Lessons in mindfulness.
On Saturday evening, I waited in the car while Joe ran into the store to pick up a few things for our sunset beach excursion. We were heading out to the Great Lakes cinema and wanted to grab concessions while we could. He opened the car door and handed me this bottle of Icelandic spring water.
“Here you go Angela.”
I’m not sure of the environmental ramifications, but recognized it as his love letter to me.
You see, this was the week I was to be at a Run Wild Retreat for women in Iceland, a 7-day running event focused on mindfulness and guided by writer and ultra runner Elinor Fish. Back in March, I had committed to this trip of a lifetime. My deposit was in and I was already connecting with some of the women via conference call. To say I was excited is an understatement! And then, in a painful twist of fate, I blew out my back. Now you might think this was a bad thing and I won’t kid you, it was very bad… and debilitating. The nerve bundle that keeps on firing. (I long ago stopped trying to describe it to anyone.) The point is that I had to re-evaluate my expectations, adapt to a new normal and adjust my whole way of being. And as such, a crazy thing started to happen. I began to see this unfortunate incident as a generous instructor. A reminder that mindfulness is a state of being, not a destination. You might have heard that I have a new album coming out. The truth is, I wouldn’t have done the album at all had I been in training.
So, I am not in Iceland, but I have this little taste of it. And while I ache for the land of fire and ice, it is not as something missed but as an opportunity yet to come. I’ll drink to that!