Divine Timing and The Art of Racing in the Rain

This week I've really been taking note of instances of Divine Timing. There have been more than a few. I didn't always notice life's little cues inviting me to turn my life in certain directions. I was never very organized and mostly flew by the seat of my pants. I didn't go to college the first quarter after high school because I couldn't make up my mind about what school to go to and what to major in. I didn't choose my major until my third year of college and only chose one because I had to and my teacher told me I would be a great graphic designer. The truth is that probably wasn't the best choice for me although it continues to serve a purpose. I didn't even get my diploma at graduation because I was late with the certificate fee. These are just a few of many mis-steps that probably could have been corrected if I had only paid more attention to life's little cues. Even though they felt like mistakes, I try to make the most out of everything that happens to me so I see their value.

Once again I'll comment now on how yoga has been such great life training for me. Mindfulness practices like yoga and alexander technique really helped me to stop charging so hard through life. When I was charging, I did get a lot done but I was so stressed out that I also missed so many cues that were presented both in my heart and in the world around me. Taking time to slow down and to practice being more mindful and more sensitive is an incredibly powerful tool to expand your inner vision. As we become more sensitive to ourselves we also become more sensitive to the little signs that are constantly presented in our field of vision.

One of this week's synchronicities lead me to read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. I have no doubt that this book is one of those life changing reads for me. It's an insightful look at life and death through the viewpoint of a dog named Enzo. One of the many lines that I really loved from this book drove home the value of learning to stay open to our emotions and feel our way through them. So often we feel an emotion and get stuck. We lose sight of the bigger picture and get caught up in a moment in a way that our progress can be shifted off course.

Here Enzo, is experiencing a conversation between his beloved pet parent and his wife.

"I couldn't read their body language because I couldn't see them, but there are some things a dog can sense. Tension. Fear. Anxiety. These states of being are the result of a chemical release inside the human body. They are totally physiological, in other words. Involuntary. People like to think they have evolved beyond instinct, but in fact, they still have fight-or-flight responses to stimuli. And when their bodies respond, I can smell the chemical release from their pituitary glands. For instance, adrenaline has a very specific odor, which is not so much smelled but tasted. I know a person can't understand that concept, but that's the best way to describe it: the taste of an alkaline on the back of tongue. From my position on the kitchen floor, I could taste Eve's adrenaline."

So here we are, constantly influenced by forces within and around us. So often being pushed around by life without even allowing ourselves to become aware of this push and pull of nature. Taking time to slow down and to be more sensitive to ourselves and others is the door to living a more pro-active life. Yoga, meditation, and the simple act of paying attention are great tools to sharpen your awareness so that you can see the cues that life is always offering us on our journeys. You can check out The Art of Racing in the Rain here: http://www.garthstein.com/arr/

With love, kate
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