Dear Homegrown Yogis,
For the past several months, I’ve been playing a waiting game. I was waiting for Freida to begin full-time school this Fall so that I could have some “me-time.” I was waiting for things to slow down at work to book a vacation. I was waiting to have defined abs to practice without a shirt on during heated classes. (Go ahead – judge me!) I was waiting for people in my life to change so that I could be at peace in my relationships with them.
And as I was waiting and waiting and waiting, I came across this quote: “Things do not change; We change.” Inspired by the idea, I started small – I am dedicating an hour every Tuesday and Thursday to exploring something that I believed I didn’t have time for with Freida still at home. I am writing this letter while on an airplane for a 3 day getaway to New York City. I am now tucking my shirt into my sports bra so my belly can breathe during heated classes. Baby steps on that one, right? =) And I’m dealing with people exactly as they are – not trying to change them but rather changing how I respond and relate to them.
It’s not going perfectly, but I’m starting to see that Henry David Thoreau kind of had it figured out with this one. I’ve spent the vast majority of my adult life trying to change and control things – rearranging jobs and places and people. Although it sometimes fixes things for a moment, I find I usually come right back to where I was in the first place. What’s the alternative then? I intend to spend the rest of my adult life focused on growing, adapting and evolving myself. How can I respond differently to someone? What is in my power in this situation?
If this quote resonates with you, I invite you to think about this as well. If there are areas of your life where you want change, what can you do that doesn’t depend on anything or anyone else? I hope you find as I am that it’s an amazingly empowering way to begin to look at things.
With love,
Rachel