My Dad's Birthday and lashings of gratitude...
Today my Dad tunred 86, thats pretty cool, I think anyway. Happy birthday Dad! I am lucky to have my Dad around really as alot of my friends and yoga family have lost one or both of their parents, sadly a beautiful old friend of mine had to say a last farewell to her Dad today, which makes me feel even more grateful. I still have both my parents here, and quite close these days, actually around the corner :)
As they got a little older they decided that paradise was a better place to live than the hustle and bustle of city life. One of the best parts of this move is that I have had the chance to develop a 'real' adult relationship with them. I moved away from Sydney when I was 19 and never went back. Although I have spent alot of time with my family I have never been around them on a day to day basis, living, working, playing and all that.........so now we are exploring that and finding that we actually like and respect each other more than we thought.
There has never been any doubt that I was loved and cherished but for a very long time I figured they didn't understand me and hey they may never, actually there are days when I wonder if I understand me, how could I possibly expect someone else too?
So today I spent a wonderful couple of hours with Dad, Mum and one of my sister's, who travelled up from Newcastle just for lunch :) at a local cafe. We chatted about life and the fun times we have had and also the different problems we all face in our lives. We are 3 generations now and so the problems vary, but one thing we did come to understand more than ever today is that when we have love, support, a family that may not always agree with you but will always stand by you, then anything is possible.
I think back when I was floundering as a teenager, a very young mum, a yoga teacher with training wheels (which mind you I still have to put back on occasionally) and all the different rolls I have played over the years, I'd like to thank my Mum and Dad and my sisters. My die hard, get over it and on with it attitude may very well have come from the feeling of knowing that there were a few very very special people in the 'greenroom of my life' supportiing me and cheering me on, holding my hand, cleaning my house, helping with my children and then also supporting them as adults so that I can keep going and pursuing my life, love and career.
Don't get me wrong, its not without its ups and downs, disagreements and at times outright and complete frustration. But lucky for me, all members of my family know how to forgive and accept that we are all different and that everything changes, eventually!
Thank you also for the gift of yoga, which has helped me find self love and how to love another without blurring the edges. Yoga has brought me clarity and to this day still teaches me the best and hardest lessons and I don't even have to step off the mat for that :) And while I am on thank you's and gratitude, I think that is what this is all about, I'd like to thanks my divine partner and offspring for constantly believing in me but also pulling me up and holding the mirror steadily so that I can see.............ME.