Niki becomes Niki B
The ride back from Eastern Ma was not easy.
She was not able to find a spot for herself and was,
Of course,
Overwhelmed.
As we were.
It was a long morning.
We finally got home.
The moment I opened the gate into the yard,
She sprinted forward.
Internal gears shifted,
Alive again.
She ran,
She hopped,
She pointed.
At what?
I do not know.
She rolled
And played
And became
Joy
Unleashed.
In that moment,
I looked down at my phone
And saw it:
The election had been called.
We have a new president-elect.
In that moment,
I knew I would
Always
Always
Remember
This moment!
And…
In the moment,
I knew her former name,
Niki,
Would be
Forever
Be—
Niki B.
No,
She is not a rapper.
She is a 25 pound
Bundle of joy,
Blessing me,
Always to remind me
Of that moment
Of joy.
That night, that next day,
I felt elated, freed, liberated from the oppressive lies of the past four years.
I felt as if 1000 pounds had been lifted from my body.
I exhaled.
For the first time?
The weather warmed.
Then warmed some more.
Sunday was lovely.
As Monday came,
However,
I felt myself tense,
Just a little bit.
Not exactly doom-scrolling,
But cautiously checking it out.,
I eyed my phone discreetly.
The news about the Other Guy was disturbing.
Over the next day or two, I felt myself slide down into a bit of a democratic gloom.
Do I scan for the worst?
Then I heard this comment:
~~~
Friends.
Joy is an act of resistance.
Let us resist the doom,
The lies,
The fears of what might be.
Let us choose joy.
Resist!
Let us not lease out
Another moment
Of space
In our heads
To that man.
Let us choose joy!
Not to transcend the intensity
Of the work ahead,
Not to fly above the brokenness
Of our country,
But to give us the courage
To
Go
Forward.
~~~
About joy,
A caveat:
I am not sure how.
How to play…?
How to relax…?
How to laugh…?
How to celebrate…?
I do absolutely know
That Niki B
Will show me the way.
What about you, dear readers?
How do you lean into joy?
Not to avoid the difficulties, the heartbreaks,
But to practice having a fantastic life.
What will your pursuit of joy be this week?
~~~
Two points of inspiration for our hearts:
- Robin Williams and Koko the Gorilla. Life does not get better than this.
- Playing for Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music. The idea for this project came from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Musicians around the world have created music together remotely for almost two decades. Check it out:
~~~
Dear Friends,
Be safe and well.
One breath at a time,
May the highest unfold
For all.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~~
Announcements:
Suggestions for Pathways to Probable and Potential Post-Election-Almost-Equanimity—
Votes are in from last week’s poll!!
The people have spoken.
Although the total votes cast was slim with the total of eight votes cast, the voice of the people has been heard.
With 62.5%, the voting public chose NAPPING as the most probably post-election path to possibly someday, equanimity.
Are you all a tad tired of elections and/or all things electoral? I’m just saying…….
Wisdom Circle
Let us connect, weave our hearts, our voices, our experiences together by being exactly where we are.
Come as you are and join us on Thursday, November 19, @ 2:00.