Angle

I took a yoga class last year around the first day of fall that was taught by one of my dear friends.  The yoga studio that we were at had beautiful tall windows and giant ceilings, and she had us use the wall for part of the class.  We did all kinds of stretches that involved the wall, looking up at the beautiful ceiling all the while.  My friend invited us to take a look at things from a new perspective as we entered fall, to hold things up and examine them from a different angle.  

I think I'll have that memory stamped in my brain forever; there's some moments in your life that seem mundane and ordinary at the time but turn out to be profound and transformational when you look back on them later.  I found that to be the case with this-- what started out as just a Thursday going to yoga class taught by a friend became such a profound lesson and example to me, and something I am thinking of now as we head into the new season.

The photo above is a photo from my living room in the morning.  I've learned that my house is something that I really enjoy examining from a new perspective, and that perspective is early mornings.  At the end of a long day, my house looks a little messy; it looks like a long to-do list of projects and chores, things that I need to tidy.  But in the early morning after I've put on a pot of coffee, home is my quiet oasis that I sit amidst before beginning my day out in the world.  It's a place where I feel that I belong, a place that is cozy and warm and inviting.  I often straighten things up at night before I go to bed, so I awaken to a fresh house where things are in their place.  I sometimes just sit and drink coffee, but mostly I pray and read Scripture.  I sometimes write.  I do all of this looking at the same home I sat in the night before, but I see it all through a new lens: the morning lens.  The lens that helps me to see hope and comfort instead of stress and things to do.

This is a short essay today-- I'm at the end of one of those long days with work piling up in ways that I feel overwhelmed by. Even reading a book for enjoyment tonight seems beyond me.  But I know in the morning, I will awaken and see things from a different angle-- a new perspective.  A perspective I hope to carry with me throughout my day.  

Love,

C