$110 and three demerit points…

So, I got a ticket, it cost me $110 and three demerit points.  I’ve never had a demerit point before, in fact, I didn’t even know how the whole demerit point system worked before this ticket, I can tell you now though.  Generally, I am a very good driver however, without a doubt, I totally deserved this ticket.  I cut off a police officer, who was on a motorbike, on a sharp curve, in front of the police station.  I had no good reason for this terrible judgement, I wasn’t in a hurry, no one was talking to me, no little animal crossed the road in front of me, my head just wasn’t in the game.  It was stupid, it was scary and it taught me a big lesson.

*My head should always be in this game…

Do you ever do that?  Maybe not something so blatantly idiotic as cut off a member of law enforcement, but drive, or maybe even live unaware of what you are really doing?  This happens to me every spring when I fall off my yoga mat, way more than I care to admit.  My asthma flares up and since I don’t want to go to a yoga class barking like a sea lion I just kind of lay low, really low, mostly on the couch.

*close, but picture in red flannel with a tv remote and maybe some chips…

Sri K Pattabhi said “Yoga is 99 percent practice, 1 percent theory”.  Apparently, this is a lesson I have to learn over and over again.  Yoga begets yoga.  One must practice yoga, in order to, well, practice yoga.  This is definitely true for me.  When I am less present on my mat, I am less present in my life.  Sure, I can espouse all the correct “live in the present moment” “be here now” etc. yogic wisdoms when I am at the front of the class but unless my own feet hit my own yoga mat fairly regularly my head stays in the clouds.

*Pretty, yes, but do you want her driving beside you on the 417?

Honestly, I should have sent that Officer a thank you card.  For a lot of reasons really, but mostly, he was on a motorbike, I was driving some pretty precious cargo, and truthfully that lesson could have cost us both a lot more.  We absolutely need our minds to be present when driving a motorized vehicle.  Also, though isn’t life almost always better when we actually are “here now”.   Life moves fast, and all of a sudden, summer is “here now”.  So instead of waiting until the third week of July to realize it, let’s be present right from that beautiful summer solstice and soak up every moment of those picnic suppers, spontaneous road trips and the cottage.  After all, this summer is going to start with a great moment no one wants to miss.

*150 years, still beautiful, Wow!

P.S. I would love to hear what you think.  Please “Leave a Reply” below, or you can email me directly at yogabeyondwords@gmail.com.

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