Celebrating 10 Years
TENACIOUS TUESDAY ~ I wrote this a week ago, but the timing wasn’t right to post and the events that have evolved since then have shed even more light on the message I wanted to share. June 1 was an epic milestone for me. It marked the 10-year anniversary of when I experienced my first quarantine, in a hospital. I had been diagnosed just days before with leukemia, at 34-yrs. old. I had two young children and was otherwise a picture of health. At that time, my life and who I thought I was in the world came to a screeching halt. I was stunned, angry, and scared. I was also immeasurably determined that I would not die. There’s a quote about a mother’s love ‘crushing down remorselessly all that stands in its path’ and cancer stood no chance.
The journey that followed was one I would have never wished for, but it is one that made me exactly, unapologetically, and gratefully, who I am today. The gift in the ugly package of facing your mortality at a young age is that you get to recognize early on how fortunate each day is. We’ve all experienced seeing something we can’t unsee and that’s what cancer shows us. The only thing that really matters are the people you love and the experiences that offer more meaningful connection with all of them. I couldn’t have imagined then the world we would live in now. I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. What I learned on my own journey is that sometimes we have to break apart to become who we’re meant to be. I believe this is happening to all of us now – at least I hope so. Life is the most precious gift we are all given and each of our lives, regardless of what we look like, where we came from, or who we love should be honored equally with the highest regard.
I teach yoga because I want each of you to recognize the power you have within to march forward in the world as your brightest & boldest self without looking back. In magical timing, this June 1st I graduated from my LYT yoga training, another milestone I have been dreaming of. I believe I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. You are too. Just close your eyes, open your heart and trust. And honor each other’s journeys.