household gurus

My yoga happens in the middle of things —
playtime,
bedtime,
mealtime,
in the middle of the house.

I am in downward facing dog
and the little ones run toy cars
over the side table,
over the piano bench,
over my back and leg.
They put their little hands on my waist,
their sweet foreheads on my side,
hugging me because I am there.
They camp out beneath my upside down “v”
so that my jump forward becomes a leap, or a walk.
They stand, sit, or squat at the top of my mat,
and now my forward bend is many breaths longer than I planned.
They show me where to go deeper
and when to breathe slower
and how to move faster.

I am in corpse pose
as my husband walks by —
he lifts, lengthens, and releases
each leg in turn,
coaxes my shoulder blades into lying flat,
holds my head and extends my neck.
He’s been paying attention.

When I come back to sitting
the little ones bring the strap for my rolled up mat
saying, “here ya go” and giggling.
My husband smiles at me from the chair.

I am loved.

Some opportunities to love

Some opportunities to love
are tiny and pass beneath our hands unnoticed.
Some opportunities to love
are great and frighten us into running, unable to look them in the eye.
Some opportunities to love
are persistent and flow through our days, unyielding, water over rock.

I pray
to see the tiny
meet the great
and jump into the persistent —
my spirit not worn —
polished.

Considerations for the End of Life

When my sojourn through this time and space

is called to an end, my triune God will not ask me,

“Why were you not Moses or Mother Teresa?”

Nor will I be asked,

“Why were you not more like your mother, or your sister?”

I will not even be asked,

“Why were you not your neighbor, or your friend?”

I will be asked,

“Why were you not Amy?”