Bottling Spring Break

My son is on his Spring Break from school this week, and I really treasure this time that offers a break from traditional school routine. My heart is happy to allow him to, as I put it, "get his full rest in" (not having to wake him until his body is fully ready to do so) -- combined with plain ole' downtime incorporating a blend of some chores to letting him do his own thing around here to enjoying creative "athletic" silliness between us, and more. The change of pace feels wonderful, and I am just embracing this week with open arms.

Yesterday morning, to a friend I wrote: "It's Spring Break for my son this week, so I think I'm just going to spend the morning with him before he gets together with some friends later on today. So, I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I'll most likely see you in Wednesday's Pilates class if you are there."

She replied: "Enjoy your time with your son---most mothers I hear from dread the break--it's so nice to hear you are relishing it with him. :) Have a wonderful day full of all good things."

One of the good things Caleb and I shared yesterday was what I called our "10 at 10"! At about 10:00 a.m., for about 10 minutes, we did a powerful reading and discussion of a page from the journal of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the great Roman emperors. We got our hands on some of Aurelius' writings via Two Suns Rising by Jonathan Star, the text used for the yoga teacher training class I'm doing. About The Meditations, the journal Aurelius kept during the last phase of his life on earth, Two Suns Risings explains, "His writing is filled with such intimacy and sincerity that we no longer feel in the company of a Roman emperor but of an old and reliable friend."

One example of Aurelius' writing is below....what was shared with Caleb during our yesterday's 10 at 10!

"There is one type of person who, whenever he does a kind deed, will not hesitate to ask for some reward. Another type of person, though not so bold, will keep track of everything he has done for you, feeling deep down that you are in his debt. Then there are those who give without any remembrance of what they have done. They are like the vine that has brought forth a cluster of grapes, and having once borne its delicious fruit, seeks nothing more. As the horse that runs its race, the hound that tracks its game, and the bee that hives its honey, so should a man be when he has done an act of kindness -- not seeking reward, not proclaiming his virtues, but passing on to the next act, as the vine passes on to bear another cluster of summer grapes.

Life is the way you see it."

Ahhh, more Aurelius for us today! ;-) Come back later for the picture to complement the above and then tomorrow to find out what we read today!