A Reminder: Perfection is Now.

photo via Smithsonian Natural History Museum

"The world is not imperfect or slowly evolving along a path to perfection. No, it is perfect at every moment, every sin already carries grace in it." -Herman Hesse via The Writer's Almanac


What's that? Eleven days since my last post? I haven't written a thing about my visit to New York City yet? Oh dear, I've been in Minneapolis for exactly a week already, and I haven't written about that either? My belly is rolling out from so much eating out and too many cocktails? I'm having trouble staying in my body, living in this moment? I'm trying to manage other people's lives and energies again? 


Here's the lovely thing, I can forgive myself for all these sins, not just because I'm on vacation, but because I am learning to let go and come back to my center whenever I finally notice that I have wandered away from it. 


I made it to yoga at last this morning. And I felt teary eyed more than once as my body continued to remind me how much I had needed to be kind to it and how much sadness I had been storing up needlessly. It felt so good to just let it go, let it go, let it go. My teacher's words of wisdom echoed out again, "The spirit loves it when you care for your body."


Have you had any reminders to savor this exact moment recently? I'd love to hear about them. 

Cruising the Amalfi Coast

One of the highlights of our trip so far was a scooter ride along the Amalfi coast. I felt like we were in a James Bond chase scene as we zipped along the winding roads high above the ocean with the sun overhead and a mile of sheer sandstone cliff face just beyond my elbow. Italian drivers are quite nonchalant about creating their own passing lanes- in the center of the road! Eric has been practicing his motoring skills since we first arrived in Hawaii, first on the Vespa and recently graduating to the Rebel. Although he handled all those steep mountain roads with style, I felt a buzzing tingle of energy in my stomach, arms and hands underlying every hairpin turn.

I held to him tightly and used each powerful surge of fear to practice trusting him and letting go of my inhibitions. This helped turn the fear into an exhilaration I haven’ t felt in a long time. It was a thrill to be alive and present for something so simple and so extraordinary. And it was nice to remember that being a little frightened, acknowledging that fear, finding center and plunging in anyway can make an experience richer and more precious. There are thousands of details about this trip I’ve already forgotten, but I won’t forget what it felt like to wrap my arms around my husband, let go of my fear and peer out at the vast blue expanse of sky meeting glittering water.

Here’s to fewer souveniers and more experiences.