Last June I began to experiment with a sort of “Marie Kondo-ing” of my daily moments. At that time, I had noticed myself going astray into terrible habits of consumption and sleep. And I felt that I was wasting away. In order to get a hold of myself and to become the person that I wanted to be once again, I started to discard moments that did not add anything meaningful to my life. These included conversations, activities, and even people. I set clearer boundaries and said “no” more often, especially to family. (Some people did not take that well, let me tell you.. but that’s a soap opera for another day.)
More recently, I was able to fine tune this MK-ing technique with regards to positive experiences. What I mean is, sometimes I really do want to be in a specific moment. Yet that moment makes me profoundly uncomfortable and I don’t know what to do with myself. Let me give you an example. Every now and then hubby and I go on impromptu road trips. We end up booking whatever accommodation is available and figure out the details while in the car. And I love the simplicity and spontaneity of those moments. But we’re not always familiar with our destination and occasionally wherever we end up leaves a lot to be desired. Like this one hotel room with a dubiously smelly carpeted floor.
Now, my problem wasn’t the room itself but the price tag that came with it. It just felt awfully overpriced for such questionable quality. (Admittedly, the cost of living in Canada is ridiculously expensive. Plus, I’ve always felt there is this constant devaluation of materials in general. For instance, the quality of clothing has decreased dramatically compared to what was made in the ’90s.. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago. I’ve actually witnessed it myself in this lifetime!) And so I had this moment of sitting on my yoga mat trying to yog yet also inhaling these interesting fumes from the hotel carpet. As you can imagine, that moment wasn’t super sexy.
But the cards reminded me of a very important lesson: Everyone is doing their best. And this is the best that is available right now. Therefore, I also need to give my best in this situation by being present in full appreciation. One of my favourite yoga teachers taught me the following (I’m paraphrasing liberally): You will know that you’ve uplevelled when you notice yourself complaining less and enjoying more. I mean, I wouldn’t say that I’ve uplevelled entirely. I’m noticing my blind spots more frequently though. Perhaps we’re finally getting somewhere.
🌒 ♑
Decks featured:
Pasta Tarot (Jeff Petriello, Rob Truglia, Lindsay Mound)
Green Witch Oracle (Cheralyn Darcey)