Morning View
Today I am married more than 3 decades…we met in 9th grade as lab science partners & bonded as besties. Fell in love our junior year of high school. Broke up mid-college. Married a few years after that. Separated after a year of marriage. Reunited a year later. Embraced & sweated through therapy…and here we are. In love. In like. And sometimes still sweating through therapy.
This morning was a perfect microcosm of our relationship.
In DC we expected thunderstorms most of the day. But this morning, it was clear & 82% humidity. With covid taking many options off the anniversary celebration list—it was perfect time for yoga.
With mats spread facing our pond. Birds chirping. Chanting music playing (which I don’t like, but felt perfect for the moment), we began our yoga practice.
Deer were watching from the woods behind. Flowers were bursting in purples & pinks. Bugs crawling around us. We were in a spiritual hub of nature that felt spectacular.
And we did something different. We decided to do our practice at our own pace not trying to sync with each other.
We made space for our selves. It was glorious. A few minutes in, the clouds opened & it poured. And while our first instinct was to pack it in…we looked at each other and decided to stay. We stayed, a bit uncomfortable at first, but so refreshed and enamored with how being in that moment felt nourishing.
For the next hour, it rained on and off and when we finished, the sun came out. By that time, we didn’t care-- sun or rain, it was transformative & beautiful.
Often in these past decades we have been surprised by storms, unprepared, but in our ability to push forward, to find the lessons and beauty that might also be in tow, we have grown closer. And sometimes that closeness comes from respecting each other’s different pace and preferences.
So today, on our anniversary, we have run out of things to write in cards and gifts to buy one another—a relief to agree not to do that, actually. But the gifts are there for me almost daily:
When we hiked the other day, my guy said the high story of the trees felt like a cathedral—reminded him of Notre Dame. When he looked at a beautiful painting in our house this morning, he said it was lyrical. He notices. He’s a curious person, always learning and sharing what he learns. The gifts he brings me are centering and intimate. There is a freshness in growing & learning together.
So I marinate on our relationship. How we trust one another to speak our mind…sometimes get into some hard fights, but don’t let pride get in the way of apologies and healing…often with more closeness. And with respect.
We make room to laugh. Hold hands. Kiss in the middle of anywhere. Dance in the kitchen.
So much is churning in our world right now: Covid. Racial Injustice. Policing in need of reform. Complete upheaval in the American political system. Reckless leadership.
While we are fiercely dedicated to supporting change in our communities, I remind myself in these moments that self-care & tending to your close relationships are vital to being able to stay in the fight.
I remind myself of when the flight attendant says, “In case of emergency put your oxygen mask on before you help those you are with. “ Nurturing ourselves and our relationships, is vital so we can be present for others. We can do both.
Here’s to nurturing yourself, your relationships and having the strength to move forward to creating stronger, more compassionate communities in times of uncertainty.
Here’s to finding the gift of the storm.
Namaste.
This morning was a perfect microcosm of our relationship.
In DC we expected thunderstorms most of the day. But this morning, it was clear & 82% humidity. With covid taking many options off the anniversary celebration list—it was perfect time for yoga.
With mats spread facing our pond. Birds chirping. Chanting music playing (which I don’t like, but felt perfect for the moment), we began our yoga practice.
Deer were watching from the woods behind. Flowers were bursting in purples & pinks. Bugs crawling around us. We were in a spiritual hub of nature that felt spectacular.
And we did something different. We decided to do our practice at our own pace not trying to sync with each other.
We made space for our selves. It was glorious. A few minutes in, the clouds opened & it poured. And while our first instinct was to pack it in…we looked at each other and decided to stay. We stayed, a bit uncomfortable at first, but so refreshed and enamored with how being in that moment felt nourishing.
For the next hour, it rained on and off and when we finished, the sun came out. By that time, we didn’t care-- sun or rain, it was transformative & beautiful.
Often in these past decades we have been surprised by storms, unprepared, but in our ability to push forward, to find the lessons and beauty that might also be in tow, we have grown closer. And sometimes that closeness comes from respecting each other’s different pace and preferences.
So today, on our anniversary, we have run out of things to write in cards and gifts to buy one another—a relief to agree not to do that, actually. But the gifts are there for me almost daily:
When we hiked the other day, my guy said the high story of the trees felt like a cathedral—reminded him of Notre Dame. When he looked at a beautiful painting in our house this morning, he said it was lyrical. He notices. He’s a curious person, always learning and sharing what he learns. The gifts he brings me are centering and intimate. There is a freshness in growing & learning together.
So I marinate on our relationship. How we trust one another to speak our mind…sometimes get into some hard fights, but don’t let pride get in the way of apologies and healing…often with more closeness. And with respect.
We make room to laugh. Hold hands. Kiss in the middle of anywhere. Dance in the kitchen.
So much is churning in our world right now: Covid. Racial Injustice. Policing in need of reform. Complete upheaval in the American political system. Reckless leadership.
While we are fiercely dedicated to supporting change in our communities, I remind myself in these moments that self-care & tending to your close relationships are vital to being able to stay in the fight.
I remind myself of when the flight attendant says, “In case of emergency put your oxygen mask on before you help those you are with. “ Nurturing ourselves and our relationships, is vital so we can be present for others. We can do both.
Here’s to nurturing yourself, your relationships and having the strength to move forward to creating stronger, more compassionate communities in times of uncertainty.
Here’s to finding the gift of the storm.
Namaste.
