Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day and it's raining and gray. I am in the middle of a two week break from teaching. Of course, being on vacation from work means house projects! Dave and I are fixing up our entry way hall/stairs. Everything needs to be redone. Stripping, re-staining, varnish, plaster repair, cleaning, priming, painting, sand the floor, refinish the floor. Ugh!

Well, there is no work to be done today. The rain and damp have invaded the house, creating a non-drying effect on the Polyurethane. We have one more coat to go on the woodwork but are in forced relaxation today instead. It is just as well. It is a national holiday after all. So here I am, thinking and remembering.

Over the winter, Dave methodically stripped all the layers and layers of paint and varnish off of the woodwork. Our house is over 100 years old so there is plenty of build up. I'm thinking that we (people) are just like our house, layering on shells, building a thicker and thicker armor over time, obscuring our true beauty underneath.

Yoga is the antidote. Yoga helps us remove this deadening coating. With our breath and our awareness, we delve deep into our thoughts, our habits, our patterns and we see them for what they are: constructs of the mind and the ego. With mindfulness and loving kindness we remember who we are, we accept what we see, we forgive ourselves, we move on.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. Peace.