Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free.

Today I walked along our country road with my two sons delivering homemade cookies to our neighbors.  My younger one delightfully kicked at the leaves, overjoyed at their crunch-crunch sound.  He'd pause, eyes full of wonder, to watch them sigh to the ground.  When we'd arrive at each neighbor's house, I would pull back as I listened to the earnestness from my older son, "We baked these cookies for you..." -Cheerful connection singing from his big heart, "They're REALLY good, I think you'll like them."

Watching my boys brought my attention to the whirling thoughts and overwhelm I was thinking earlier while we went about our morning, baking, reading, making small packages.  -My mind talking me out of the moment: "Will you do Christmas cards this year...the house is a mess, I have to clean it...let's just get these cookies done...I have to pick up some art supplies...when am I going to get to that yoga email?"  ??!!  And this is what I teach!  Stay present; breath; don't let the future (or the past) rule you.  Well, good thing I'm a human.  I have this great opportunity to keep practicing being a superhuman. ;)

I was just at a six-day teacher training, assisting my teacher.  Wow.  I knew it would be a lot, but I have had this nagging feeling in my heart whispering, "Your dharma is to serve big, guide folks along their yogic path.  Serve and guide your children, and SERVE THE HERD!  It's in you."  However, this broadens the terms of the latest contract of what I do:  Mother.  I snuggle; wipe bottoms; look at spiders; go to the planetarium; listen; pick up toys; read books about whales and the sun; have dinosaur puppet shows; play family; make art with pipe cleaners and glitter; go to the local library, Y, grocery store, playground; plan adventures; stay at home; bathe, feed, tuck in and sing to children.  I am happy, frustrated, tired, at peace, annoyed, present, in-a-thousand-places-at-once and I shoot for unconditional love (yet sometimes end up with conditions). 

Of course, there are other contracts I have negotiated with the Universe--yoga teacher, being one of them.  Lately I have been wanting to explore this contract, and at the same time, as I broaden the terms of "who I am" or better stated "what I do", I look at my children, growing up fast, and to be quite honest, I freak out.  Are they growing up too fast?  Or am I just not paying attention?  Is my dharma that imminent?  Or shall I just wait.  Yes, all of you on both sides, or somewhere in the middle can tell me, "Chill out."  And it's all true.  For the whale of self effort I put forth, there is an entire galaxy of surrender.

Keep it simple.  Many of us have the privilege of choosing how we fill our days, where we place our thoughts.  The rest is up to something bigger.  Let the sun seep in, the wind blow you around, the earth ground, the children inspire and teach us how to live in our hearts.  Remember that. 

To be free through the tantric point of view, is to live life fully.  Is to affirm all. -To ask the hard questions.  Choose to explore all the end points, rather than settling on one point.  Consider everything, rather than nothing.  Choose understanding and compassion, rather than judgement and shame.

I hope we can all remember we have the capacity to be simple, free.  We are humans with superhuman capacity.  Let's practice to remember this.