Appreciate the little things

The other day I woke up feeling like a number - just another aspiring yoga teacher in a field of many. I think we all have days where we wake up and wonder what am I really doing to make this world a better place? And this other day was definitely one of them.

As the day progressed, however, I kept noticing all of these small gestures that made me feel less like a number and more like I was making a difference, it might be small, but a difference nonetheless. I happened to be in the office and it was the small things that kicked me out of my funk - the card and hug from a departing co-worker, the smell of and sounds from another co-worker's baby, and the time spent with friends talking and laughing.

It didn't stop there, on my way back into the city I called my Grandma to thank her for the fresh garlic from her garden (yes, she sent me fresh garlic in a box :)) and had the chance to catch up with her and my Grandpa.

And then I spent the rest of my night at the yoga studio working with my therapeutics group. One of the students in my group came in late and flustered and though we were supposed to be going through the sequence we had been working on over the past five weeks, I decided what she really needed was to practice some restorative poses. So, after convincing her it'd be okay if we strayed from the sequence, we found ourselves in Viparita Karani for most of the evening. Though initially frustrated, I think she realized and appreciated that legs up the wall was exactly what she needed to cool herself down and deal with her migraine. It reminded me that sometimes what we need to do is much different than what we think we should do and that's it okay to do what we need to do.

So, I may not be making waves across the country, but I am trying, to the best of my ability, to be a positive influence for and to have a positive impact on those around me. And when we take time to notice and appreciate the small, kind gestures we're reminded that we are making a difference and that we're living our dharmas.