What a crazy winter we have been having in Northeast.  I have been so missing you all and wanting to chat but have been either shoveling snow, walking on snow and ice, recovering from snow, working, teaching or hiding from all of these things!  Meanwhile you have all been on my mind.  The topic for our chat today began on Valentine’s Day when Boston saw it’s second blizzard this season.  It has been the coldest and snowiest winter we have all seen in a very long time.  At this point it is vying for the snowiest season ever.  Let’s just say that most of us would be fine with number two on that chart.  It has been an intense time around the City for sure.  Boston Strong has been mixed with feelings of generosity, love and compassion and at the same time anger, rage, wanting to take snow and dump it on the person who stole your parking spot.  Let’s just say that the musings around love I began with on Valentine’s Day have been tested along with my ability to use yoga and meditation to channel the angst of wanting to do things that would in no way be in line with my core belief system.  People are being pulled in intense and opposite directions lately.  So for today’s chat let’s go back in time to where I began and share together how we might pull back from the ledge and focus on LOVE.

Way back when on February 14th I was in love with love and the white blanket that appeared to be covering my favorite City within the City, Somerville.  I was in Davis Square having a very lovely quiet afternoon out with the locals.  The cafe was lively full of people just happy to be out and about.  People were so friendly. It was clear to see that everyone was just grateful to be amongst each other in this warm environment that I like to hang out in at times.  My mind, as I said, was on love.  Love for having a slow day off, love for living in this City that is alive and thriving with art and culture.  I felt beating hearts around me and the love in the fresh air and beautiful snow flakes coming down.  Love is something that can only be felt and at times there are just not words to describe that feeling fully.  I know that at that moment I felt connected to community in a way that I hadn’t felt much this winter and it was really precious.  When I look at my writings from that day, the words I was to try to share with you before now, I wrote about how I took the time to consciously silence the negative thoughts so that I could witness the beauty that is winter.  Hmmmmm  that speaks volumes because since that day this has been quite the challenge.   I have had more impure thoughts of doing harm to people, or one person actually, than I remember having in a long time.  Given that I am a person who can pick up on energy very easily, it has been quite difficult at times to deal with others intense energies never mind the work it takes to deal with my own.  Yoga classes, unfortunately, have been much smaller.  I say unfortunately because if more people were practicing, maybe there would be more people having thoughts that they don’t act on rather than impulsively acting all wild and crazy.  The following are my thoughts why we are all going so crazy (or cray cray as the kids say these days…)

I live in an area of the country that is so intensely fast paced and externally focused that NO ONE, and sadly I put myself in this category at times, wants to take the time to slow down.  The snow has literally meant that things are not going to go as planned.  They are not going to go at the normal fast pace.  Even when it is not snowing, this is the case.  Our antiquated subway system shut down.  The roads have been snowy and icy at times.  It takes twice or three times as long to get somewhere.  I have to say that I attempted to keep up with working many different jobs in different locations last week and it took me down to my bed and pjs for almost two days.  Off to the chiropractor I went yesterday almost in tears as I was hurting.  We are so focused on trying to act as if there is not six feet of snow on the ground that it is insane.  Those of us working for ourselves have got to find a way to make the show go on, I get that, but at what cost?  There are some life lesson that we are missing it seems.  Why do we keep getting snow storms of 12 inches or more????  Is it just global warming? or might Mother Nature be trying to say to us “SLOW THE F DOWN PEOPLE!”    It is curious that this intense winter is coming at a time when globally we are going through a shift of breaking down old systems that are not working.  If you have been a part of this community and had tea with me before you may know that I have been talking about the astrological shifts that are happening that are breaking down the old ways of doing things in order to build up a new and more connected society.  Our subway system has been decrepit FOREVER.  It was easy to ignore it when you didn’t have six feet of snow on the ground to show glaringly how old and broken it truly is.  While some people have been acting all wild and crazy, there are other examples of people coming together to lend a helping hand.  Today for instance, it is AGAIN below zero except today a woman stopped when she saw me walking and offered me a ride to the T station.  GOODNESS DOES PREVAIL!!

It truly is about where you choose to put your attention. It is no surprise to me that during these trying times I have seen more hearts than I have in a while.  These are just two that I have decided to share with you today.  There are signs everywhere that change is needed.  Yes there are changes externally, like with the T, that are needed but more importantly there are internally shifts that are needed in order for us to thrive.  It is a moment by moment, step by step process of staying connected to your breath and the present moment.  Life will not always be easy and it will not always flow in the way you would like it to.  It will throw you curve balls; sometimes one after another that you will need to figure out how to handle.  Sometimes you may even decide in your mind to take this personally.  That will be a waste of time.  Instead try to see within the chaos to the heart of what it is that you are here to learn.  Folks, I would say that it all comes back to where I began with this.  Love…that is what matters most.  Love for oneself and love for another.  When someone does an unkind act towards you (ahem like taking your parking space or stealing the chair that was holding it for you) instead of figuring out how to get back at time,  just breathe because in the next moment someone may lend you a helping hand.  Be the person who takes that unkind act and makes beauty with it.  We need each other right now….even those who are not in Boston.  We are all going through our own struggles and the snow….well that is truly the least of those problems.  I have been through much worse and much better; and so have you.  It’s all a part of being human.

For today…for the love of snow….do something nice and smile.  Dance, laugh, have fun because this moment is the only one you have.  Spring comes as does Summer, Fall and yes another Winter.  Life is impermanent and always changing.  So do yourself a favor and just move with it!

Cheers!