THANKFUL FRIDAY

The two weeks leading up to the time change were not good yoga weeks. I would wake up at 4:30 AM, roll over, realize I had an hour, and then conk out for an hour and a half. I couldn't get up and get on my mat. I'd go in to make sure Michael was getting up and he'd say "are you on your mat?" and I'd have to say "no". This is the first time in our relationship where Michael has seen me struggle to get on my mat. He didn't know that this happens on occasion. He didn't realize that sometimes my mat and I just don't really get along. I figured after the time change, things would work itself out and I'd be up at 5:20 AM and ready for my yoga practice. Monday morning came and went, but I made that bargain with myself. I told myself that I would get on my yoga mat some time that day. I took my mat with me to work and at the end of my work day, I found a secluded spot in the gym and did an hour of yoga. I have been on my mat every day this week. Thursday morning, I smiled as I came into headstand and hung out there for a bit. Michael was just about to leave as I got off my mat, that smile still on my face. "What's that smile for?" he asked. I just grinned and said "I had a really good practice this morning. Headstand. Bloop!" I am not perfect. There are times when I eat all of the wrong things and I eat those wrong things in massive quantities (Michael's pizza is Chinese...we've recently banned the buffets). There are days my yoga practice and my daily walks fall apart. I will be cranky and quick tempered. I will hate everything and then I will reach a breaking point when I know, I KNOW, that I have to fix myself. This week was a week of fixing myself. By Thursday, I knew that things were going right. I was finally starting to feel like my old self. I am thankful for that feeling of peace and calm. I am thankful for the joy my practice brings to my heart. I am thankful for the effect this has on my day.

I have started to notice the daily gratitude status updates on Facebook. I see some people struggle with maintaining that daily practice. It's hard. There are times in my weekly postings of Thankful Friday where I struggle. Daily is a whole other beast. I suppose that it is not much different from a daily yoga practice. Actually...it can all be broken down so simply. There was a time when I was trying to flip my negative attitude that I had a daily happiness project. I wrote one thing that had made me happy down in a journal. I do that now with a daily picture. The weekly gratitude posting is no different. Nor the things I choose to eat. All of it is a practice. Michael asked me once why I call my yoga practice a practice. "What are you practicing for?" That's a good question. I never really had an answer for it until just now. My sun salutations are a practice for the routine of daily life. My asana practice is a practice for the times that daily life gets disrupted by difficult things. My final relaxation practice is a practice for saying goodbye. The practice as a whole is a reminder to take that practice off the mat and carry it with me through the day so that all those aspects of life, gratitude, happiness, even sadness become part of the practice. I am thankful for the reminder of how I want to live my life and the person I aspire to be.

First full week of NaNoWriMo is behind me and I've managed to keep up with the 1,667 or so daily word count. I am thankful for this because it's a sense of accomplishment. I am thankful for my new coffee maker and the smell of fresh ground coffee. I've been using pod coffee for far too long. I am thankful for the end of a very long week. I am thankful for all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers that have been sent this way. I am blessed.

Here's a fantastic weekend, but a truly Thankful Friday.