Transitions, transformations

There are so many little moments in life where things change so that we will never be the same person again. Our relationships will shift, even just a little, and there is no going back to that idealized “way things were.” Some of these moments are obvious -- moving away from home, getting married, or having a child. Nothing will ever be the same. We could choose not to make these specific changes in an attempt to preserve the beauty of the way things are or once were, but we all know that doesn’t work. We’d end up like Miss Havisham, isolated in a decaying dream world. Most of the time, I see great beauty in this impermanence: things that are alive, rot. They transform into something else, again and again. The sweetness of summer fruit can be so sublime when it has almost crossed the invisible line between ripeness and rotting.

The time is ripe for change in my life, as my husband and I prepare our dog, cats and belongings for our migration to Santa Barbara. It is so sad to leave behind colleagues, mentors, patients, and friends, but leaving has also helped me appreciate the sweetness of our time here.

Denver has seen the maturation of our golden retriever Willow, who has shown me all around our neighborhood, and who will dearly miss Shadow, her dog boyfriend across the street. Shadow is, truth be told, really dreamy -- tall, dark and handsome, with piercing eyes, like a movie star. Try as she might to play it cool, she can’t pass by his front porch without betraying her feelings for him. And he’s in to her, too.

We’ve met so many remarkable people here -- friends, co-workers, patients, congregants, and neighbors. Even leaving those incidental relationships, no longer seeing the people I run into in the course of my daily routine, is surprisingly poignant.

My experiences at the Yoga Workshop in Boulder have helped me learn about so much more than a physical yoga practice. The teachers and students have taught me lessons in patience, determination, and attentiveness to things as they are. These are lessons that apply to all areas of life, and I am so grateful to that community for being an embodiment of a spirit of welcoming and acceptance in a context that brings me face to face with so many insecurities and fears. That simple room and the people who bring it to life are a treasure.

So, it is with a heart full of gratitude for the time spent here that I move on to Santa Barbara and begin again, having been touched and changed from the experiences and relationships of the past two years. Thank you, and come visit us when you can!