Commitment

Commitment. This can be a scary word. Everything we perceive is choice. Do you want commitment to be scary? Ok, it is. It does not have to be. The wisdom of thought leader Deepak Chopra is shared through his interpretation of the synchronicity and perfection of the Universe. He speaks about "uncertainty" as necessary to our growth, our evolution. Commitment is uncertain. We can't know how something will end. Or if it will end. Commitment is a choice, and how we perceive it is also a choice.

What if commitment was something you give to yourself? Some examples of this could include:

showing up as your best self, whatever that is, every day

• living according to a moral code/values

• telling the truth

• self-love

• sacred time alone

• clean eating

• exercise and movement that feels amazing in your body

• sleeping well

• hydration

• smiling and laughing every day

Commitment can be as simple or as complicated as we choose. I think I committed to seeing the world as a beautiful and glorious place before I was even born. I marvel every day at how incredible our planet is and I cry tears of joy every day as I witness different aspects of nature. For the second time this summer and the second in my life, I had a graceful spider spin its web off my arm this week. I can only speak for myself - when a creature that small trusts me enough to connect in that way, well even I am at a loss for words. I know many people would have squished that spider out of fear or discomfort. I made a commitment, after working on banana farms in Australia many years ago and seeing so many beautiful spiders, to care for the arachnids that come across my path. Choice.

This week, I made a commitment to get back into an early morning schedule. I love waking up with the sun, imagining that we both stretch and reach for wakefulness together. This morning, I woke up before my alarm, while my part of the world was still dark. I crushed that commitment today. It felt so good to tiptoe downstairs and experience the quiet.

Just before dawn...

I stepped into my backyard and I could hear a hum. Movement. Nature. Wind. Rumble.

Seagulls began to get louder. As I looked up, the sky was bright pink. Red sky in morning...

What is that sound? Rain! I could hear the rhythm of the raindrops before they landed in my backyard. I suppose this is what meteorologists mean by a weather front. I watched the morning rain, a living organism, come closer, until I felt a few drops land on my skin.

What does this have to do with commitment?

I am reminded of some of the choices that landed me here. Letting go of some commitments, both from choice and not, allow me the time and space to be right here, right now.

There is theory and there is practice. Together, these teach us and have the potential to make an experience wholistic. I learned that from the profound teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. My commitments are many, and all tie back to living my truth. Within this, I have the space to mess up, make mistakes, experiment, explore, and be wild and free.