The past few winters, I have been able to visit Paris, France for a few days, In a way, it has become my ‘regrouping’ time as I focus on the new year. I think I set myself up for a ‘stretch’ on the trip that I just completed as I brought Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father as reading material. My thought was to better understand the roots of this president who holds hope for so many. The book shares Obama’s intense self-examination as he comes to grip with his personal identity and value system. Reading it easily pushes the reader towards reflection of their own life.
With passages of the book swirling in my head, last weekend I toured Versailles – an amazing creation. What stood out as I walked its halls, listening to an audio guide, was that it was, in fact, built as an escape from reality - a retreat from the conflict and poverty of Paris for Louis XIV, V, and XVI. To condense many years of history – by the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the king and queen were so disconnected from their people that the French revolution occurred and the two were eventually beheaded.
The juxtaposition of Obama’s self- reflection with the French royalty’s choice of flight from reality found me walking the grounds of Versailles reflecting on the art of centering and the timeless value of its gifts of heightened awareness and deeper connection to both self and the world we live in. Would the fate of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette have been different if they had been more centered in their lives? Will President Obama’s choice to seek a deeper understanding of himself and the world he was born into help him in safely navigating the perilous journey he and our nation find ourselves on?
No answers to those questions here. Only a greater appreciation of the power we all hold in crafting our lives as we face our daily opportunities to center, or not, under pressure and stress. The tools of centering are indeed timeless and invaluable as we make choices. I would like to think that had Louis and Marie had access to some coaching in centering, their fates might have been different. As for President Obama, I can only hope that he will be centered as he makes the choices he must in the coming four years. And, I wish the same for all of us too – that we may be able to access a centered state in our own lives in times of need.
Judy Warner
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