January's Teachers

Greetings All Good People!

The New Year has arrived in all its splendor. Along with some classic, crystal clear winter blue sky days here, we have experienced quite a bit of nasty north-eastern weather. Slushy intersections, freezing cold temperatures and a huge broken water main on 13^th Street in NYC, one block from our apartment building, that sent traffic, and pedestrians (and heat for many buildings) all akimbo!

With each new year comes the anticipation of better days, flowering possibilities and intriguing potential. The annual passing of the torch by Father Time promises to bring positive change! But, so far this year, I have cared for my dog during two surgeries to treat bone cancer, including an amputation, and I have mourned the death of a handsome young man with a family whose hearts are broken.

Lincoln with his cousin, RudyWhen life feels so precarious, I tend to wobble and isolate. I know I'm not alone in this. It’s hard to stay on task. Lately, I have had no choice energetically but to keep my life as quiet and as simple as I can manage. Everywhere I go and everything I do seems to require more time.

I have learned to trust in my teachers more than ever. My guitar teacher helps me stay focused on technique, theory and songs, even when my mind plays ping pong with my attention span. With Gospel Choir, our Director is very clear how he wants to hear us and what he expects from us as a choir. That helps me focus on the music and not on the 10,000 other things dashing around in my brain. My yoga teacher helps me listen to my body's wisdom. With my dog’s medical condition, I listen to our veterinary doctor and follow his directions. Lincoln himself is teaching me a lot! I know I do better if I listen to my smart and steady teachers.

By slowing things down, I have been able to understand the many good things a quieter lifestyle brings. My expectations of what I thought I could cram into an hour or a day were unrealistic and only created frustration ahout how little I was getting done compared to my grand plans. It was self-inflicted pressure and anxiety.

Real things do take time. Visiting friends who are going through hard times, cooking nutritious meals, practicing music, caring for a recovering pet: those are all real things that happen between the obligations and appointments and meetings.

It is surprising, how trauma and tragedy were the ingredients needed to get me to take it down a notch and find a different frequency at which to live my life.

My wish for you is a that you too find a bounty of smiles and clear space in your day (and your mind), and that it will help guide you through your next challenge, which is quite possibly lurking just around the corner.

My Love to you,

xxx
Deborah