I am kind of like Bilboa Baggins: I don’t get out much.

And when I say “Good Morning” I would be willing to agree it could mean many things. Unlike Mr. Baggins though, and unlike many, I leap first and look later.

Oh, I have been stuck in my life…I don’t get stuck anymore and I love an adventure, even if it is virtual.

When I was a freshman in college, I took a class on writing fiction. I remember how the instructor said every story begins with a problem; isn’t funny how fiction mirrors life because don’t we all have problems?

And our friend the hobbit comes across a few of his own. But the one problem that he cannot own is pretense. He is as he is, with a good heart that drives him into actions not typical of a hobbit.

He has a home; he has a place where he belongs. His new community of dwarves lost their home. For most of the movie, he is the outsider and shares the dwarves’ loss because he is not one of them. Yet he earns his way in by taking risks and being willing to think on his own.

This made me think of how scary it can be take risks, to invite the unknown.

Our hobbit had made a comfortable life. Gandalf—or fate—chose him. The hobbit had no idea he was going until he ran out the door.

The mirror in my life is that did not know I would teach yoga. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher, then someone I loved crushed my dream. After many jobs and many tears, I thought I would take a teacher training. And I have been teaching ever since; yoga was contrary to what I was in many ways.

Yet, truth has a ring to it and yoga made a melody of chimes in my ears.

But I have no wizard. Gandalf always makes the impossible possible in The Hobbit. To me, he represents faith and the magic of miracles. Because when all is lost, I swear I think we all pray.

And lately I keep thinking if I pray enough, maybe there will be healing.

I believe we are made of light and at death all go into the light. I believe we’re all guided. I believe there are angels.

So, maybe I don’t have Gandalf—but I have a faith and all I know is: it’s mine.

Yes, I have a Gollum too, who takes my center and gives it voices I don’t want to heed, but cannot silence either.

Yet, I know what is always invisible is the energy of love and what gives love in life is how we do what we do.

I am a full time yoga teacher, trained at City Fitness in Washington, DC and Willow Street Yoga Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. I have been writing poetry since I was nine years old. Poetry is my first love and yoga continues to feed my heart. I write because I love it. I teach because I love it. I tell my students all the time: do it because you can. That works for me. I believe in creating opportunity. I believe in helping my self and others. I think faith is the most important gift of life, because when we lose everything else we still have that in our heart. I believe the natural state of being is happiness, or bliss, or Ananda. Life is a celebration. Poetry and yoga help me celebrate. Check out my blog and website here.

~

Ed: Bryonie Wise

Like elephant Spirituality on Facebook.

 

 

 

(Source: modernman-neanderthal.tumblr.com via Cecilia on Pinterest)