Crinkled Oranges

Friday, January 15, 2010

Fog

We've been enveloped in a lot of fog and haze lately. Utah has had the ranking of the worst air in the nation this last week.

I have been feeling that fog and haze both
Literally
and
Mentally.

Since the devastation in Haiti and worry about other things that I have no control over, it has seemed hard to see things clearly. My thought processes have felt foggy, or in other words, unclear. I feel like I’m in a daze, and a hazy one at that. There is a feeling of helplessness. Because what can you do about suffering when you are not there to help? I can hardly look at the images of people or think of their desperation. I like to put it out of my mind.

It makes me feel good when I hear of shipments of humanitarian aid being sent to those who are struggling for survival. It makes me feel good that I've paid my tithing and fast offerings and that I have at least contributed to aid which is being sent to Haiti or to feed those closer to home who are going through hard times. But I don't feel good when I look at my frivolous life and petty concerns. I don’t feel good because I still want to go out and spend money and time on more unnecessary and frivolous things.

This morning at Yoga I felt better than I have all week. I felt strong. I felt in control. I felt progress. There is a pose in yoga called the “Half Moon Pose.”   (shown here, not by me)


When I first started yoga, I just laughed when I tried to do that pose. I commented that I didn’t think my body could anatomically get into that position. It has just been in the last few months that I can strike that pose for just a second before I lose my balance. It’s progress.

What does my doing the “half moon pose” have to do with helping people who are in distress? I’m not sure. Like I said, my thought processes feel hazy. Perhaps it has to do with achieving balance. I know that when I felt like I was moving, balancing, and making progress, that my mind and spirit felt clearer.

So maybe “Balance” is the key.

We can’t control what happens to those we love.
We can’t control natural disasters.
We can’t control other people,
(Most of the time it seems impossible to control myself)

So we try to strike a balance.
We try make a difference to those
that we can make a difference for.
And as for the rest of it,
we just have to
Trust
and
Pray
and
Believe that God
never leaves anyone alone.

4 comments:

Tom Anderson said...

Nice blog entry. The fact that you even ask the questions you do demonstrates to me that you are a very kind person with a high level of spiritual development. Perhaps the answers are not as important as the fact that you even ask the questions. I hope the fog lifts for you soon. You sound a little down. Tragedy like in Haiti has a way of doing that.

Tiffany said...

Beautiful mom. Everything I have been thinking also. And you hold that pose longer than one second. . .I've seen it!

tingey said...

Hey Annette......I think I am one of those people in distress. The next time im in town you need to strike the {half moon pose)i am sure that will bring me right out of what ever distress im in that day.

Angie Crompton Murphy said...

Annette-
That was so beautifully said. It is so easy for me to get caught up in worrying about things I can't control- it was nice to read some understanding of how to process those thoughts. I am sending a late birthday/christmas present to you with my mom. I saw it and thought of you. The Fog is suppose to lift this week :).

Angie