Say Hello.

Sunday afternoon.  I was walking my two labs, dressed head-to-toe in my Seahawks gear, after the CRAZY playoff victory against the Minnesota Vikings.  We had won by a missed 27-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Vikings a two-point lead in the last seconds of the game.  As I was heading around the chain-linked fence of a neighborhood soccer field still shaking my head in disbelief over the win, a sweet elderly woman walked slowly toward me, one hand on her cane.  I moved to the edge of the sidewalk with the pups as she passed.  I smiled and said, Hello.  

She turned back and asked, “What’s the score?”  

Surprised I answered, “They won.”  

“Hallelujah!”  She exclaimed. 

“It was a Miracle!”  I continued. 

She paused and smiled.  “That’s what we live on.”  

I smiled big as I walked away raising my arms to the sun shouting,  “Yes. YES.”  A gift from the wise.  Miracles.  Magic.  Faith.  Waking up in the morning!  The big and the small.  It’s what we LIVE ON.

Saying Hello always pays me back.  A sweet exchange between two people.  So simple.  Two souls connecting for one brief moment.  It's heartwarming.  I say Hello and suddenly, I feel lighter, happier, recharged.  The smile that widens my face makes me FEEL GOOD.  And maybe the stranger who just walked away might be feeling it, too.  

In an age of technology where all we truly desire is human connection, we are heads down, disconnected, consumed and seeking on our smartphones, laptops, the internet, social media, wherever in cyberspace we can find it.  What we may not See is that what we are seeking may be right in front of us.  

Go ahead, try it.  Say Hello.  

Lift your head from your device.  Or better yet, unplug when you take your next walk. Leave your iPhone at home or in your pocket.  Keep your ears and hands free.  Lift your head.  Make eye contact.  Smile.  Say Hello.  It's so simple.  Your gift is waiting.  Spirit can surprise you.

~The Wolf

The Power of Self Talk.

I opened the door abruptly to my first ever Qigong class at the Taoist Studies Institute on Phinney Ridge.  There they were.  A silent, standing group.  Eyes closed.  Deep in something.  Standing still.  It's 9:02am.  I'm late.  Always late.  Dammit.   I was panting.  Out of breath from running down the street.  As I nervously told my heart to stop pounding so loudly because all the eyes closed people must be looking at me, I debated turning around.  I could leave.  Easy to do.  I made a mistake.  Wrong building.  I'll come back next week.  I'll try yoga instead.  My back hurts anyway.  

Excuse after excuse.  Tried of hearing my old worn out narratives of why I can't get strong.  Why I can't heal my body.  Why my hamstring hurts.  Why not Now.  Why it's better to start tomorrow.  I took a breath and gently coached myself, Get in the circle. Find someone who looks like they know what they're doing. 

And so, I joined.  I found my guy.  He's got it.   I had no idea what I was doing.  My lefts were his rights.  My hands tangled and twisted while his flowed freely, deeply in, eyes closed.  I was more like Dragon with one eye open.  TWO eyes open.  Every time I'd want to giggle or say something negative to myself, I stopped.  Returned to my breath.  This isn't Real Fear!  A tiger comin' at me.  Okay, panic.  But not knowing Qigong?  And maybe looking ridiculous?  Come on, Wolf.  You Got this.  Spirit has your back.

~The Wolf