Fall Day in the Japanese Garden, Portland OR
So far, at 9:15am, I look out the window and the day is grey. The greyness prompts me to move into my “glowroom” outfitted with the “happy light”, a ceiling light, and also a table lamp. I have just had a long phone conversation with my cousin and I am reminded that life is precious. Breath and the pauses we take to appreciate life are more important than we can imagine. “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life”. Again, Omar Khayyam’s wise words ring in my ears and resonate in my being. I sit in my happy glowroom surrounded by books and yarn, photos of my grandmother, mother, son and daughter, my grandchildren, friends. I am thankful for the pause in which I am able to notice life surrounding me.
A beautiful soul we know is having a horrific experience as a Latina immigrant (with a green card) in our country. Years ago, in her youth, she made a mistake and paid her price to society. Since then, she has worked steadily, has become a grandmother and has lived a quiet life caring for her loved ones, while working consistently at a job which qualifies her as one of the working poor. Still, she greets others, her family, and her friends, with a smile and a hug. She has been hauled off to sit in a correctional center with the threat of being deported to her country of origin, where she no longer has family and has not lived for many years. My heart is heavy for my firend with the beautiful soul and for my country where such injustices can happen and do happen all too often.
As I exhale, allow fresh breath to enter, and calm my total nervous system and being, I send out into the universe loving thoughts to my friend and her family. Again, I am thankful that I have the Alexander Technique as a tool to deal with life’s challenges and help me “Be happy for this moment.”