Skip to main content

Gratitude, perspective shifts, and afterschool programs

On a previous life track (before kids, and with full time professional employment) I would shop. a lot. For baubles and clothing and life embellishments... and more food than I needed. Wasteful to be certain.

With the current austerity program initiated with the birth of our son and my work taken to part time, and most recently the recent gentle belt tightening of hubby being between jobs, my cravings for "more" have greatly dissipated. Perhaps the yoga practice helped hone the skill and tune in to non-grasping, but admittedly the reality of avoiding debt and waste played a big part. Truthfully don't want an overstocked refrigerator (to clean or to organize). I don't want more clothes to put away or things to dust on shelves, or collectibles about which Ill just forget.

Having mindfully "not-shopped" for a bit, we found ourselves positioned to utilize funds (that would otherwise be squandered on a few dinners out and theater movies and maybe some more pricey meats at the market) to sending our son to the most amazing after school programs. He'll be participating in Spanish lessons, art lessons, Kung Fu classes and learning to write computer code. With these programs he'll make more friends get exercise and expand his learning day by the exact increment of time I needed between the end of my work day and picking him up. The drop in after-school program was $35 a day or required prepayment for 3 or 5 days a week of which we would have used an hour per day. These programs cost between $9 and $16 per class and are worth every penny. Thank you universe for manifesting this. I am deriving so much more pleasure (than a pair of earrings or bag of candy or random catalog item i didn't really need) this way. #lessismore #gratitude #afterschoolenrichments #asteya

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Solidarity and Kaivalya

I just read my son a book called  The Yellow Star  - recommended to me by a friend at his school, who read it to their children. I think for me this sums up everything my parents ever taught me about "good" and "right" and being strong, and being a community member. It's how I always felt in my heart and how I want to teach my son to be. It's not just about "standing up for the little guy;" it's about being willing to put yourself out there to make a statement about justice. It's about knowing in your heart that you are part of a bigger community and you must act to support it even if you are not personally needing the direct support. The story was the legend of King Christian X of Denmark. The book acknowledges that the story in it's oral and written history, nor the version in this book, were fully true, but adapted version of an allegory for solidarity and support for ones brethren.  The author writes in the end notes: And what if we...
(separate leg [straddle] stretch)

Try New Things

So you woke up in a mood, and really wanted to get to your usual active vinyasa class to work out some stress, but the class was cancelled. Or had a sub. Or, you always decompress at that Tuesday night candlelit restorative class but it's full. Or, it's raining and you wanted to take a run. Or it's cold and you wanted to swim. The universe doesn't always cooperate to "allow" us to do what we want in terms of our self-care rituals. And there the lies the rub - the RITUAL. When ritual becomes compulsive, compulsory, obsessive, or unbending, it has shifted into HABitual and (should be) a sign to us that perhaps our kapha dosha is out of balance, or simply, we have gotten into a rut and need to switch things up. So today, drop into a yoga class you've never tried before. Or take a walk instead of a run on a new trail. Or just sit for 10 minutes and meditate if you don't have time for a full class. Observe the differences in your posture, your attitude just...