I was hesitant to start a blog for the studio. I was afraid I would suck at writing, I would come off as egotistical, I wouldn’t post often enough and so on. However, there is so much I would like to share about yoga and the lessons I have learned along my journey that I decided to go for it. Then, two weeks after my first post, I broke my finger. A “need surgery, a screw and a pin” kinda break. Holy hell, it hurt. I am only just now able to type with both hands aaaand I am already off my self-imposed blogging schedule. Yay!
My blogging schedule is only one of many things that has been derailed since my “incident.” Needless to say, this was a curveball I did not expect and somehow I thought I would march forward with life as usual, with minimal adjustments. WRONG. It is incredible how we (and by “we”, I mean “I”) put all kinds of expectations and demands on ourselves with the hopes that we will achieve all of them, while simultaneously juggling the daily demands of living. Or is that just me? Then, life steps in with it’s own plans derailing most of what we have strategically orchestrated. Breaking my finger has been a blessing in disguise (at least that is what I keep telling myself). I have had to slow way down, I’m talking turtle speed. I have not been able to be on my hands for nearly 5 weeks now and it has not been easy. I am a yoga teacher for goodness sake. Down dog is my dawg, yo. I have had a major reality check with my practice and all my “plans.” We easily lose our minds when traffic is not what we expect or when things don’t go according to plan, but how do we respond when the curveballs are bigger? Our reactions can make or break us. Viktor E. Frankl reminds us that “between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” I’ve had a shit ton of those spaces recently and unfortunately, have given my power away more often than I’d like to admit. The amazing thing is we have a lifetime of chances to strengthen that power, one moment at a time. Every day is an opportunity to learn, grow and ENJOY this life, regardless of our circumstances.
My new bionic finger.
So, here I am. Broken (literally), imperfect and flawed, but doing my best each day to maintain this perspective. Some days I am not so successful, but I’m reminded that circumstances and mistakes do not define me, and everything, positive and negative, is temporary. Armed with this attitude, it is nearly impossible to justify allowing our daily inconveniences to get the best of us. As your day goes on today, remember this, take a giant breath before each opportunity to respond and watch how much stronger you become.
-Desiree Heckman