Dear Oprah,

My mom is the queen of e-mail forwards. You'd love her. I can see you being friends.

She sends me mind games and notes of love and prosperity and if I don't pass it on, I will implode. Some of them are just great to read while killing time, but one forward she sent me recently made a lot of sense and held a great message that I had to share with my yoga classes.

It was about this girl who was feeling down. She came home from a hard day, plopped herself by kitchen counter and vented to her mom who was busy baking a cake. This is not unlike many times I used to come home from school, griping about this or that and watching my mom in the kitchen baking cookies or brownies. No wonder I was a fat kid.

The girl unpacked her woes - a break-up, a mean co-worker.

Her mom said, sit down and I'll make you a snack.

The girl was excited; knowing that the sweet unrefined goodness and warm heart of her mother would soften her daily blows.

Her mom handed her the raw eggs. The girl cried, ewww.

Her mom passed her a cup of flour. The girl cried, iiiiicck.

Her mom passed her a teaspoon of baking powder. The girl shook her head with disgust.

The mom explained that all of those ewws and icks made up the sweet goodness of the cake she would smile at in just a few short moments when the cake came out of the oven.

She explained that the cake needed just as much eww as it did the delicious sugar and chocolate for it to taste good and that life works the same way.

We need all the low moments of sadness just as much as we need the high moments of laughter and joy to make up a tasty life.

Of course, I wrote this better than the forward...he, he, but in that forward, I looked at my life and thought, yum.

Right now I'm adding baking powder and it's not lookin' so good, but in a few moments, a big hunk of chocolate is going to make my life sweeter and for that, I am grateful for all of the ingredients that make up my cake.

So, when practicing yoga and when practicing life, we must look at all of the interactions and poses as ingredients that make up the rich life are given - good and bad.

Maybe you are a bundt.

Maybe you are a lava.

Maybe you are a sheet.

Maybe you are a fruit!

Each day is an opportunity to look at your own personal bakery and see what ingredients you want to add to your cake.

So chose wisely, enjoy it all and let them be cake!

~Sweet things,

Laurie

PS, my mom has never done yoga, but she's always been my little guru.