black Belt and Trainer image. But honing the art of “dancing through life” does. Nothing wrong with growing and harvesting wholesome food. Can I always do it, and the other things I want to do, with mindfulness, delight, and presence? Can I let the world know how precious and useful all my Nia training has been? Have I let the world know that I am ready and available to share Nia’s gifts of health, power, beauty, and lifestyle?
May I be a delightful partner, grandma, parent, friend, colleague, co-worker, teacher, guide. May my message and my practice be congruent. I notice, sustain, and share a sensation of joy, in the midst of everyday life.
Just read this morning: “Life works out better, more gracefully, more pleasurably, more successfully for a woman who is in her body, present, alive, and supported.” – Mama Gena