I began with sun salutations, which seem to be a perfect bodily expression of the word. I did not manage to do them every day. But it was a good practice and a way to put a little jubilation into the most ordinary days.
The few exceptions were a vacation with friends to Puerto Rico which was the essence of jubilation and numerous long walks taken with my husband which we used as a coping mechanism (very effectively - see gratitude of the year) to deal with a lot of this year's strife.
There is a photo of me jumping in the air beside the ocean on my birthday, which I was celebrating by taking another of those long walks. Near the end of the walk a feeling of bliss came over me (nearly jubilation), but as I look at it now I see myself as a balloon about to be popped and dropped. Three hours after this photo was taken, I was sobbing abjectly plunged back into the family crises of ill health and heartbreak which plagued this year which was marked by intensely painful drama.
So, this year I'm selecting "ease" as the word of the year. I've eschewed "mindfulness," as a bit overused and "Attention!" from Aldous Huxley's "Island" as a bit too strident. Instead, I will try for ease in the verb form - 1.) make (something unpleasant, painful, or intense) less serious or severe. 2.) move carefully, gradually, or gently.
Comments
Post a Comment