So how’s that social distancing thing going? We are stuck at home with way more free time than before simply because we have cut out travel time, gettin’ prettied up time and most social time. I’m getting to know my wife a little better and the dogs now do a little dance every time I walk by the back door thinking they are going on another walk. But what’s most important and most special is that I now have quiet time. Not just when my calendar says to sit down and meditate, ponder or write, but throughout my day. I walk past my closet, look at those work clothes hanging neatly in a row and wonder who that guy was that had to schedule a few minutes of quiet time.
This gift of quiet time is to be savored. It is time to remember who we really are, what is actually important and why we do what we do. Our childhood shapes us and drives us to manifest that which we now call our lives. All that baggage we pick up along the way hides us from our True Selves and our reasons for what we do. Too often we just put one foot in front of the other, plodding along and hoping that one day we will be able to rest.
This forced quiet time now gives us that rest we were unwilling to take on our own. It is a time to reset and remember those childhood motivations that drove us to this day. For me those memories are almost nonexistent. I have blocked out virtually everything before 7 years old and very little else until high school. Perhaps I was a “drop in” at age 7, or dropped on my head, or maybe my childhood was just so unremarkable that it was not worth the energy to remember. But I do have one memory that centers me and puts it all in perspective. I expect you do as well, if you can just remember.
I needed some help to remember, a guide to help me through a meditation that illuminated my being. I was asked to find that quiet safe place of my childhood. That person or thing that always provided a sense of protection, warmth and caring. That go to place whenever things got tough.
I immediately found myself in the arms of the woman that raised me. I could hear her voice, and was flooded with the faint smell of baby powder as she held me close. She was my Nona, short for Leona. But for her, I would not be the person I am today. My sense of right and wrong, unconditional love and forgiveness all flow from her. I was always safe in her arms and free from the harms of this world. It is her memory that provides a gateway to my Higher Self.
Once we step away from the clutter of adulthood, the pure essence of childhood can connect us with Home. That is where our Higher Selves actually reside. When you find that memory that always made you feel safe, loved and protected, you have found a door to your Higher Self. There are multiple doors to your Higher Self to be sure, but for me none quiet so special. Step through that door and remember that you are indeed safe, loved and protected, no matter what. Once you remember a doorway exist, it is always there for you.
Give all your decisions, all your judgements to your Higher Self. Unburden yourself and give the pressures of adulthood to that part of you that can see the world for the illusion that it is. Your perspective changes and that which is truly real and important presents itself. It can be no other way.
My Nona would make banana pudding for me whenever I needed a little extra love. She made it from scratch. The milk, cream, sugar, eggs and overly ripe black bananas would magically transform before my eyes into the wonder of a freshly baked banana pudding with meringue piled high and toasted to a golden brown. I would sit on the counter and lick the spoons clean as she did her magic. Whenever I think of banana pudding my Nona comes to mind.
This week, in some of my quiet time, I baked a big batch of banana pudding from scratch, twice. Nona was with me, quietly reminding me of who I am. As I sat on the porch, savoring that last bite, everything fell into place. I once again remembered what was truly important.
I think I’ll have just one more spoon full.
Now we are doing yoga….
Namaste
Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out The Daily Yogi for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at blair@yogadailymountpleasant.com. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.