Bottleneck of Appreciation

This coming weekend is a bottleneck.  Two things that I am very excited about but probably for that reason, want to give my full energy.  It is an opportunity for stress as much as it is an opportunity for joy.  And important to remember that both opportunities are there.  How often is it possible to turn stress into joy?  We are often stressed about things that we care for.  Maybe it is a matter of discovering the source of our care to do something well, and to see stressful anticipation or experiences as chances to actively try in the service of those things more fully.

But as much as it is important to see that it might be possible to find joy in the things that can cause stress, so too is it important to really acknowledge stress and its power.  Sometimes we can mitigate it by turning it on its side, but sometimes we need to step away from it, to identify the way that it is manifesting in unhealthy ways.  It is a powerful and helpful tool, but not if it rules us.  Learning to take the reigns, perhaps it is a lesson to learn a million times throughout life.

It is a such a privilege and pleasure to be preparing for an audition.  And I am so grateful to have the Tae Kwon Do community and thread which runs alongside the rest of my life, strengthening it and reminding me that there is something more than the day to day that can seem to unrelentingly force our service upon it.

This is a bottleneck of appreciation.  And after that, a bike and spring.