In early December, friends and I spent an R & R (Retreat & Renewal) Day at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. I eagerly pre-registered for the morning guided hike only to arrive and find it had been cancelled due to the day’s extreme cold and wind. Undeterred, I changed clothes and signed up for a yoga class. Cancelled, too! Now, grumpy and unhappy, I perused the schedule and found a choice between a session on walking meditation and chanting or a session on soul journey and retrieval. Those of you reading this who know me are already laughing. Those are so not Renee, you are saying. Weighing my options, I chose the walking meditation and entered class with less than a positive attitude.
One and a half hours later, I left the session calm, relaxed, refreshed and very content. Two weeks later I continue to use the skills I learned that day by chanting when life gets overwhelming (or sometimes just when that silly Christmas song gets stuck in an endless loop in my head). I have learned that you can tap sa, ta, na, ma while sitting in a car in holiday traffic or waiting in a dentist’s office. While these may not be the way in which meditation and chanting are intended to be used, they work for me.
So, you say, this is a divorce blog, Renee. Where are you going with this? Well, in the iconic words of Mick Jagger: You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.
As the holiday season gathers steam it can be hard to feel that your divorce, or its aftermath, provides anything positive in your life. Pictures of friends and their families overwhelm in greeting cards and on Facebook posts. Memories of holiday traditions may make it a sad and difficult time, more so if you were not the one who wanted the divorce.
Many years post my own divorce, which was not what I wanted, I can look at where I am and know that I have indeed found what I need: a loving partner, wonderful friends, a career and volunteer work that inspire me, adventurous travel all over the world, new hobbies and grown children who make me proud to be their Mom every day.
My wish for you for the coming year is to try and find what you need for 2025.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year
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