Order

December 12, 1998

Order.

That's one of Seurat's key words in the musical Sunday in the Park with George, which is also the source of the song "Finishing the Hat." As Sondheim and Lapine wrote it, order was one of the words Seurat used to focus his life into his art (along with design, tension, balance and harmony). In fact, at the end of the first act, when the painting is created, order is the first of his words that transform everyone and everything.

And so today is my day for order. I helped Jean take ten boxes of stuff to Goodwill this morning. She had actually done all of the work (I was there to lift the boxes), but somehow it set the tone for my day. We're making room for Bumpy. After we got back I settled in behind my desk. I've been here for the majority of the day, creating order. I've been through my filing cabinet top to bottom, alphabetizing both home and work folders. I cracked open my 1999 Day Timer and started entering milestones in my 15 month planner. I even organized my collection of bookmarks in my browser, adding some that were lost last time I had to reinstall Windows.

I'm far from done organizing my life, but the details aren't worth sharing. What matters is that I'm getting there: by the time I go to work on Monday I should be in shape, both personally and professionally. Since coming to work at Richmond I've realized that it's important to be disciplined in my approach to life, as the structure provides me the foundation I need to do good things. It's a concept I think Milton embraced as well: he believed that by training his mind in the classics and in biblical literature, he was preparing himself to become a prophet (a conduit for the word of God). It seemed to work: in his later life, Milton would dictate his poem every morning spontaneously, shortly after waking up. He complained once when he had to wait that he was ready to be "milked." He believed that by studying hard all his life that he would be prepared if the Spirit chose to transmit the word of God through him.

Whether Paradise Lost was inspired by God or if it was just the result of Milton's mind dreaming, both possibilities were created in the context of a disciplined life. I am far, far away from the kind of discipline Milton maintained, but I understand it and aspire to it.

Which is why I'm looking to start back with my yoga practice again. Georg Fuerstein describes yoga as "the discipline that leads to inner and outer union, harmony, and joy." I have studied yoga off and on for more than three years, never quite developing a steady practice. I am more interested in the philosophical and spiritual aspects of yoga, but prefer the Iyengar school for the physical aspects. Iyengar focuses on precision in the postures, and allows the use of props for those (like me) who can't get to the pose on their own. Other schools of yoga concentrate on fluidity between poses or other aspects, but I like Iyengar.

Unfortunately the closest Iyengar class is in Charlottesville, about an hour away. It is not practical, especially with a baby on the way, to sign up for the next series of eight Saturday classes. So I will work on my own, with books and even a video or two to help me along the way. I can only hope that an Iyengar teacher comes to Richmond some day.

I'm not looking for yoga to get me into shape, even though that would be a good thing. Long ago I learned that fitness for fitness' sake doesn't work for me. If fitness comes from yoga, or from my walks to and from campus, it will be a side effect. Yoga puts me into balance (that's another one of those words Seurat uses), and that's why I want it in my life.

Well, that was fun! On a somewhat lighter note, Jean and I picked out a Christmas tree today. It's a little bugger, around five feet tall. We've pushed my desk away from the big window in the study so the tree can be seen by those who drive or walk by. Jean's got white lights up on it tonight, and we'll get some ornaments on the tree tomorrow. She's also put up candles in the front windows of the house. It's a much nicer place than last year when we bought a tree that stayed on the driveway throughout the holiday season.

It's raining tonight. It started to drizzle in the late afternoon, and I think the rain is expected to go on all day tomorrow. We've needed the rain for months: the James River is quite low and moving so slowly it appears to be more of a lake than a river. It's still cold outside, with the lows tonight in the thirties. We've no chance of snow tonight, but this sure beats the eighty degree weather of a week ago.

reading: The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien); Living Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide for Daily Life (Georg Fuerstein and Stephan Bodian, eds.)

listening: A Winter's Solstice (Windham Hill); A Winter's Solstice III (Windham Hill); A Christmas Treasure (Julie Andrews & Andre Previn); Heavenly Peace: Chants and liturgies from the monasteries of Europe (Milan); German Christmas Candlelight Hours (Pilz)

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