Greetings All ~

Everyday, I wake up in a beautiful environment. I live with clean running water, a reliable source of electricity, good internet access, too much food and the finances to afford it all. Without bragging, I have to say that my home is pretty darn nice, too. I just sold it for a pretty penny and am moving to a smaller place that still has all the perks of my daily life.

Everyday, I to try to be cognisant of the fact that I'm born white, in the USA, in the 20th Century, to an upper-middle class family that afforded me financial stability, food on the table, education, a solid family unit, and medical care when needed. This is now commonly referred to as "white privilege." It has revealed itself to be true, now more than ever.

Everyday, I try to bow to the benevolence of this life. Not only through a physical practice, but in attitude and action. One of the top reasons I decided to sell and move was sitting solo in a 4-bedroom house during the shutdowns. It wasn't loneliness. That can show up in a one-room, cold-water flat. It was the uncomfortable feeling I was using way more than my fair share. It felt out of balance. Add the practicalities of an advantageous real estate market, being still young enough to make an independent move and that my kids are building their own nests, it was time for action. As I write this, I see how affluent and class-privileged the whole thing is—even with a downsize.

Everyday, what can I do to transform an attitude of gratitude into tangible action? Gratitude is beautiful but incomplete without an action to back it up. It's hollow to simply say, "I'm so fortunate and I know it." Prayers of thanks are most effective when paired with act of seva or mitzvah to give them weight.

Gratitude needs back up!

I will admit I have been more self-absorbed and less helpful lately. It has made me feel heavier and the maya seem thicker. It's tougher to move with grace and ease. I feel more sluggish and less like a yogi.

Everyday, I ask and look for ways to animate gratitude. "Help me to help."

Here is a practice to honor that which you already have and to help you see what can be done:

Asana: Guru Pranam

Chant : Akhan Jor
Time: 3 minutes or longer
To End: Inhale deeply, retain the breath until you can no longer comfortably hold it. Do this 3 times. On the 3rd exhale, rise up, sit quietly for a minute or two, and smile!

What else you can do:

Go local: Find an organization in your neighborhood that simply needs hands or a car or someone to answer the phone.
Go global: Work on shrinking your carbon footprint and your use of natural resources. That's a list in-and-of-itself. Plenty of organizations have suggestions for us online. The environmental crisis we are in—yes, we are in it—affects us all. It hits the less and least fortunate hardest.
Donate: Throw some money at something! Chances are you'll absorb the cost. The organizations that are looking to make changes DO need funds. And in the current pandemic it may be the one thing you can do.

You are all Heaven sent. Be somebody's angel.

All Good Things,
Vicky Jap Dharam Rose