Ode to Mom

Life has been in flux lately, and as always, when everything around me is in turmoil, I start to think about what I want my life to be, to mean, to do…

There is this nifty little tool we use in coaching called a wellness vision, basically you imagine yourself at your most happy, your most healthy, having already met your goals.  So I decided that with all the opportunities in from of me and all the experiences behind me that I needed a wellness vision.  I needed a picture of me being exactly who I want to be.

So I visualized…
A woman, long hair trailing down her back in a pony tail, walking into a room full of people she was about to lead through yoga.  She knew everyone by more than their name but also by their story.  She joked and laughed and moved with a calm confidence and grace that put everyone at ease.  Her energy never ceased, her smile never ceased, her comfort in her world was palpable.

I visualized…
A woman who woke up and dove into life rather than crawling through it.  She saw every moment as an opportunity for action and relished the moments of stillness.

I visualized…
My mother.  My beautiful, effervescent, unyielding mother.

I have known how much I admire her, but until this moment never realized how much I aspire to be the woman who raised me. 

I have been unconsciously taking notes on what it means to BE from her, and she was always providing a sterling example. I remember watching her as she guided classes, talking through it like this was the most natural thing in the world to her.  I can hear her laughing EVERY day, finding time EVERY day to be grateful.  I can see the love that she didn’t just feel, but the love that she embodied for all that surrounded her.  I have all these notes and photographs tucked away in my memory.

Now I know that they have been my inspiration all along.

I beam with pride when people tell me I smile like my mom because it means that they see a piece of that light in me.  And I can say with 100% surety that if I can create a life like the one that was demonstrated to me…yeah, I have met my goal.