The Buddha said follow the middle way -- i.e. moderation is where it's at.
I know this well. I teach it. I live it . . . for the most part. Nevertheless, my Spirit seems to want me to learn this lesson again and again.
All good, and amusing to me.
In many places in my life I've learned about moderation, often by doing the opposite first.
All good, and amusing to me.
I ate only raw vegan food for 7 years (along with my family) to learn that eating any and all foods in moderation -- no rules or restrictions -- is how I feel best, most free and happiest.
All good, and amusing to me.
I played tennis several hours a day for years, lived with Nick Bollettieri for a year at age 12 to train to turn pro, earned a scholarship to Brown (based on tennis, grades and need combined), quit the game disillusioned by a coach who took bribes, and never wanted to play again. Last week I hit the courts with my kiddos after a 30 year sabbatical -- playing for fun, and, in moderation. Never thought I'd play again.
All good, and amusing to me.
About 6 years ago I taught myself to swim by swimming 100 laps a day. I kept up the 100 laps a day all the way through my pregnancy with my twin sons, now four years old. Now I can swim 2 laps and feel just as good, or, ehhhhh, better. For me it's just about getting in the water and moving the energy. The water is magical for me.
All good, and amusing to me.
When we opened Prana Power Yoga™ Philippe and I taught all of the classes. After a year we trained teachers to help us teach. Now we train 100 teachers a year and choose from an abundance of amazing teachers who really wanna teach at PPY and be a part of the Prana family. Best ever! Still I insisted on teaching A LOT (at times 22 times a week, including my daily 4:30 am class which I taught for two years, teacher trainings and privates) for a long time. Over that now. I prefer to train awesome teachers and let them shine and spread the Prana and the light while I write blogs, books and inspiration card decks and open more studios to spread the Prana and the light.
All good, and amusing to me.
Philippe and I are super hands on parents. It's just us. No nannies or day care and a lot of family time is how we like it. For two years we homeschooled, and learned by doing so that we and our kids are happiest and most balanced when they go to school and we supplement their learning with Singapore math; tennis, golf, biking, hiking, swimming, and soccer together; museum outings; other family outings and travel.
All good, and amusing to me.
Golf. I hated hated hated the sport for a lonnnnnng time. Not actually participating in it, but everything it stood for (according to me). To me it stood for racism, elitism, sexism, and, oh yeah, my ex-husband taking off for 8+ hours at a time both before and after we were married and before and after we had had a child. To me it represented feeling abandoned -- ya know the whole "golf widow" thang.
Last week I hit golf balls at the golf range with Philippe on date night (after hitting tennis balls with him for an hour). And I love love love when Philippe goes to play golf and/or hit balls at the range -- not an annoyed or resentful bone in my body around any of it.
All good, and amusing to me.
Golf clubs and actually ANY country club of any sort -- hated hated hated 'em for a lonnnnnng time. Everything they stood for (according to me). To me they stood for racisim, elitism, sexism, and, oh yeah, my ex-husband taking off for off for 8+ hours at a time both before and after we were married and before and after we had had a child. To me it represented feeling abandoned -- ya know the whole "golf widow" thang. So much so that when Philippe and I were dating, I noticed an envelope on his table from Sankaty Golf Club and promptly said I was ending our relationship. "Why?" he asked. "Oh, I can't be with anyone who belongs to a golf club. Nooooo, I ain't doin' THAT again . . . ."
Philippe said that Sankaty wasn't that kind of club.
"They're ALL 'that kind of club.'" I argued.
He persuaded me to take the ferry to Nantucket with him to see the club for myself before I made this (abrupt) decision. I agreed.
Well, as you may have guessed since we've been married for 12 years and have five children together, Sankaty ain't "that type of club," at all. The energy is amazing, the people are open and kind and nonjudgmental, and it ain't exclusionary at all. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and we spend a lot of time there every summer with our kiddos.
All good, and amusing to me.
For me the key is that it's all good, and amusing to me. It's about noticing, laughing (at myself -- one of my favorite things to do), and then being aware. It's about being light and gentle with myself about my propensity to take things to the extreme before finding the middle way. It's about never taking it, myself or anything too seriously.
What can you be lighter and more gentle with yourself about? What can you take a little less seriously?