Do your friends guide you spiritually? Do they keep you in the moment? Do they teach you?
Mine do. Maybe it’s because some of my best friends are fellow yogis (even the ones who don’t practice yoga or think of themselves that way), or maybe it’s because my yoga practice has helped me learn how important it is to keep inspiring and positive people in my life.
The lessons come in dozens of (seemingly) small ways.
A friend emails to remind me that what I’m worrying about this month is just another in a series of life lessons. That what we focus on as problems are actually our teachers.
A fellow mom at my son’s new preschool reminds me, with her honesty about how tired she is, that I’m tired, too. And that, come Saturday morning, I need to ask Neil to take Lucien out of the house for the morning so I can sleep in.
A friend visits and asks about my work, reminding me to focus on my work life, not just on motherhood, so that there’s something left for me as Lucien grows older.
And in the morning, I hear my yoga teacher friend’s voice, a gentle nudge in my ear. “Practice,” she says, “even if for five minutes.”
My oldest and dearest friend from childhood, who’s always there to listen, who really hears me, calls, and I grab the dog leash and head out for a good talk and walk.
These friends are my mirrors, my guides, and, occasionally, my therapists. I hope that I can be as present for them as they have been for me.
Jessica Berger Gross is the author of enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds with a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer (Skyhorse). She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and three-year-old son. “Like” her author page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter @jbergergross. Visit her at www.jessicabergergross.com.
Jessica Berger Gross
