Let it Snow

For those of you who don't live in the Twin Cities or aren't in the area today, it's snowing here again. That's right. On the 18th of April, when it should be a balmy 55 degrees, it is 32 degrees and snowing. Hard. 

On the other hand, if you live here you are completely aware of this fact and have probably A.) posted something about it on Facebook, B.) called your mom to complain, or C.) at the very least you sat in your car sobbing quietly as you said goodbye to your last shred of hope that spring will ever come. 

I took a yoga class last week (coincidentally, during our last snowstorm) in which my instructor began by asking us to acknowledge times in our lives that we ask the question, "When?" 

When will spring finally get here? 

When will I land that dream job? 

When will I meet someone to fall in love with? 

When will they schedule my next fight? 

I could go on and on...

The point is - we are all asking some form of this question multiple times everyday. And when we spend so much time living in the space of when, we lose sight of what is happening and what we can make happen right now.

I have a particularly difficult time setting aside my "when" questions and just being ok with what I have now. I am a futurist, an idea generator, a brainstormer, and so my mind is always jumping to the next thing. It is a huge part of being a creative person. It also means that very seldom do I allow myself to sit quietly without always making plans for what comes next. 

Needless to say, the yoga class was challenging for me in ways I wasn't anticipating when I stepped into the studio. A little later in the class, our instructor shared a vision that she had experienced during a meditation. She had been coming back again and again to the idea of "getting out of your own way". She saw this image of herself and her spirit walking up to a door. When she got there, she stepped off to the side, opened the door, and graciously let her spirit enter first. She saw herself getting out of her own way, and letting spirit take the lead.

Isn't that all it is to step out of the space of when and to really be present? To step aside and really let spirit, or Source, or your true self (whatever you decide to call it) take the reins and do what it will? I am consoled by the fact that at any given time, I can assure myself that I am exactly where I need to be. There is something to be gained from each and every moment we are alive and breathing on this planet. It may not always feel comfortable or easy, neither were the 50 chaturanga pushups we did in class, but each of those uncomfortable moments can show us as much about ourselves as the nice, warm, cozy moments too.

So, for tonight, I'm not going to post anything negative about the weather on Facebook or keep wishing away the day. I'm going to cook a beautiful dinner with my roommate, curl up with a good book and a warm blanket, relish in the amazing ways the world works, and just... let it snow.

Maybe it should say, "Whenever you are, be all there." Just food for thought...

Source: shrimpsaladcircus.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest