An Appointment with Life by Lexie Wolf
New York, JFK Airport
I’m a homebody with wanderlust.
Today, wanderlust wins. In just a few hours, Bill and I will be on a plane bound for New Delhi, kicking off our 40-day sabbatical in India. After nearly a week spent exploring Jaipur and Varanasi, we'll settle into a month at Sattva Yoga in Rishikesh. Rishikesh is the “birthplace of yoga,” nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas. We’ll be diving into a month-long teacher training with Anand Mehrotra, a Teacher we’ve come to really admire through his online teachings, podcasts, and books. I am so, so SO excited about diving deep into my Yoga.
This morning, the homebody in me made one last stand as I woke up in my comfy bed. That familiar fear of the unknown started to creep in—why am I even leaving? I’m incredibly lucky to love my life as fiercely as I do right now. That can feel like my Achilles’ heel, as I tend to hold on to it all a bit too tightly, hoping to outrun impermanence. We all know how that is going to go.
As I prepare for this trip, I’ve been reflecting on an episode of The Emerald, one of my favorite podcasts. Very simply put, it talked about how travelers and wanderers have always played a vital role in shaping cultures by contributing their stories and experiences. I hope to return with something —a gift, a new perspective, something I can bring back and share with my communities.
During our morning coffee-in-bed ritual today, Bill and I listened to a guided meditation by the incredible Sarah Blondin, whose words pierced through my fleeting doubts:
"It is important we not waste this appointment with life. This brief fling through stardust and bone…. We are here, against all odds, bound by the same fate, walking for only a moment, loud, and able, to give love to this world. There is a gift weighted down in you, trying to work its way to the surface. Finding this gift is your thanks, your note of appreciation, your offering to the feast of life."
I don’t want to waste this precious appointment with life. How fortunate I am for this opportunity to learn, to grow, and to see the world through fresh eyes. I am beyond grateful.
Our studio coordinator, Joy, and our Senior Teacher, Meadow, will be keeping the home fires burning so capably that you won’t even know I’m gone. I’m also totally confident that our amazing teacher tribe and the members of this community will keep everything running smoothly. Our studio family is a highly functional family, and I could not be more grateful for that. I’m already looking forward to coming home to you.
By the time you’re reading this, we should be in Jaipur. Tune in next week if you’re curious about how the adventure unfolds. Will Bill "Baby Ganesh" Wofford levitate? (He's close!) Will Pepto-Bismol “Ultra” live up to the hype? What wonders and surprises lie ahead as we throw ourselves a little more freely through stardust and bone?
