Gracenotes

    I have never had much interest in professional gurus. I prefer to receive my wisdom from unexpected sources, often delivered to me when I most need it, usually without the necessity of a credit card transaction.   I remember asking a wise old friend of mine, a long time yoga teacher and philosopher if she had ever had a transcendental moment.  “Oh yes,” she said in that accent unchanged no matter how many years she lived away from New York, “I was in a parking garage in Bethesda.” 
    It’s one of my favorite parts of living, and like many experiences that turn out to be wonderful, it doesn’t always start out that way.  Usually, Grace comes for me when I have reached the end of my rope.  I might be feeling  helpless, in shock, hopeless, frustrated beyond measure, frozen, exhausted, or sick with grief – my personal seven dwarfs of powerlessness. Yours might be slightly different, but are you feeling me here? I am saying that it’s only when I have exhausted every other option that it occurs to me to ask for help.
    So finally, that’s what I do. A heartfelt “I am feeling overwhelmed.  I need help.” A couple of deep breaths, and then I start paying attention.  And Grace shows up. She always does, and she’s usually pretty quick about it.  I never know exactly how or when she will arrive.  She can appear in many forms, and she usually slips in quietly.  First I notice a softening in me, an easing of the heart.  Then I notice a feeling of connection, an awareness of the connectedness of all things. And then, always, gratitude.
    Grace.
     I learn from those moments.  I find my perspective expands.  I realize things I may never have known before.  Possibilities appear. Stuckness moves. Even after the moment passes, the wonder can linger all day.  This for me is the heart of living.  I wish you Grace.