On not doing things half-heartedly
Over the course of the time that weâve been looking after M, my parentsâ cat, one thing Iâve noticed is how whole-heartedly cats do physical things. They might spend 90% of their day sleeping, but when they stretch, they really go for it. They arch their backs (the inspiration for the cat pose in yoga, of course) and seem to stretch out every single muscle fibre in a shuddering, eye and ear scrunching movement. And thatâs it, back to sleepâ-job done. Likewise, cats donât have any truck with the politely-smothered yawn. They crack their jaws open, bare their teeth, stick out their tongue and really yawn.
It does you good just watching it, but it also reminds me that doing anything with conviction and commitment is a good thing. Yoga practice teaches the same thing, and the idea that you should always be conscious of your breath and every part of your body encourages you to experience the moment fully, rather than being half there and half not. Of course, it applies equally to any endeavour. When we are children, we tend to be very focussed on and absorbed by whatever weâre doing at the time, even if that focus doesnât linger very long on any one thing, but as adults, our minds seem to be perpetually somewhere else, skipping ahead to the next thing.
So my Spring Resolution (I dislike making resolutions at the New Year because itâs so hard to keep them then) is to be more child/cat-like in my attention. If Iâm doing something, I should be doing it, not half doing it.
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About the only thing I do with that amount of enthusiasm these days is get ready for bed.----- Right on! Pasted over the DELL logo on the bottom bevel of my monitor is a hand-squeezed old-school labelmaker label that reads "LIVE WITH PASSION".
by Luke @ 18/04/2006 2:05 am • Permalink •
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Thanks for the reminder and the inspiration.
Spring Resolutions - cool! Spring is the real start of the year, the time when we naturally revive from our frozen state and are ready for a fresh start.
by Jeannine @ 18/04/2006 11:04 am • Permalink •
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The traditional spring resolution is exemplified by us fat people when we start jogging. You can tell it´s summer when we are no longer clogging the local byways and hiways and are instead queing up for icecream. As an old hippie married couple my wife and I can usually get a mild ironic chuckle from each other when one of us (during a period of super boredom, irritation, depression, apathy and fatigue caused by lifes daily dutiful routine) blithley exclaims "BE HERE NOW!". Said quote (and book) was lauched by some swami snatchadollar during the seventies and was extremely popular. so, "BE HERE NOW!" and good luck with it. Honestly.
by john(jc.) @ 19/04/2006 7:05 am • Permalink •
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Good sentiments, bsag. We've got young specimens of both Homo Sapiens and Felix Domesticus on the premises, and the comparisons are fascinating - they don't know how to do things by halves (well, except tidying up and killing, respectively).
A nice addition to your new house (if you succeed in moving which I hope you do) would be a kitten whose just left home looking for a new gaffe. The first few weeks would establish which parts of the fabric would not be worth decorating...
by pete @ 19/04/2006 7:05 am • Permalink •
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Paul Howard: Hehe. I know what you mean.
Luke: Good to have it right in front of your face all the time.
Jeannine: Yes, I have no idea why people try to make resolutions in deepest winter.
john(j.c.): Oh, you're so jaded
pete: We know all about the destruction---our sofa (which luckily has a removable cover) has received a good shredding, and I think she's broken three fridge magnets now. Her way of gently directing my attention to the fact that it's nearly dinner time is stamping all over my computer keyboard.
by bsag @ 19/04/2006 5:05 pm • Permalink •
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All I want to say: THANK YOU! You've written a great post, I like it a lot.
by Yoga @ 02/11/2006 3:12 pm • Permalink •
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