Life should not be just a series of tasks; but for many people, including myself at times, that’s what every day life becomes: wake up, cook breakfast, prepare lunch, go to work, eat lunch, go home, prepare dinner, clean up, prepare for tomorrow, go to bed, repeat. And each of these has its own set of tasks that we repeat daily. Yes, it’s mundane; but there is great comfort in regularly scheduled tasks. When I get out of this comfort zone I can feel anxious and greatly uncomfortable.

I guess that’s why I take great comfort in going to the farmer’s market, returning to the apartment to wash all my purchases, putting everything away in juicing order and finally going through the many steps of actually juicing. This is something I had grown quite used to doing on a weekly/daily basis in Hawaii, so when I now find myself in a strange, new world, these simple tasks are wonderfully comforting. Knowing that something is still the same and has not changed even though everything else in my world has turned upside down. Everything. I can’t communicate very well due to the language barrier, I have to find the online English owners manual for every appliance in the house in order to use it properly, I have to ask directions or consult google maps anytime I go out, I ask everyone if they speak English, well you get my drift. So these ordinary, mundane tasks bring order to my world.

The same can be said of the yoga class I went to last night. I joined a yoga studio just down the street that offers day/evening classes. I went to the 8 PM class for the first time last night. The instructor, Simone, spoke very good English and she asked me to just follow along best that I could, which I was able to do quite easily. Somehow listening to her instructions in German and not understanding one word was soothing. With each asana and every long-held pose, I was again comforted knowing that I can do this. It was the same, just different. And, actually, not knowing or understanding her words enhanced my practice; I was able to go inward more than usual and focus on my breathing and thoughts. It was lovely and I felt really good when I finished, very mellow and comforted.

Part of me wants to ditch all this and hit the road to explore other areas, take a day or overnight trip to Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris or wherever; but part of me wants to remain in my refuge and go through the steps of everyday living. As always, it’s finding that balance, that yin-yang in life that is so elusive. So to balance out my task-oriented day yesterday, I’m going to a local amusement park today with some FedEx friends to ride all the roller coasters!! No plan other than that. Woohoo!!!

Cheers!