Riding the wave

Last night, having no Valentines Day invites from anyone I would actually consider spending time with, I treated myself to a long, fabulous yoga class. The teacher always encourages us to create an intention for our practice that we can think about whenever our minds start to wander to things like "Ouch...How many freaking Chaturangas do we have to do?" or "I’d rather be on a barstool instead of in chair pose." She confessed that she had had a rough week and that she knew that many of us in the class had a shitty week also. She mentioned being able to "ride the wave," however rough or stormy things might get in life.

It was a fabulous metaphor that really got me thinking...Am I good at navigating through the rough waters of life? Can I ride the wave?

One of my favorite quotes is:

Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that
irritate my nerves. ~ Victoria, Queen of England

I like this quote because it is exactly how stress/change/caffiene-withdrawl affect me. Breaking up with my boyfriend of 4 years and learning to live alone...I didn’t shed a tear. Picking up my life in Boulder and plunking it down, all alone, in Washington, DC...no problem. My office moved from downtown to Crystal City...I didn’t stop crying at my desk for weeks. Clearly, I was not able to ride that wave so why were other, more monumental events so easy?

Perhaps it is denial or some sort of delusional self-medication. Perhaps it is necessity. Perhaps Crystal City really does just suck. I’m not sure of the reason, but I am going to practice taking the little things with a little more grace, a little more acceptance. After all, however irritating my commute is or how much boys suck or how much I wish I had more money/time/energy or less boredom/work/inches around my thighs, my life really isn’t that terrible. In fact, I wouldn’t trade it, ever.

I’m going to ride the wave. And not let it sweep me away. And not let it pull me under. And not let it bash me up against a coral reef or any other unseen solid landmass, culminating in massive head trauma. I guess I’ll just ride it and see where it takes me.