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Best Wishes for the New Year:
Peace, Joy, and a Lot of Enthusiasm
by Lori Riggs
 This article is really just an excuse to show you the following video. I had thought I would use the video as an illustration for an article on oral motor skills, the importance of developing good breath support, etc. And because these are valid subjects, I still will write something about them in the near future. But watching the video again, those subjects seemed a little blah in comparison to Cypress, the little guy in the video who is the pure embodiment of joy and enthusiasm.
There is a Native American ritual in which the participants go through a number of steps that symbolize learning to really live life and, in turn, teaching others to live. I'm summarizing here, but some of the process includes: create sacred space by being centered in yourself, learn to dance your dance, not someone else's, and then dance full-out. Not just dance. Dance full-out. Viewing Cypress' video, you will see what it means to do something "full-out." Imagine what our lives would be like if everything we attempted we did full-out. Whether it is doing program with our kids, listening to a spouse, or something a little more crazy, like skiing down a slope, doing it full-out implies a level of attention, intention, and commitment to the moment that we don't normally practice on a daily basis.
I'm not sure how the concept of "multi-tasking" came to be in such vogue, as if it's a great skill to be developed and admired. It's not like our lives have become better and more productive just because we can drive, talk on the phone, and make a grocery list simultaneously. What's more accurate is that our society is more chaotic and less attentive then ever before. If you do an activity full-out, there is not a lot of room to be texting at the same time. Visualize going through your typical day, but think about what it would be like if you could actually give each activity your full attention. I'm not naive; I'm a working mother of two, and my kids have been with me while I worked since the day they were born. (I was probably rocking them or feeding them during phone consults with some of you.) So multi-tasking is sometimes a fact of life. But there's still a lot of room for a heightened level of attention and enthusiasm in everything we do.
So take a look at Cypress and let him be an inspiration to you as you start a new year. I think I'll make a new year's resolution to add some of Cypress' enthusiasm to my life. Or maybe I'll take up the harmonica.
Click here to watch Cypress Jam!
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