21 Days of Joy - Learning a Lesson: Just Show Up!

Day #4: Learning a Lesson: Just Show Up!

This morning was my 2nd Beach Yoga class which is held at Ft. Fisher Beach. It was such a beautiful morning. I drove to the beach with expectation of a few people showing up and envisioned us enjoying a lovely morning yoga practice. I arrived at the beach, parked my car and made my way over to the gazebo. I was a bit early so I was enjoying the view and finishing up my cup of hot tea. I watched as a few fishermen headed back to their car. I checked the time and it was pretty close to 9:30 so I decided to wait a little bit longer in case anyone was running late. I waited and waited and it seemed that I'd be going solo for the morning.

I decided to walk down to the water's edge by the rocks and wait just a tad bit longer. Time grew and I finally realized that this morning was going to be a solo practice. Sure, I was disappointed that I was by myself; however, it was such a gorgeous morning out at the beach that I decided to stick around. I enjoyed a nice, long 1-hour walk along the beach and found a quiet spot to practice yoga and meditate. It wasn't too hard finding a quiet spot to practice as there were only 5 other people on the beach this morning. It was like having the beach all to myself!

As I was walking along and enjoying the view and the sounds around me, my thoughts turned to the fact that no one showed up for yoga. And then I heard the voice of my inner wisdom, "You're wrong, Jennifer. Someone did show up. You Did!" At that moment, I realized that that's all I have to do...I just have to show up. There may be 5 students or there may be 2. There may be 10 or it might just be me. Whatever the case, all I need do is show up... make the effort and be there. The rest of it will unfold in due time. I thought back to my weekend and all that I did. I thought back to what I was feeling as I drove to Babs McDance for my 1st Argentine Tango lesson and to what I felt as I drove to Wrightsville for my 1st SUP lesson. I was excited, nervous and scared, but I pushed through my fears, I made the effort and I showed up. And each time brought an amazing experience with it. One that I would've missed out on had I not shown up. Then I felt it in my heart, "That's what life asks of me. It wants me to show up. Show up, not only, during times of fun and joy, but also during times of challenge. It wants me NOT to take a back seat to my life, but to be present and to take part in the journey."

And so, I gave myself a pat on the back and thanked myself for showing up... for being there. I knew then that if I had allowed myself to be disappointed and gone home upset that I would have missed out on the beautiful morning's adventure... and learning such a very important lesson, too. When wisdom speaks from the depth of the heart it carries a presence of joy that radiates through my whole being.

Show up, be present, and experience the journey that is your life.

Namaste, Peace and Love.

Click HERE to see a short video of more photos from my morning walk.