I am a do-er, and I’m trying everything right now. You?
We’re all different, of course, but for me, being productive and getting my mind interested in new things just works better. I feel happier, more like myself, and more able to help others.
Hello, yoga.
I tried it when I was nineteen, and spent the whole class literally tapping my fingers on the ground impatiently waiting to get out of the little room filled with flexible people.
Now I’m 53.
I’ve been meaning to try yoga for a zillion years because I’m not flexible enough. So in this time of world pandemic, where everything is going crazy and we’re all worried, I decided to carve out a little space to get started.
Have you done this yet? Re-evaluated your home looking for small zones where you can try something new?
Please try! No matter how tiny your living space, it’s exciting to look at it with fresh eyes and wonder what you can make of it.
It reminds me of two things — when you have a dream that your house has an extra room, and you get to explore it. Remember how amazing this is?
It also reminds me of a favourite picture book I found when I was a girl. It was first published in 1967 and reprinted in 1993. Evan’s Corner is about a little boy in New York City, youngest of six like me, who lived in an apartment. (I lived in a big old farmhouse on a sprawling Canadian wheat farm.) Evan didn’t have his own space, so his Mum let him have a corner of the apartment. And in his corner, he made a beautiful creative ‘room’. He taped pictures to the wall, found a milk crate, a tiny rug, a stack of books, and a pet turtle. As a kid, I admired his spirit and ingenuity.
As an adult in “shelter at home” mode, I’ve found these zones:
Pulled a chair and footstool into a sunny corner, opened the blinds, and created a ‘reading nook’
Parked the car outside the garage to have ‘a gym’
Enjoyed a facial in my ‘spa’ — a freshly cleaned bathroom, with a newly laundered set of towels
And yesterday, I shifted over my son’s cello and found a mat-sized space on the floor that I now call My Yoga Studio. My family finds it hilarious every time I say My Yoga Studio and walk to the side of a room, but I feel WAY more motivated when I create a space for myself and talk about it.
A mat, a candle, a laptop. Free classes online at YouTube.
Really, we are so lucky.
While we worry about the world, we can also learn and grow.
What are you doing during this time? Let me know — inspire me!
Love Catherine x
PS. If you, like me, are trying to find ways to help, this mask effort is amazing. It was spearheaded by four people who are getting masks from a Mexican factory FedExed to New York City, minus any red tape or delays. Learn more here.