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Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Small Adjustments


So there I was.  In airplane pose.

Balanced on my right foot, left leg straight back, arms extended backwards, palms down, hips square with the floor.

It’s 99 degrees in this room, and I marvel, briefly, that the inside of my body is the same temperature as the outside of it. 

I pay for this, you know.

The sweat runs off my face and onto my mat cover.  I tremble with the effort, smile inwardly at the exertion.  I think of my father:  “As long as it hurts, you’re in good shape.”

He was talking about frostbite – a subject near, dear, and required by law, in the State of Minnesota, to be mentioned at least once a year.

The smile goes from inward to outward.

The yoga instructor pauses next to me, places a cool hand on a space at the top of my back.  “Pull your shoulder blades closer in, move them down your spine,” she murmurs. “It’s the little adjustments we make that alter our postures and bring refinement to our pursuits.”  I pull my shoulder blades closer together and feel the change.

“That’s it,” she says.  “Very nice.” 

Whereupon I lose my balance and fall to the left.

Hours later, eating green grapes and staring at the wall in my new place, I wonder about the small adjustments.  About the move from one demographic to the next, from one phase to the next.

I stand on one leg in the center of my little room, reach back with the other, and make the small adjustments.

And I do not fall.

43 comments:

Robbie Grey said...

The closing line was fantastic.

Shelly said...

This is beautiful, Pearl~

Pearl said...

Contemplative Pearlie the last few days.

Can I get a what-what?!

vanilla said...

What-what? It is the little adjustments that make all the difference. Fly on!

Ms Sparrow said...

Thoughtful, beautifully written post!

The Jules said...

Beautifully written wisdom there, Pearl.

TexWisGirl said...

i liked this - for all sorts of reasons.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Beautiful!

Pat Tillett said...

REALLY good! It's the little things...

Leenie said...

I need you to come show me how to make those small adjustments in my airplane. The minute I try to fly I crash.

Not speaking metaphorically about life, no, that one legged balancing stick yoga pose. The last time I crashed I messed up a knee. Of course this could also apply to my life. Actually, a little balance in my life might help a lot. Fly on Pearl.

Joe Pereira said...

Lovely stuu - another Pearl Gem :)

Bill Lisleman said...

yoga mind and cat mind combining their creative powers?
I like the frostbite tip. I have an idea - start a freezing cold yoga class in the winter. You could even create a snowman pose.

Notes From ABroad said...

Oh sweetheart , no, you didn't fall, you might wobble a bit now and then but you won't fall.
besos, C

Symdaddy said...

The 'size' isn't important, it's the motion that counts!

H'lo Pearl! Long time, no pester!

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

I suspect I need large adjustments. Maybe a switch from gliding like a plane to fierce-bird flapping. I've not yet reached refined!

Joanne Noragon said...

OK, you are flying your plane in real time now, and that is wonderful. I'm waiting for you to take a cat on board. And, good job.

Indigo Roth said...

Fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Pearl...we make our adjustments and we carry on...a message I needed to hear today.

L-Kat said...

I've been missing my daily dose of Pearl lately (life is busy, eh?), and this was a beautiful post to come back to. Thanks for this!

Twisted Scottish Bastard said...

Moving from one demographic to another is best done with, as you say, small adjustments.

A zimmer plus extra hemorrhoid cream helps.

jabblog said...

Plaudits for Pearl - perfectly balanced, as usual:-)

Douglas said...

First, a big "What-what!" for you.

And remember... your inner strength is your cushion should you ever fall.

Geo. said...

Posture toward existence isn't a static thing --you relate it incomparably well.

Unknown said...

Glad you're able to make those adjustments without falling!

Unknown said...

Glad you're able to make those adjustments without falling!

Lolamouse said...

Yessss! An inspirational post. Namaste.

CarrieBoo said...

Quite profound. Almost like how we edit our stories, tweaking and tweaking to find perfection. Or as close to it as we can possibly get.

Here's to being upright. :)

VEG said...

Miss dude, if anyone can survive the adjustments in life it is you! If I were you I'd have foregone the new place in favor of moving into Psycho Suzie's full time as they have pretty drinks there and if the universe needs one thing for perfect harmony, it's pretty drinks. All the best my old bud. Not old in age just...you know.

Ian Lidster said...

Say, are you trying to pull a life metaphor on us? Just asking.

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

Oh, this is a wonderful post! I'm glad Yoga is continuing to help you stay strong, and providing some food for thought. Namaste indeed.

jenny_o said...

Nice, Pearl. You've got heart, and that counts so much.

esbboston said...

Your yoga has inspired me to grapeness. I wish to do something similar, so when I go groc shopping later I wiLL buy a yoga-urt. It is located in the veRy northwest corner of the store. When no one is looking, I wiLL stand on One Foot. It'll be our liTTle secret ..... and then I remembered there are most likely security cameras, snooping, looking for unbalanced people.

Pat said...

Perfectly put Pearl:)

Gigi said...

No, Pearl you haven't fallen. And what's more, your posts have kept some of us (me included) from falling.

Linda O'Connell said...

Square those shoulders when you greet the day; you might look like a badass to the bus riders :)

SherilinR said...

aw, yoga turned deep and contemplative. lead with the heart and don't shrink your neck down like a turtle.

HermanTurnip said...

Ya know, I see you people contorting themselves into odd shapes behind the smoked glass at my local gym. I walk past, hamburger grease glistening off of my chubby fingers, my pours oozing fry grease, acne breaking out on my forehead, and I look at you fit people in crazy poses, and I think to myself, "There, but for the grace of God, go I..."

Elephant's Child said...

Congratulations on both the post and the pose. Your small adjustments are always a delight to visit.

Raymond Alexander Kukkee said...

See? You CAN do it Pearl. Small adjustments,big adjustments, you're versatile. Way to go, kid! ":)

Rose L said...

Are you becoming a guru??? Or is the old "hippie" thinking oozing back into you???

Tempo said...

Always hoping you never fall again Pearl...

raydenzel1 said...

It is okay to fall, someone will catch you...

Amy said...

Love the part about your dad, it's really sweet.
Sometimes a girl just needs a little space of her own to spread out her wings a bit, then she realizes despite the bad luck, life itself is pretty good.