One Hour Less...Of What?
By Laura Mills
The anticipation of “springing forward” was very stressful for me. Just prior to changing my clocks I have always felt rushed and tired, as my to-do list always looks longer than usual and I can never stop thinking about that hour’s loss of sleep. In addition, as a new parent this year, I was terribly concerned about the time change’s immediate effects on my daughter’s sleep schedule. I felt bleak and unsettled even as the world was getting lighter and coming together....
At times like this I believe what helps is focus on extension, the idea that in order to get past unsettledness we must extend like never before—but NOT by adding to the to-do list or working extra hard to cram everything in. Instead, extension in this context means approaching a situation with a more open attitude. Maybe it involves actually removing something from the to-do list, or tossing that particular list altogether…or else maybe it means adding in a bit of impromptu rest. Maybe extension means breathing better, not necessarily bigger or deeper, but only with more focus. Maybe it involves seeking something unique in the “same-old” Child’s Pose or Downward Facing Dog. Maybe extension means just approaching the day not as one hour shorter, for example, but as 23 hours more of opportunity.
Like the practice of asanas, extension of this kind requires dedication and patience…the fruits of which are balance and peace. It’s off-the-mat yoga of the highest order as we suspend resistance and instead just flow, realizing that 23 hours is still a lot of time to make the moments count.
PEOPLE ARE LIKE GARBAGE TRUCKS
SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2008: Life is about how you look at things right? Today in class I asked you about what your perspective was about what I should provide you in class. And I asked what your perspective was about what you should provide. Are these two expectations weighted the same or differently? Do you expect more from me than what you expect from yourself? Do you play this pattern out in your other relationships?
It’s interesting isn’t it that Perception is really just another word for judgement. And judgment is like cholesterol: There's a "good" kind and a "bad" kind. A friend of a friend calls the bad kind "the enemy of love." When it comes down to it Life is ten percent what you make it and 90% percent how you take it! A new favorite story shared by Masters Circle Lee Woods really speaks to this. Enjoy! - Silvia
STORY - PEOPLE ARE LIKE GARBAGE TRUCKS:
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And man, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks.
They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...
Love the people who treat you right.
Pray for the ones who don't.