I was in a coffee shop yesterday, when I happened to glance down at the counter. Resting there, was a tiny button with a three word quote:
“Writers live twice” — Natalie Goldberg
I muffled a small laugh, agreeing with this wise and cheeky little button. I then reveled in its direct defiance of the modern acronym “YOLO” (you only live once). It would appear Natalie Goldberg has outwitted the Shakespearean insight of Drake. Hard to believe, but there you have it.
Journaling since the age of 9 has afforded me the chance to record and observe my life. Miss Goldberg, who practices Zen Buddhism and works its precepts into her writing, helped me realize I’ve been living my life 2 times – first in real time, the second in writing.
By doing this, I’ve come to see clear patterns in my life. To be honest, this has saved me a tremendous amount of grief by helping me to avoid past mistakes. To be even more honest, sometimes I drive myself insane when I look back at old entries and see the same cycles playing themselves out. It has forced me to look at my life, my tendencies, my patterns and allowed me the chance to ask,
“Jelayna, is this behavior helping you? If yes, continue. If not, for the love of Christmas, would you cut it out already?!!”
My yoga practice has become my “physical journal”. For the past decade I’ve witnessed patterns emerging in my asanas and mindsets, and boy do I ever have habits! The rituals I’ve witnessed off the mat through journaling reveal themselves quite blatantly when I’m on the mat. For example; trying too hard, pushing to extremes, staying with positions I’m most comfortable with rather than trying new things unless told to do so. The two worlds of writing and yoga have converged into a self-revelatory dance of awareness.
It would seem yogis live twice as well.
I very much agree with Socrates’ statement, “The unobserved life is not worth living.” Too often we live through the pain of self induced tragedy all because we didn’t take the time to stop and notice when we were repeating self destructive behaviors. The journey of self awareness, or in other words taking the time to live twice, is not an easy or fun road, but it is rewarding. Ultimately it brings about freedom. The kind of freedom that makes it easier to wake up in the morning and not have to breathe through the pain of regret. It’s the kind of freedom that makes it easier to be inside your own life instead of wanting to escape it.
Living twice is better than living once. So grab a pen or a yoga mat. YOLT– so make it a beautiful life.
