Random Sutras

Change

What is it about human nature that makes us resistant to change.  Most people I know don’t like it.  How many times have you complained about the grocery store reorganizing the aisles, the cable line up changing, or your favorite restaurant changing the menu.  Change is all around us, a constant, yet often we fight against it.

In my yoga class a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded how beautiful change really is, and how terrible life would be without it.  It was a yin class where each asana (pose) was held for three to five minutes.  While in one asana, concentrating on my breath to drowned out the sound of my quads screaming to move, my yoga instructor said “be grateful for the impermanence of life”.  That thought has really stayed with me.  

The impermanence of life, everything changes, always changes.  Seasons change, grocery store aisles change, restaurant menus change.  Without change our lives would be stuck, doing the same things everyday, much like the movie Groundhog Day.  One challenge for me in my life, is to be in every moment, whether a particular hard moment or happy one, to be there and live it.  Because of the impermanence of life, I know the moment will change and be part of the past, moving on to the next moment.

We eventually moved on to our next asana, but the words of my instructor have stayed with me.  They remind me of a quote from Buddha.  “Everything changes, nothing remains without change.”

So during this spring, the season of change and new beginnings, my hope is that we all can be grateful for the impermanence of life and recognize the blessing of change.

 

New Beginnings

It’s spring in Iowa!  I can tell because it was 68℉ last week, yesterday we had thunderstorms, hail and tornados, and tomorrow we are expecting snow.  Gaia (mother
earth) is going through a transition.  For me, it seems like a hard transition, similar to birth.  But when she has completed this transition, the earth is renewed, transformed, beautiful.  

 Several years ago my husband suggested that I start a blog.  At that time, I had no time.  My days were filled with diapers, rides to preschool, play dates, art projects... well, you get the picture.  For the past ten years my life has been primarily focused on raising our daughters.  Now that both of our girls are in school, I have a little time for myself.  So naturally you ask; “What are you going to do now that the girls are in school?”  Good question.

 For the past six months, I have been going through my own transition.  I have been exploring different options, enjoying photography and practicing yoga.  Now that it is spring, I feel that this transition is nearing an end and a new one is just beginning.  One of my favorite quotes from Buddha is; “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”  These past six months I have “worked to discover my work” and now I feel I can answer that question.

 My work is my family.  I will continue to support my husband in all his business ventures, raise our daughters to be strong, confident, intelligent individuals, and write.  Thus my blog, Random Sutras.  Random writings on random topics in which I am passionate.  My husband had this insight several years ago.  In addition to blogging, I will be freelancing as a technical writer.  This will give me the freedom and flexibility I want, to focus on my main work, my family. 

As Gaia goes through her transition, it's a reminder to me that spring is a time for new beginnings.  A perfect time for me to start my new beginning.