A Quick Note & EXCERPTS: “Being Grateful for What Will Be” / “What Does It Mean to You?” October 23, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah, Suffering, Sukkot, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Abraham Lincoln, cultivating gratitude, gratitude, Happiness, King Solomon, lojong, santosha, Sukkot
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“Chag sameach!” to those celebrating Sukkot! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone grateful for friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
May everyone be healthy and strong; may everyone be peaceful and happy.
“And this too shall pass.”
— The old saying “Gam zeh ya’avor,“ in Hebrew (with Persian and Jewish origins)
Two questions have come up again and again over the last two weeks: “How could I spend my time?” and “What does happiness mean to you?” Both questions and this whole week of Sukkot — especially with yesterday’s focus on people who experienced major setbacks and “failures” — made me think of the phrase above that my grandmother often said. It also made me think about our overall perspectives, which is typically the underlying focus during my classes on October 23rd.*
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE!
“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! — how consoling in the depths of affliction!”
— Abraham Lincoln speaking to the Wisconsin State Agriculture Society at the Wisconsin State Fair, September 30, 1859
Please join me today (Wednesday, October 23rd) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Sukkot 3”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
*2024 PRACTICE NOTE: As I have repeatedly admitted, I have to work at keeping certain things simple. Point in case, I was in the process of remixing a playlist (combining two), because this seventh day of Sukkot coincides with the anniversary of the 1920 publication of Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street, the anniversary of the birth of Michael Crichton (b. 1942), and the birthday of “Weird Al” Yankovic (b. 1959).
Obviously, things didn’t work out as planned — and I’m not mad about it. In fact, I’m grateful.
A Joyful Practice 