May 29 2009

If one can transform oneself through conscious intentions, than the attention paid to your diet takes on a whole new meaning. One can certainly argue that by doing so you divert this attention away from more worthwhile pursuits, but can you risk the concept that perhaps by transforming yourself by food you may have ever more energy to spend on things such as that foundation you have been meaning to set up to benefit starving urban children? What responsibility do we have to our community to take care of ourselves? A great one, I would say.

Consistently in the habits of successful people attention to one's body emerges - those who provide the most for the world inherently provide for themselves as well. Where do we get away with consuming such excess just because the advertisement has convinced us to, or because there is no cheaper alternative available? The health food movement can perhaps be seen as a cultural sway of a fundamental aspect of yoga - yet another set of thoughts moving us now - of balance through opposition. We are opposing the norm, the gravity of cheap and easy - and through this we are searching for - and finding - a balance.

It is not but for the weary days of worry that we move forward at all - hours of red-eyed sits, alone in crowded coffeeshops while the sun shines outside that we pick up the phone and answer Yes to whomever asks for time - When we are nothing to the world all possibility is a gift, when we are still ourselves in ownership of our lives only our responses can confirm our responsibility. We have no right to sit in passivity to a world burgeoning with undone deeds and unwritten worlds, and we owe our immigrant parents one last twenty year try at success and if not wild affirmations than at least a "Good morning, hello" to the world.

When the pressure of life starts interrupting my digestions all I can do is sit somewhere with strong coffee and write sentimental words about tomorrow - and hope that it doe snot scare away my boyfriend. Notebooks of to-do lists surmonize my mornings, and the prose beyond it takes care of my afternoons, in thought about life which is love of breath and people, which is what exists when you ignore the lists in themselves.