Christmas Day

We had a great practice at the studio this morning.  I've never taught on Christmas Day before and wasn't sure what the turnout might be but it was really well attended.  Even people with young children came to practice - I had assumed they would be too involved in  Santa Claus magic to show up at Yoga.  This was an eye-opener for me and really brought home to me how much people love to connect and be together in ways that are real and meaningful and playful.  We all spend time working - and most of us work in community with others, but it seems to me that not so many people also have a community of practice that includes an element of play. Without that - things get too dry, too serious.  Anusara Yoga - as a practice - is not "dry".  As a whole it encourages serious, dedicated practice, strong community and a mood of lightheartedness and  play.

We had fun and steamed up the windows and raised $180 in donation to the scholarship fund.  Just as we were moving into savasana, for a long winter's nap, the church bells started ringing out Christmas carols. Magical.

It was the first Christmas in 22 years that we've spent without our sons.  Eli and Leo spent Christmas eve and the wee hours of Christmas morning in the Casablanca airport where they stayed overnight. Then they spent Christmas flying over the Middle East towards India.  Is it still Christmas when you are flying across time zones high above the middle east where Christmas is not exactly an event of importance?  Their plane touched down in Chennai (Madras) at 4 am (one hour ago our time). They'll have connected with Emmanuelle by now and I'm sure that is pretty wonderful - since she is wonderful.

This is such a different Christmas for us.  As if to highlight the difference, just as Chris and I were about to head into Spokane to see Mom and Dad - our wood stove chimney burst into flames. If we had left just a little earlier our house would have burned down.  We got it under control without calling 911 but it gave us a scare! 

After the chimney fire - we went out to the worst dinner we can remember.  It was so bad that it was hilarious.....and that humor made it worth it.  We even took a picture of the cremated green beans embedded in a paste that was a mortician-shade of gray.  

Here's what I came up with - as my theme, my "meaning making" - to go with our Christmas Day:

• Life is short - the house is on fire.  Pay Attention!  (Get your attention together so you can "pay' it to what is important).
• If you go out to dinner on Christmas - make sure you either avoid the restaurant we went to - or have a very good sense of humor and just pretend to eat the food.