Give Thanks to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

When you have a child, you spend all of your time teaching them to live their life to the fullest. 

Dream BIG!

Live Out Loud!

And Do the Impossible!

But when the time comes for the umbilical cord to be severed, as parents, we get uncomfortable.

We come undone. 

Because sometimes the way they cut the cord, isn't necessarily the way we would have wanted them to. 

We take it personal, as if our child has a script to this all.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the opportunity to be a parent.

I am thankful for the moments I have had as a parent.

The ups and the downs.

The joy and the pain. 

I am thankful to have a son who is an amazing person, with a good heart and big dreams.

And despite not agreeing with some of the choices he makes in his life, I respect him for being who he is.

I respect him for being him.

Every now and again, I pull out this poem I wrote for him a few years back, as a reminder that he is on his journey, not mine. 

I wish him nothing but success, love and happiness.

And I will continue to hold space for him on that journey! 

For My Son

Where have you gone

my little boy

leaning on the rails of my past

When I was inspiring you to think, to change, to be

And all you wanted to do was ask

Where have you gone

my little man

sitting tall with your sax in hand

smiling as the sweat poured down

and all you wanted to do was frown

Where have you gone my almost adult

strumming a guitar like a star

in the shadows of the New York sky

when all you wanted to do was fly

Where have you gone

It all escapes me

But not in the photos of my memory

You, must BE!

Happy Thanksgiving

Life is short, so get messy!

Vote With Integrity and Alignment

Today is Election Day in America and it's a perfect time to talk about integrity and alignment.

As a friend pointed out to all on Facebook this morning, the 'campaign' to vote for Proposal 1 in the New York elections is flawed if you look at it from the context of integrity and alignment. The proposal states:

"The proposed amendment to Section 9 Article 1 of the Constitution would allow the Legislature to authorize up to 7 casinos in New York State for the legislated purpose of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower propery taxes through revenues generated." 

He opined, "Should we allow State government to enter a symbiotic relationship with a corruption-prone enterprise?"

I thought to myself, he has something here? 

Where is the integrity and alignment of such a proposal with our core American values?

Is that the kind of long term jobs we hope to create?

When was the last time we had transparency of lotto winnings to local schools?

And when was the last time our property taxes went down?

The deeper question is, does opening 7 casinos fall into integrity and alignment with what the American people see as bold, innovative and competitive in such a modern and dynamic world. As Americans, can we think of something better than casinos to generate revenue and enhance our society? This proposal speaks to the current standard. Where is our ability to think outside the box and lead people and America to it's greatness?

And where is the integrity and alignment within the core values of this great nation?

Even if you are not a yogi, yoga is in everything, including politics! 

Yoga can be used to decipher a simple issue such as how should we vote on a particular issue.

In general, yoga speaks to integrity and alignment, not only in the physical body on our mats, but also in our lives off our mats. While many of us are "seeking" to achieve bigger or more complex postures  or higher levels in the community, we also need to be concerned with the integrity and alignment in our own lives.

How can we apply the mastery of integrity and alignment in our physical body to create an awesome headstand but be so off balanced in our personal lives?

So, my wish for all of you is to make your life decisions, small or BIG, based off of your core values as Human Beings.

And if you live in New York State, consider your core American values when voting on Proposal 1. 

Life is short, so get messy!