When I introduced our son to my grandmother, she nestled her face next to his, inhaled his newborn scent, and said: "He's fresh from God." This is what comes to mind when I listened to Amanda Gorman on Wednesday. Her poise, eloquence, cadence and sounds seem fresh from God. When I listen to her, when I look at her....I feel a divine presence. Thank you, God, for bringing us Amanda Gorman and her sacred words.
Read MoreThis past week, I had two (in my humble opinion) worthy-of-sharing experiences, each involving a great divide.
1. I had multiple conversations about politics with someone close to me who sees the state of the world differently than I do. It is difficult not to take each other's opinions personally and it's hard to get your point across when emotions are involved.
Another week of WTFs! (Thank God for our capacity to compartmentalize.) There's no question we are at a point in history where we are being asked as a nation, as a people, and as a world, to re-evaluate how we inhabit this Earth. Climate change, COVID-19, Trump's rise and fall, racism...these horrendous realities that are no longer possible to deny are colliding right here, right now for a reason.
Read MoreHow are you? I hope you had a nice ending to 2020--that you were able to share it with your people, either in person or remotely, and that you got a break from your everyday routines.
Tomorrow is Monday, and in our old life, Roo and I would say, "it's back to the grind." But not this year. Yes, we are both back to work tomorrow, but with nowhere to go.
20 lessons of 2020
1. there is always another way
2. walking the sun down heals
3. less is more
4. learning how to be anti-racist feels really f*&!-ing good
5. a day creating is a day well spent
Do you still need a meaningful present for a special someone? Give the gift of Blue Light.
By giving Blue Light, you will provide someone endless opportunities to move, sit, sweat, practice, learn, evolve, discuss, read, listen and enjoy in the new year. AND you will be supporting this very special, small community by spreading her light.
Read MoreFor Christmas 2012, Pip wanted all things firefighter: fire trucks, fireman costume, fireman pajamas, fireman underwear...he was obsessed. So when the firemen arrived that Christmas Day, Pip was sure Santa had been listening.
We were dressed in our Christmas best (except Pip, who was in his new fireman costume, of course), strapping in for our drive to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas lunch in Harvard, MA (we were living in Charlestown at the time) when I received a ping on my phone: "Please bring Grit," it read, "Gus wants a friend!"
Read MoreHave you ever said a word over and over again until it suddenly becomes meaningless--a bunch of silly sounds strung together? This phenomenon is called semantic satiation. With each repetition of a word your brain gets more fatigued, like your bicep muscle curling a weight, until the word is reduced to its gibberish nature. Once clear of the boundaries inherent in a word, the attached idea's expansive essence is more readily available. It is in this expansive space that insight exists and a-ha moments occur.
Read MoreFull on turkey, mashed potatoes and apple crisp, my family and I sat down to watch the highly recommended Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher. I was floored. The documentary tells the story of a film-maker suffering from feelings of burn-out and detachment from his family and purpose, who vows to freedive (in freezing, tumultuous waters) every day for a year in the kelp forest footsteps from his seaside bungalow in Cape Town. Every day for a year, he returns to the same place; a place he explored as a child; a place that did not require him to travel.
Read MoreGrowing up, we had what we called "repeaters" in our household, and one in particular feels very apropos to this coming week: PICNIC CANCEL. We add a dramatic pause in between, and elongate the final syllable for effect. It feels good to say when you finally make the call. It adds a little humor to the heartbreak. Go ahead, give it a try: Picnic...Can-cel. See, it kind of helps, right? 2020 is one big f**#ing "Picnic Cancel."
Read MoreI don't know about you but I was literally overhead fist-pumping listening to Harris and Biden on Saturday night. For the first time in a long time (maybe 4 years?), I felt inspired, hopeful and proud while watching the news. Biden addressed everyone in our nation. He thanked the African American community for standing up for him. He empathized with those who voted for President Trump.
Read MoreWe have a big week ahead of us. We're all feeling it, wondering where we'll be on Wednesday.
The snow that fell, and stayed, here in New England on Friday really is the icing on the 2020 cake. I was not happy when we lost power mid-shower Friday morning (we lose water when we lose power) nor was I enjoying myself cleaning off my car.
Good afternoon,
How are you? (I want to know how you are, please respond anytime you feel moved.) I'm well enough. I actually find it easier to be in a pandemic in the fall than I did in the summer. The mood of a pandemic is more cohesive with this time of year: harvesting to hunker down, turning in, and moving slower.
i'm a day late checking in and sending this week's offerings. how is everyone? the election is fast approaching. ma is in the red zone again. i'm still trying to wrap my head around how quickly (and seemingly easily?) trump battled covid. i don't understand qanon nor do i understand how it is gaining popularity. i'm struggling with the basic idea that humans deserve to be here at all.
Read MoreI love yoga AND so much more. For a long time, I've wanted to create Blue Light Barn, a place for people to connect, evolve, support, and inspire over all good things organically born out of the community. If you're ever in Charleston, in my friend's uncle's dining room, grab a chair, reach up high, above the looming sideboard, and you'll find a dusty terrine holding 6 of our 2010 New Year's Resolutions.
Read MoreWhat am I afraid of?
crowding your inbox
human nature
addiction
mediocracy
entitlement
settling
staying up late
how much I love my people
being misunderstood
In the wake of RBG's passing and the fires sweeping our land, this is worth every second of your time.
A Burning Testament
By Terry Tempest Williams
Mid September 2020
With these ashes in hand that have fallen from near and far on the drought-cracked desert of Utah, I raise my fist to a smoke-choked sky to honor the holy creatures, human and wild, who have lost their lives and homes to the galloping flames like rider-less horses burning through the West.
Friday, March 13th will be Pip and Phoebe’s last day of school, and Roo’s last day of commuting to work, for at least 6 months if not a year or more. You will not be getting on a plane for the foreseeable future. Your retreats will be cancelled and your vacation plans too. Although you will be happy to have Roo grounded from his business trips, you will eventually ache to travel and visit family and friends. You will close your new studio in Hamilton due to it being unsafe to practice in person. By then, you will be required to wear masks in public, and you will wonder if you’ll ever shake someone’s hand again.
Read MoreThose of you who know me, know this to be true: I wear short shorts! I’m 41 and have strong legs; many likely perceive my short shorts as inappropriate! For years, I wore short shorts in spite of being self-conscious of cellulite and bigger legs. I marched on, in my short shorts, determined not to let fear of what others think influence what I wear, what I feel comfortable in- being authentic and self-consciousness is way more desirable than being neither. I’m happy to report that the fake-it-until-you-make-it approach worked: I no longer give a damn what you think of my daisy-dukes. I wouldn’t be surprised if my children bury me in my cut-offs.
Read MoreIn my yoga classes, I encourage students to focus on the negative space of the asana- to harness the negative space as much as the positive. The spaces are inseparable, regardless of what our minds tell us. It takes work, a constant re-training of the brain, to see/feel/understand the pose beyond the physical space inhabited by our bodies and controlled by our minds, but the work is worthwhile as one expands his or her awareness beyond the positive, the obvious, the self.
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