Foundation Stones

Here is my past----

what I've been proud of

and what I've pushed away.

Today I see how each piece

was needed,

not a single step wasted.

Like a stone wall,

every rock resting

on what came before---

no stone can be suspended in mid-air.

Foundation laid by every

act and ommision,

every decision, even

those the mind would

label, "big mistake."

The things I thought

were sins, these are as

necessary as successes,

each one resting

on the surface of the last,

stone upon stone

the fit particular, complete,

the rough, uneven

face of these rocks

makes surprising

satisfying patterns

in the sunlight.

--Danna Faulds

After I read this in the boys class today, I asked them to tell me about a stone that they felt was a mistake but then turned out to be good---, hands went up, one boy said "being in jail was a mistake but I got my GED in here so I guess that is what you mean." Another boy said, "having yoga in jail seemed crazy--I didn't like it at first, I thought it was a mistake when they picked me but now I like it and I can touch my toes." One boy said, "getting caught was a mistake, but I'm reading in jail, and I didn't know how to do that before." Another boy said, "so what you mean is that no matter what happens to us or because of us, it leads us to places in our life where we can make a decision of placing a good stone or a bad stone?" All of them were right....one of the most rewarding things about teaching in the jail is that the boys are so receptive to things that are good for them--it sounds crazy but they really love to learn and find an insight that allows them to see themselves as good people. I told the boys a story about how recently I have had to make a decision that was very hard because I knew that when I made the decision that the work that would have to be put in would be my own and I couldn't rely on someone else, and how after I made the decision I knew that Yep---had to be done and that I'm stronger for it. We talked about how 10 years from now seems so far away, but that the stones we place on our path even the most insignificant can lead us to places and things that are both good and bad. That sometimes we need to rely on the fact that we have placed more good stones than bad as we continue through our life---everyone makes mistakes it's the learning from them that matters. The boys were excited to get started, and they had the most awesome practice of Surya Namaskar that they have every had---asking questions, telling each other where they need to place their hands, and really focused-----all in all AWESOME day!!!!