On my drive to yoga today, I was passing through a rather seedy part of town, when I spotted a cluster of fake, plastic flowers at the base of a crooked mailbox which was leaning precariously towards the street. 

Now, I don't know about you, but every time I see fake, plastic flowers, I think "WHY?  Why would anyone go to the Dollar General and get fake, plastic flowers and stick them in a pot for decoration?  It's so tacky, so ugly, so cheap, so depressing."  That is my usual thought.

Today, however, I stopped myself at "WHY?"

I've been trying, recently, to question my thoughts rather than just accepting them blindly.  I've been practicing asking myself, "Oh, really?  Are you sure?  Is that true?  What do you mean?"  And so today, when I challenged my habitual repulsion regarding fake, plastic flowers, the answer to "WHY?" was pretty obvious.

Undoubtedly, the individual who put those flowers there did it with the intention to bring more beauty into her world.  And there is nothing tacky about an intention to bring more beauty into the world.  In fact, if anything were tacky in this scenario, it was my cynicism.  If anything were ugly, cheap or depressing here, it would have to be my critical, judgmental, rude inner reaction.

It's so easy to do, so common.  We say something snide, or even something true-but-unnecessary which does pretty much the opposite of bringing beauty to the world.  Even the humor of sarcasm, if we're not careful, can carry with it an undercurrent of ugliness.  Whether it is at the expense of the innocent, unknown gardner planting fake, plastic flowers or the most heinous politican or talking-head on any cable news network, I realize that my choices of thought, speech and action constantly affirm only two things:  beauty or ugliness.

When I take a moment to pause and see a thing with awareness, the response which arises is appreciation.  That doesn't mean I have to LIKE fake, plastic flowers.  I really don't.  But when I see them for what they represent, I can appreciate them because I understand them.  When I understand and appreciate, the next response is gratitude.  And, if one were to choose an operating position from which to live... there's no place more beautiful than a place of gratitude.

And so, I challenge myself and each of you to set an intention to CHOOSE beauty... to BRING beauty to the world and to SEE beauty in the world.  It is all around.  Even in fake, plastic flowers.

Namaste'

I've been feeling uncharacteristically blue tonight.  Earlier, I noticed that one particular Sad Thought kept running through my head, a silent voice affirming loss.  Then, as I consciously realized there was this sad mantra playing on looping mode, I also heard another voice.  This one asked gently, "So, um, Beth, sweetie, how many times do you plan to repeat this to yourself?"  It was a really good question.  I must have already said the Sad Thing half a dozen times.

I do believe there is value in acknowledging sadness or any emotion that might be judged as negative or undesirable.  Any thought loses potency under the light of awareness, afterall.  Plus, I embrace everything as beneficial and not to be repressed.  However, there is a difference in acknowledging a sadness and in turning that sadness into a self-perpetuating litany.

"You feel sad," I admitted to myself. "But is the spoken-in-your-head repetition of your sadness helping you feel better, bringing you back to a place where you can be present and loving for yourself and others?  Or is it, perhaps, adding to your suffering and sense of separateness?"

I was reminded of a quote I once read: "My beloved child, break your heart no longer."  It is true, isn't it?  We break our own hearts over and over when we repeat the stories which hurt us.  Would we speak in similar, harsh ways to a friend who was in pain?  Would we sit with them and keep bringing up, "I can't believe this happened to you; this is so terrible" every ten minutes, even when the conversation had moved on to other things?  Never.

In yoga, we often discuss the principle of ahimsa, or "non-harming."  Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term which translates literally into "avoiding violence," and it is an important tenet in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.  It's fairly easy to relate non-violence to our ideas of waging war between nations, dealing with interpersonal relationships, perhaps considering a vegetarian diet, and making compassionate choices within our yoga poses.  But, if my own mind tonight is any indication, it's often a much greater challenge to balance our subtle, internal dialogues with conscious kindness. 

I cannot honestly say that I feel cheerful at this moment, but interrupting the litany of my own sorrow has absolutely helped me feel softer.  And it is exceedingly good news that, even in times of sadness -- legitimate, understandable sadness -- we can exercise our tremendous power of head and heart and spirit, when we pause to acknowledge what we feel, to be aware of our choices to proliferate or to dissipate that feeling, and to return again to deep compassion for ourselves.

Namaste'.


    "My beloved child, break your heart no longer.
    Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.
    You stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.
    The time has come. Your time. To celebrate. And to see the goodness that you are.
    You my child, are divine. You are pure. You are sublimely free.
    You are God in disguise. And you are always perfectly safe.
    Do not fight the dark. Just turn on the light.
    Let go, And breathe into the goodness that you are."

    -Swami Kripalvanandaji (Bapuji)