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Long a symbol of resilience and grace, in 2009 Elizabeth Edwards brought her special brand of warmth and tenacity to Living Beyond Breast Cancer's 3rd Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer. LBBC is celebrating that same sensibility in women affected by breast cancer everywhere this weekend with its first annual Barefoot Ball.
Elizabeth Edwards' recent passing once again brought women affected by breast cancer more starkly into the national consciousness. There is a lesson in everything, so, what has the measure of her life taught us? Strength. Resilience. Poise. Generosity of spirit. Sure, that's the easy stuff. What about the stuff that inspires?
Yoga is about presence. Attending to the breath. Attending to the body. All in the service of creating balance, inside and out. What does all that attention get us? It gets us fully engaged, and it does that in spite of our limitations.
That is the lesson and legacy Edwards left us, that is the intention informing the Yoga event hosted by LBBC this weekend and that is also the intention that should inform our experience every moment of every day. Live your life fully, no matter what.
We all face obstacles and challenges--big and small--but we shouldn't need to face a challenge in order to show up or be present for ourselves. All we need is the intention be engaged. Then, when those obstacles and challenges do arise--or if they are present for us right in this moment--they aren't a disruption to our lives, but become part of our experience.
Neitzche said, "That which does not kill us only serves to make us stronger". He intended that challenges dimensionalize us; that same sensibility is at the core of living with the grace, poise and presence portrayed by Elizabeth Edwards, and celebrated by organizations like Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
Whether we are battling a metastasis or trying to touch our toes, trying to keep the house out of foreclosure or coping with a teenager is really of little consequence.
What matters is showing up, and leaving our limitations at the door.
© 2010 Michael J. Formica, All Rights Reserved
