The Mystery of Street Signs

Balance. How simple it sounds, yet how difficult it is to find.  It is rare if I am ever in balance, but when I am, how sweet it is.  Becoming more aware of this constant struggle has led me to look deeper into my practice off of the mat.  Practicing Asana daily led me to recognize the signs I would normally never notice, even when they were hitting me directly on my forehead.  I speak about balance because for many of the people I am in daily contact with it seems to be the root of almost every conversation we have.  Even when I think to myself, "I am doing great, everything is working out", sooner or later my subconscious steps in.  It quietly reminds me of my first instincts before my mind began to go on it's usual tangent of perceiving a certain situation the way it wants.  I feel as though my mind is setting me up for failure! But I can not be too judgmental toward my mind, that's it's job, to completely mess with me by keeping me on my toes.  Maybe I am being harsh.  I do realize our minds do not intentionally want to mess with us because, whether we admit it or not, fantasy land is pretty kick ass.  Day dreaming, ah yes, keep me there forever.  However, I do need to give my intuition some props, it is usually dead on.  But alas, its a constant seesaw between my heart, my intuition, and my mind.

It was a friday night (11-11-11) when my friend and I decided to take on the city streets with our LED hula hoops, and bedazzled faces to celebrate many things including World Hula Hoop Day, Veteran's Day, and 11/11/11.  Washington Square Park was the location we were headed to meet up with other hoopers and to enjoy the childlike activity I find completely meditative.   I found it hard to walk in the city with the aura of the full moon captivating my gaze.  When I was able to meet my gaze halfway between the sky and the earth, which did not happen often, I noticed the blinking cross walk sign.  Like many New Yorkers, I rarely look at the crosswalk signs and charge forward because I feel entitled and in a hurry.  Ha.  It was tonight that I decided to give the old sign a millisecond of  a glance when I noticed that both the stop sign hand and the stick figured person were lit up.  I rarely look at the crosswalk.  Why now do I find myself confused and a bit taken back that the illuminated crosswalk sign is telling me to do both!?  Nearly a minute later I had come to terms that it was an omen.  It left a unsettling feeling in my body which helped me become aware of what was really going on here.  Balance.  The "stop and go" life I lead came to mind quickly as I began to read more into what the crosswalk was actually trying to tell me.  It was time to take a moment and notice the balance in my life, or lack there of.  The simple sign I received, which I would usually overlook, was shining brightly that night and it was the practice of awareness to recognize what was really going on here.  Either I need to look at crosswalk signs more or I need to remember to breathe and take a moment for myself.