Maybe it’s about the story

We’re told that in life, it’s about the journey, not the destination. The same is true when it comes to yoga: it’s not about the final expression—it’s all about the process. I remember attending college and preparing hours for an exam that was cumulative of an entire semester. But, ultimately, it was about showing up and applying myself every day. So even though living happily-ever-after may be the ideal, perhaps it’s more about the mechanics and plot twists, character-development, triumphs, conflicts and self-realization along the way. Because if we skip right to the ending, we’ll miss out on all the middle stuff—that which builds us if we don’t let it break us first. And the truth is, although we can write in a happy ending to our life’s story, it’s not guaranteed.  However, if we live one page at a time, one chapter at a time, we’ll be better prepared for Someday when it arrives.

Do you focus more on the story, or on the ending?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/ltoc2hr

A sneak peek

[Image credit: farconville]

Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.
~ Paul Theroux

When it comes to reading, I typically select fiction.  I think it’s easier to escape into someone else’s imagination, made-up places and people and events.  And other times, nonfiction helps me relate or be encouraged by another person’s real-life trials and triumphs.  When it comes to writing, however, I tend to stick with the former but draw on real life to fuel the hopes and dreams that make up the second chances Theroux talks about.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’re denied a certain life — unless it is through circumstances beyond our control that we find ourselves in the place we’re standing.  But I think if we allow it, fiction enables us to try our ideas on for size before Someday rolls around.  A sneak peek, if you will.  Or a second chance without life’s inevitable risks and no regrets.  How cool is that?

What’s your passion: fiction or nonfiction and why?

Bottling the joy

[Image credit: markuso]

Joy is the will which labors, which overcomes obstacles,
which knows triumph. ~ William Butler Yeats

When my daughter was little, we enjoyed a particularly joy-filled day.  I emailed her dad something along the lines of wishing I could bottle the day, so that on the hard ones, I could pop the cork and remember our good times.  Over the years, on those not so great days, her dad made it a habit to forward me that same email and I’d reflect on our special day.  Although I haven’t seen the email for many years now, there are still times in my life I wish I could bottle, events I could replay — those instances where all is fleetingly right with the world.  Especially on days when I feel like I’m spinning my wheels in limbo or feeling the sting of rejection.  On days like that I would uncork the bottle and allow the sweet memories to bathe me in their heady tonic, reminding me of my worth.  Of course, it doesn’t work like that.  The highs are highs and the lows are lows.  But as Yeats suggests, when I overcome the obstacles, my joy will be waiting.

How do you “bottle” the highs?