You are here, it is time, you are ready.

I love a little time travel. Shall we?

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

First, thank you to the many readers who responded to my last post with comments, texts, and new subscriptions, both paid and free. I'm still crying, feeling grateful for you, for me, for life. That's about the best we can hope for. Right?

On to part 2. Dennis, are you reading? 

I'll use the little arrows I've collected for time travel posts to help navigate this essay a little easier.

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Many of you know about Dennis Tuttle, the editor of my book Lessons of a Wayward Yogini. If not, here is an earlier post I wrote about him if you'd care to catch up. Dennis and I worked on Lessons for the better part of three years.

He thought the book would take about a year. 

Haha, funny girl, that Sue. 

Even so, toward the end of editing, Dennis urged me to write one more chapter. My efforts were in vain. He finally acquiesced, agreeing I'd likely said all I had to say. I agreed.

We buttoned it up, which still took another few months. And for anyone who's never been through the process, the end becomes labor intensive and, quite frankly, a little tedious proofreading. Once you hold the finished product in your hands, you hesitate to sift through it any time soon.

Last November, when Rick and I had the pleasure of lunching with Dennis in person, he admitted it had taken him a long time to pick the book up again but that when he finally did, he was actually pleased with what we'd created. Wow, coming from Dennis, this was quite the compliment. 

But… oh no, there was a but. 

He admitted that it had disappointed him that we couldn't finish the book with a chapter about me becoming a yoga teacher. I agreed, but it was not how my life had progressed. I began pursuing two new loves in February of 2018, teaching yoga and writing about it. We all know which one took over. Even though, there still seemed to be doubt regarding my declarations that I couldn't do both.

We rehashed my reasons which I also describe in the book. And then we dropped the subject and enjoyed our pizza talking about life.

Perhaps of interest, I also collected many more reasons since publishing the book, which I haven't hesitated to use when numerous opportunities have arisen to teach yoga every year since, five years to be precise.

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Bygones. Let's discuss my newest favorite topic, reading The Artist's Way to remove creative blocks.

Since beginning these exercises, Synchronicity has been close on my heels. I've caught glimpses of this little guy behind me in the shadows sneaking up pretty darn close almost daily. It took weeks to emerge, but what reared its beautiful head was my block about teaching yoga. 

I could always envision myself teaching. Why was I not teaching? 

Photo taken of me in 2018 after my training class.

Well, stay with me. Turns out I had my reasons. And no big surprise, they weren't the same reasons I'd been so diligently collecting over the last five years. 

Doing one of the exercises in the Artist's Way, I revisited a memory. I wrote a post about this a few years back, but not in this context; likely, I was just joking about the incident.

↩️ We need another arrow.

Let's return to my high school days, 11th or 10th grade, drama class. I was shy, so the drama was already a stretch. Our final project involved writing and acting out a sketch in groups. I was in a group with four of my friends. I had one of the first lines and the line that would signal the stagehand to drop the curtain. 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

I was so nervous that I said both lines together, and the curtain came down. Can I emphasize that? DOWN. My classmates never had a chance to speak their lines. We got a courtesy D from the teacher. And my friends, of course, were a bit angry at me. Was I humiliated? You betcha. An actual problem in life? No. 

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But in doing the homework for the course, I became aware that I was still harboring feelings related to that incident. And once I connected the dots, I remembered that I had spent time joking with my yoga classmates, telling them I wasn't the best person to pair up with in presentations. There was a legitimate fear that I was dressing up as a joke. 

Armed with this new revelation, I sifted through the yoga class memories revisiting the enjoyment of my classmates and learning about yoga, but also seeing my continued reluctance to stand center stage and demonstrate to an audience.

As our final project, we had to teach an actual yoga class with a partner. I taught that class because it was necessary to complete my course, and I never looked back. I was moving on. And I don't mean to say I consciously knew that. But in hindsight, after studying my actions, it's obvious.

The studio offered each student of the class ample opportunity to come teach and move into the practice in such an easy way. I hovered around the idea and then RETREATED! And then life made it easy to find excuses. Still working, not working, needing to find a new job, finding the new job, working again. The central theme was I needed more time. 

Then right before Covid, life slowed, and I danced at the edges of teaching again. I was signed up and would be working with my friend Lynette. After subbing for two of her classes, I ran for the hills. Covid arrived, assisting me greatly; what a great excuse. Gotta go.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

And here's where the story becomes sweet, where I see synchronicity refusing to give up on me. Come on, Sue, you can do this! 

You are here, it is time, you are ready! 

It's also where the lesson becomes profound if one considers believing in synchronicity's power.

It’s important to revisit the definition of synchronicity one last time before I finish the story, keeping in mind that many believe that synchronicity arrives from a higher force to lift us, guide us, and deliver us.

The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible casual connection.

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Months ago, I received a message from someone I did not know, Trula. She had just relocated to Cool from Colorado. Trula, a yoga teacher and Reiki healer, had picked up my book in town and decided to reach out. I was delighted. We made plans to meet for coffee. 

I liked Trula's low-key, sweet nature; she could giggle. I do so love a gal who can laugh.

She was interested in teaching yoga in Cool. Knowing a few people in town from my failed attempts at teaching, I told her I'd check into possibilities for her. And somehow, where most others had failed, Trula managed to have me discussing possibly teaching with her in that first meeting.

A side note, I also had a few lovely guests during my book reading who suggested I start teaching in Cool. Their requests were not lost on me. I tucked them away.

I did my due diligence and researched a few possibilities “for Trula.” They didn't pan out. What did pan out is that Trula and I liked each other enough to keep making plans. And each time we met, we worked as sculptors chiseling out possibilities for us to teach.

One more shift back to the present day. 

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As of this week, Trula and I will be co-teaching a gentle yoga/restorative yoga class. We will not be teaching the same class together, but we will lead the same type of yoga and be available to sub for each other when needed. Being a senior getting used to my newfound freedom to take a trip or visit family/friends, this was a concern of mine to commit to teaching.

Turns out, our HOA has a Yoga Club and a facility that the club can use. Who knew? The Barnloft, affectionately called, is a pretty large room with a kitchen and two bathrooms. There are high ceilings, heat, A/C, and wood beams throughout. (I’ll send pictures in a future post.)

Trula has spearheaded the effort, seriously doing all the footwork with the HOA/etc. Previously, she worked as a business systems analyst/project manager in IT. Trula sweetly tells me what I need to do. I do it with gratitude as she allows me to concentrate on preparing my sequencing for my first yoga class.

As I write this story awaiting my first class, I understand it's nothing if not a story about synchronicity. 

The universe has supplied me with a spiritual partner/coach that I enjoy who is willing to do most of the business groundwork, in addition to a physical dwelling to teach in, a yoga club and community already intact, friends and acquaintances in the community interested in the class… hmmm?

If there was a written contract between Synchronicity and me, it would go something like this—

Just show up. We'll take care of the rest. 

I’m thinking it's my final offer.

I may be scared, but I'm not foolish. It's now or never.

But with that said, it's important to underscore that understanding our blocks is half the battle.

Thank you, Ali, for inviting me to participate in The Artist's Way with you and your readers at LIttle Things. Thank you, Trula, for helping me step off that cliff once again and reminding me that I know how to fly. And thank you, Julie, for being one of my favorite mentors who still reaches out to me from the great beyond. I do so wish I had a link for you.