No Ordinary Tuesday

Today, October 4, is a meaningful day for a lot of people. Even if it is an ordinary Tuesday, maybe their kid has a dentist appointment after school. Perhaps it's the day that someone significant in their life is having major surgery.

This particular ordinary Tuesday is the start of Yom Kippur - one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. A quick Google search will tell you that it's a time for self reflection, repentance, renewal, and an opportunity to look to the year ahead with renewed meaning or even purpose.

In observance of Yom Kippur - also known as a day of atonement; the Jewish community will fast from sundown at the start of Yom Kippur until sundown of the following day. The practice of fasting is said to help purify the person as they become nourished by devotion and prayer alone as they set intention and resolve to atone. When observation of Yom Kippur ends, there's a blasting sound of a shofar - an undeniable noise that calls one to action toward this newly discovered life meaning and purpose. 

This observance resonates with me because I see the yogic parallels and principles in play. There's a letting go in atonement - one must be vulnerable and own mistakes in order to truly atone. We call it aparigraha or non-attachment in yoga philosophy. 

On a personal level, the sort of public atonement - or having a day set aside to gather as a community and admit to having something for which to atone seems more appealing to me than my experience with the sacrament of reconciliation. Growing up in the Catholic tradition, the confessional was not a place I ever wanted to visit. Everyone can see you're going in - and when they took out the screened in version of the booths, and you had face to face conversations with a priest - its just not a good feeling. 

This is not to say that asking for forgiveness is easy - no matter when you do it, how you do it or what. 

I suppose I could have used all of this in my dharma talk before class this morning. At the last minute I decided to share about why today is special to me. I told them about how today many years ago, my Grandma Jansen passed away on October 4th. 

They heard me describe her zest for life. How she found an element of fun in nearly every moment. "No fools, no fun" was a saying of hers, along with "first one in the paddy wagon, gets the best seat!"

So today, when I taught, I embraced the fun of moving in community, together. There was joy for me as I guided the students to feel their bodies, tap into the breath, create space IN a safe space. As we came to stillness, peacefully resting on our yoga mats, I felt so grateful.

I'm grateful that as the years pass, it's easier to remember losing her without that immediate sadness.

I miss her but the memory of her is so full of love and purity.

I'm grateful that I feel happy when I think about her.

So as far as new life purposes go? I'm going to choose fools and fun, Gram.