Wow. I've been crazy busy and distracted the past few weeks. Work is crazy. We got a dog. I was cranking out the new website (hope you like it). And generally, I've been just groovin' along. It's been good. But now that I'm less busy (still busy, just not crazy busy) I am reminded that I need to remember to appreciate time more often when I am in these phases. Mainly because it really goes by fast during these periods and I forget to breath. I forget to pay attention to the moments because I'm so focused on moving through them doing the things I have to do. We've all heard it many times but it really is about being and staying present.
The other day, after I'd realized where I'd been for the past few weeks, I surprised Marcia and the girls by taking them out to eat. Nothing fancy, just some fast food (I know, bad yogi but it was damn good and damn good for my soul so there!). It wasn't about the food but more about taking some time to be with my girls in a different environment. We hung out at the Promenade by the fountain and ate. We took Simon, our new dog. We just chilled. It was nice and we all had a good time, especially the girls which I love because they are at that age, 4 1/2 an 6, where every day is an adventure and an opportunity to play.
At one point, Marcia just randomly stepped behind me and started massaging my shoulders. It was very nice. It triggered a realization for me in that moment that it can be easy to forget all the little things that can really make a difference in how we feel about life and how we view life on a daily basis and just as importantly, how we make other people feel, both in themselves and about their own life experience. I personally tend to just forget about this type of thing because I'm always thinking about my "to do" list. And there's just so many distractions that it's easy to do. The problem I have with that is that the little things are the things that make up my life! The little things are the things that I find I look back on and remember fondly, like dinner at the fountain with my girls. If I'm not paying attention to the little things, I'm missing my life as it goes by right in front of my eyes!
I've recently put aside the various yoga books I've been reading (for me, variety is definitely the spice of life) and on a recommendation from a friend, began reading "Good to Great." It's basically a documentation of an anylitical process the author and his team performed to identify what makes good companies turn into great companies. He uses a metaphor (and you know I love metaphors) that I really love and really hits home for me. I will paraphrase.
Imagine a HUGE, solid steel flywheel mounted horizontally on a post so that it can spin freely with the right amount of force applied. Then imagine applying force to the flywheel by pushing on it as hard as you can. At first, due to the mass of the flywheel, it turns VERY slowly. It may take hours to make the first revolution. But as you continue to apply force in the same direction and at the same rate, it very slowly begins to pick up speed. The second revolution may take only an hour. Continue this scenario of applied force in a singular direction and eventually the flywheel is moving pretty fast. At some point the mass of the flywheel and the momentum created by you and that mass takes over though. After that, each turn gets easier and less effort is needed to keep increasing the speed of the revolutions. The basic premise is that the good to great companies had this period of build-up that was followed by that breakthrough moment where they reached that momentum that began to carry them more and more into greatness. All because they applied consistent, disciplined effort toward a clear goal (spinning that flywheel).
I love this! To me it applies to so many things in my life - my marriage, my business, and especially lately my yoga practice. It also has a parallel to paying attention to the little things. In the past several weeks of my practice, I've noticed little things - I can twist more in all the twisty postures, I can stay longer in the standing postures like warrior and crescent, I even did a full bind for the first time in parvakinasana! Each time I pay attention to the little things, I make progress because by paying attention to the little things I am present in the moment and therefore maximizing that moment. As I've learned to more consistently pay attention to those little things in my practice (again, on and off my mat), I've noticed overall that my practice is just generally getting stronger. It's that consistent, disciplined effort. It takes time but man, when you start to reach that breakthrough stage, it feels great especially since I am paying attention and therefore able to fully appreciate the breakthroughs!
It's very easy to get discouraged sometimes in your yoga practice or in any other serious endeavor in life. There are always things to distract or challenges to conquer. I live this every day, on and off my mat. But I know that if I keep focused making progress on a goal and at the same time keep an awareness of each step, I not only will get there, but I'll appreciate the journey that much more because I'll remember all the little things that got me to the goal. That pretty much sums up this life for me.
... to my beautiful, intelligent and really all around amazing wife. It is the little things that are important and she does so many I can't ever even come close to really communicating my appreciation for that. She inspires me every day. She makes me look forward to every day. She centers me. Her presence reminds me to be present. She is my love. I celebrate her as we celebrate our first seven years together. And I thank my God for giving her to me to appreciate in this life.
i don't get many things right the first time
in fact, i am told that a lot
now i know all the wrong times,
the stumbles and falls
brought me here
and where was i before the day
that i first saw your lovely face?
now i see it everyday, and i know...
(Chorus)
that i am, i am
i am the luckiest
what if i'd been born 50 years before you
in a house on the street where you lived
maybe i'd be outside as you passed on your bike
would i know?
and in a wide sea of eyes
i see one pair that i recognize
and i know...
(Chorus)
that i am, i am
i am the luckiest
i love you more than i have ever found a way to say to you
next door there's an old man,
who lived to his 90s and one day
passed away in his sleep
and his wife, she stayed for a couple of days
and passed away
i'm sorry i know that's a strange way to tell you that i know we belong
that i know...
(Chorus)
that i am, i am
i am the luckiest