For this week’s post, I thought I’d just open up and share. Sorry, not so much new audacious adventure to tell.

I figure I’m going to need this this body for a while, so I’m doing some spring cleaning. I have five days left of two weeks of the full Ayurvedic cleanse called panchakarma. That takes my mornings. The afternoons I’m still training with Tenzin Dhola in Tibetan Yoga.

I’m working on taking life piece by piece and being present for the moments of each without getting lost in the puzzle. Easier said than done for me. There are so many quadrants it seems. But I’m learning more and more about how to live with myself. I’m not one who likes to get lost in endless self-work and healing because it always feels like I got things to do!—books to write, clients to satisfy, kids to fundraise for, a building to build, things to learn and places to go! But at the moment it feels important to take some time for reflection and resolve. It’s important for me to remember to breath—to take time mindful moments between the tasks of life to bring myself fully to them.

I bought myself a present the day before my birthday. I saw it a bookstore and I really wanted it. But no, I told myself, you have enough Rumi books back home. I didn’t have this one though! But no, I told myself, get it for your Kindle, you’re acquiring too much to carry (my Kindle broke two days later![seriously amazon, this is my 4th, you sneeze and the screen breaks!]).

But the next day was my birthday. So like a rebel bandit, I said to hell with all these rules I’m placing on myself, and when I wasn’t watching myself, I snuck back to the bookstore and bought it. An hour before midnight on the eve of 33, I sat outside my window, stars over the Himalayas, sandalwood incense in the air, and I wrote myself this letter inside the cover of my birthday present to myself.

I hadn’t written to myself in a while, and it felt good to put the pen to paper and remind myself of a few things:

“Dear Luke,

According to Dharamsala, India time, you have an hour left up being 32 years old. You made it mate. You’re here in India to turn 33 🙂

Today you saw the Dalai Lama and tomorrow you will see him again. I know recently you’ve been confronted by some misgivings and fears. I’m here to tell you not to worry. You’re doing better than I could have imagined. You made it! Not to India, but to the depths of your sincerity — I see you, seeking and striving. I’m here to tell you to enjoy the ride. The only real fear is losing everything, and one day even this life will run it’s beautiful course. Your task is to to be true and smile into every instant of it while your here.

You’ve cast most everything aside that’s blocked you from your unencumbered bliss. So just enjoy being you. I know, I know, I know, I know — a book to weigh down your bag. But I saw you looking at this in the bookstore today and thought you deserved it. Enjoy 33 my man 🙂 I think it’s going to be a really special year.

I love you,

-Luke”

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