Always Evolving

Shoveling snow, watching dogs, rushing so I could get to work and Fynn to school on time. Every morning and every afternoon it is the same. While I have a to do list an arm long, he sits idle usually in front of a screen.

When we get in the car and I am trying to explain to my 12, soon to be 13 year old, that he has a responsibility to look around himself and notice the impact his choices and actions have on those around him.
He told me he is still a child and should not have to be responsible. I promptly explained if he wanted to be considered a child, I would be happy to take away some of the freedoms that come with becoming a teenager, along with my expectations for him to be responsible.

As I ponder this encounter, I come to think about our society and it's expectations that someone else will take responsibility. Culturally we don't like to take responsibility and yet, we demand the right to happiness and freedom. Just like my son.

The news of late has been full of the backlash surrounding an article that suggests Nova Scotians need to take preventive actions toward personal health. It is not the governments job to pay for all ailments, treatments and services. While some people find this refreshing, others are taken aback.

I feel so very fortunate to live in a country that is not at war or political unrest. I feel blessed to have clean air and to have been given the opportunities to become educated and employable. To have a health care system that is there in time of need.

And I am especially grateful for the opportunity that the study of Yoga has brought to me. The study of Yoga has taught me that I am responsible for my unhappiness. In the ParaYoga newsletter in my inbox this morning, it read,

"You are constantly changing. From moment to moment, propelled by the force of becoming, you are endlessly becoming... something. According to the yoga tradition, every moment is a choice, which winds up either supporting your personal growth or moving you in the opposite direction. The study of yoga is learning to identify the methods that will most positively influence you in the direction of change and, in the process, enhance the whole of your life and fulfill its highest purpose. The practice of yoga is the discipline of applying what you have learned. It always comes down to practice."

Although I worry about a child who seems self absorbed and desire for him to become a kind and helpful adult, I know that the only choices I control are my own. Setting boundaries for myself in relationships with others will be paramount to my successful growth.

What about you? What will you practice?