Summer solstice...the longest daylight of the year. Payback for all those cramped dark winter days. Historically it's been a time of huge celebration across all the northern climes. Understandably so. For we earthlings, our sun's pretty much god--we couldn't exist without it. It's a lifeline. But in more agrarian ages, the connection must have been truly heartfelt.
It's also the first day of summer. A day of transformation, from spring's sweet promise to the full fruition of summer's rampant fecundity.
So it's a day both of celebration and of transformation...very yogic...very tantric. Whenever we come to our mats, we come to celebrate life. We seek to transform ourselves, to become more. To flourish and evolve. To ripen.
But what about the not-so-big movements? Radical transformation is relatively rare (and often not so positive); instead change comes to us slowly, incrementally, often in units astoundingly small. Inching forward one day at a time.
Once we move away from youth, with its multiple yardsticks and benchmarks, we often neglect to stop and note an achievement. To celebrate. Time now flies by so rapidly that to mark a moment might seem irrelevant. And let's face it, lots of us aren't even that happy with where we are: we think, it could be worse--but it should be better.
Instead, we stand with our eyes fixed on a far distant horizon: The Past or The Future.
Staring into The Past, we dwell fixedly on our mistakes, rue the times we fell short of the mark. Regret the missed opportunities, the bad timing and the worse luck.
Then we peer wistfully--restlessly--at The Future, and dream. If only I could...then I'd be confident. If only I had...then, then, I'd be satisfied. Then I'd feel good about myself. I'd be successful.
The reality, of course, is that achievement is found in living, and as such is necessarily and emphatically dynamic. It's accretionary, not static. Hidden in the process of life, in the folds and creases of each day.
Between the hard work and the disappointments, between frustrations and setbacks, we must learn to recognize our tiny victories, our small conquests, for it is these incremental triumphs which coalesce to form a life well-lived. Day by day. Inch by inch.
Set a goal and work persistently to make it happen, because as the American Zen Master, Yogi Berra (hey--a fellow yogi!!) once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there." Challenge yourself because nothing of value comes with ease. We seek instant gratification, but it's an unrealistic goal as well as an empty one. To master any skill takes effort, takes time--it won't happen spontaneously, and neither will it accomplish itself. Some days, just getting up is hard.
So rise to your own challenge. But don't forget to stop and pat your self on the back along the way.
