This crazy little thing called life

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive--to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." ~ Marcus Aurelius

As I sit here this Memorial Day weekend writing this blog I keep thinking, "Is it really Memorial Day weekend?"  Where has the time gone?  The girls only have a few more days of school left, our summer vacation trip is set and I am already thinking about back-to-school even before the school year ends. Ah!!!  I feel that my life these days is completely ruled by the calendar. 

Maybe I feel this anxiousness for we just came off of a great weekend away where we were not ruled at all by calendars, phones or anyone else.  We had complete freedom from any sort of schedule.  It was fantastic.

As much as I try my hardest to live in the moment, be that true yogi I long to be, I have to be honest - it just does not happen all the time. Some days I feel like I am just running through the motions of that day to advance onto the next day.  Most days my own personal yoga practice involves a few yoga stretches before bedtime and a few minutes of deep breathing before I hit the hay. 

As I reflect upon this holiday weekend it brings me back to memories of my dad.  He always enjoyed

long weekends like this one.  I'm sure my father was thankful for the union job he had that always guaranteed him these days off from work.  We would always have some kind of cookout - come rain or shine.  I can remember quite a few cold and rainy Memorial Days in Minnesota but that never stopped us from firing up the grill and kicking off summertime.  It was the beginning of summer and in some sense freedom from the hustle and bustle of the school year. 

Whenever I think about someone who truly lived and loved in the moment it is always my dad.  I know my dad worried about things, specifically money and his kids, but he also had this deep faith that things would work out somehow.  I also think that he knew that you could plan as much as you liked but more than likely things could and would turn out differently.  Talk about true mastering of impermanence. 

This weekend I remember my dad and all his simple and sweet qualities. His joy for that first cup of coffee in the morning.  Watching his kids and grand kids grow to respectable and loving people.  The joy of gathering family and friends together, eating good food, and maybe enjoying the first swim in the pool of the season.  Simply being grateful for the abundance that we are all given if we just open our eyes and let the joy into our hearts.

Such a simple idea and yet a large task for an over-scheduled and stressed life that we tend to get tangled up in these days.  My hope for myself and for everyone this summer is to enjoy what is, forget about what was and table what might be for a while.

Have a blessed and memorable Memorial Day.  Enjoy these lazy and less crazy days of summer.

The light in me honors the light in you,

Namaste