i had a different blog post schedule for this morning, but we're going to save that for another day, because I think we all need a gentle reminder about flexibility.
I solo parent 90 percent of the time while my husband travels for work, so it is no small feat to get two young children dressed, lunches packed, homework completed, off to school, dinner in the slow cooker, dogs exercised, house cleaned, and business ran. It's an even bigger feat to make it to a yoga class for my own personal health.
but sometimes you just need to make the effort., and this morning, i did. I completed all those tasks above, all before 8am, so i could make it to my 8:30am yoga class. but the teacher didn't show.
people were irate. normally no one talks in yoga, we don't even make eye contact. but this morning, it seemed like people were about to take up arms and start a revolution together. legit pissed.
and i get it, because it's hard for me to get there too. And i was also a dance instructor for 10 years, and i was never late to a class, let alone MISSED a class. but as i quietly sat there stretching as the minutes ticked by- 15 minutes turning into 20 minutes- and listening to everyone complain, and then the complaints started snowballing into complaints of other teachers, which snowballed into gossiping- the whole irony of the situation hit me.
Everything is what you make it.
(this relates to photography... hang with me...)
if you're there for yoga practice, no one is stopping you from practicing yoga. perhaps instead of being angry that no one is there to serve you like you thought, perhaps this is a chance for you to listen to your own body and stretch and strengthen what your OWN body is calling for instead of what the teacher guides you to do. Perhaps this is your opportunity to teach your very first yoga class- to yourself. Furthermore, lest we forget, there could have been a catastrophic event that prevented this instructor from being in class. what he deserves most is positive thoughts and kindness. i've found that most people generally are good, if we only give them the benefit of a doubt.
it was no surprise that the 5 people who didn't say a single negative word were the same ones who stayed for the entire hour and created their own practice, and the nay-sayers were the ones who left.
So lets just all take a minute and work on our flexibility. not the bendable-body kind, but the emotional and mental kind.
if your wedding day doesn't go how you envisioned it, lets be flexible and look at the good. if your child cries during our photo session, they could probably benefit from having an emotionally flexible parent.
have you ever done something you regretted? have you ever been late? have you ever let down other people as a result of your mistake? I'm sure we've all been there. heck, i've already regretted no less than 5 times i yelled at my children un-necessarily this morning when they could have actually benefitted from a kinder and more understanding parent.
And what's more, lets work on being braver to SAY SOMETHING when we see this kind of stuff snowballing. how i wish i would have said some of these words at the yoga class this morning. perhaps it could have brought everyone to a more peaceful place.
side story: yesterday i witnessed an outrageous incident of road rage. and i had the opportunity to roll down my window and tell the person on the receiving end of the road-rage not to worry, that he wasn't a bad driver, and that it was uncalled for. but i chickened out. i pulled up next to his car, looked at him.... but lost my nerve. why is it so hard to reach out to strangers and be kind? why is it easier to spread rage and anger instead of peace and kindness?
anyway, that's what i'm working on. being braver about being kind. and also being flexible- mind and body.
new years resolution 2 weeks in.
and, so we're not photo-less during this post, here are a bunch of behind the scenes reality photos of what it's like to fully gut and renovate a house with two small children and two dogs and a husband who clearly needs to tighten his pants when he leans over to load the dishwasher (heck... i'm just happy he loads the dishwasher). because since we're already getting all honest in this post, i might as well post the not-so-pretty side to my life.
All shot on film, medium format black and white.
