Sometimes all I look forward to all day is my shower— All alone. No one asking me for anything for an entire ten minutes. Heaven. 

Today, I really needed that time. My two month old was being especially needy all day, so as soon as my husband walked through the door, I promptly handed her off and headed upstairs. 

No sooner did I hop in the shower did my three year old waltz into the bathroom to take a poop that more closely resembled something a 40 year old man would produce the morning after a plate of hot wings and beer. Throughout his evacuation, he excitedly yelled about all the imaginary bad guys that were coming into the bathroom. All the while, I could hear my newborn wailing in the distant background. 

So much for a little me time. 

How does this relate to yoga, you might ask? Well, for me, it started with the mistake I made in having lofty shower expectations. Yogic philosophy warns us of the human suffering that comes from expecting things to go a certain way. The expectation of alone time set me up for unnecessary frustration when I didn’t get it. Years of practice has taught me that I have two choices in a moment like that— stay pissed off or laugh it off. 

Today, I chose to laugh. I actually started laughing in the shower and my three year old curiously asked, “Mom, are you funny?” And I said, “I think YOU’RE funny.” And we promptly entered into a “Who is Funnier” contest. 

Yogic philosophy also teaches us that all of this is temporary. The feeling of being touched out with young kids is a glimpse in time. One day, I will miss this time desperately, I know. Good health is temporary. Sickness is temporary. We are temporary. And this constant realization helps me remember my gratitude. Because in reality I love the whole of my life and wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Thank the Universe for yoga! 

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