After six weeks of leisure it is time for centering. A necessary and important step in the process of personal transformation. For those of you who may not know, I am on a four month sabbatical. My gift to myself for my 53rd birthday. I felt the need to stop. To rest. To reflect on my life. The last twenty years have gone by so fast. Can you imagine the next twenty? I don’t have a moment to waste being unhappy, in denial or in limbo. Do you?
Dan and Anthony have returned home. I am now alone and it is a healing balm. As wives and mothers we often put others’ needs and happiness before our own. This is neither good nor bad. Call it maternal instinct. Alone time though is essential to centering. Don’t call this selfish, but rather connection with self. No one can do it for me or for you.
I choose two weeks of Yoga and raw food. I rent a bicycle with a basket, register at the Radiantly Alive Yoga Studio and locate all the raw food joints in Ubud. I am on a mission! Two Yoga classes a day for 10 days. Green juices, a variety of fresh raw food dishes a day, the occasional 12$ massage, facial and pedicure and some live entertainment in the evening. I am in heaven. My body feels fantastic. My heart and mind are calm and peaceful. I am radiantly alive, clean and centered.
February 16th, 9:55 departure from YUL to Barbados. Believe it or not I am off again this time with my three brothers to visit my Mom and Dad for a week in the Caribbean – a very generous gift from them. A nuclear family reunion. This should be interesting. Imagine being picked up by boat in the dark by your parents, both over 75. How cool is that? Night boating from Canouan to Union Island. Hug, hug, kiss, kiss, big smiles, ‘tit Ponche and beer. We are lucky. The weather is perfect. Moonlight, stars and smooth sailing. As I listen to the excited chatter I become mesmerized by the beauty of the moonlight reflecting on the water, by the stars and the silvery blue hue everything is bathed in. My heart is bursting with gratitude. I pinch myself. Is this for real?
Family dynamics run deep, generations deep. Irritations and confrontations are almost inevitable. Learning to move with them, grow from them and heal from them is a challenge but also an opportunity to choose love, practice honesty with self and cultivate compassion. The Chinese Book of Changes, The I Ching refers to the family unit as the blueprint for life in society. The love of family is there to help us overcome ego, develop patience by being persevering, accepting and forgiving, and, to activate one’s sense of fraternity and solidarity. To reach the dream of a peaceful, fair world we must start in our own homes. I feel very fortunate that I come from a loving family. We can pull together under any circumstance, weather our differences and misunderstandings in order to secure the whole. This is not true of all families. Sometimes the dynamics are extremely complicated, unhealthy and hurtful. I invite everyone though to do their best to accept the truth of their family dynamics, forgive and face the challenge in the best way that they can. Remember, the effort you make will release your heart from anger, from sadness, from fear and set you free. Do it. I am.
In my travels I have encountered so many people of all ages, from all over the world. Each one with a unique life and story. Conclusion? In numerous ways to dream, create and live your life. As my mind opens, preconceptions and judgements dissolve. Most of the people I have met are not wealthy, including myself. They are resourceful and enterprising. They are passionate and organized. They do not fear the unknown but rather revel in finding solutions. What kind of life are you going to create for yourself? This is the question I will be reflecting on as I head out to San Miquel de Allende, Mexico for the last leg of my trip. Y tu?
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