There are times when deadlines, the uncertainty of change, an onslaught of communications, and stress converge, descend upon us suddenly making our lives seem chaotic. Sitting in Rehoboth’s Coffee Mill, I wrapped up an email to a young teacher feeling excited yet overwhelmed by the demands of preparing for a new school year.
She felt no different from how I felt
A sip of coffee then I shifted gears to administrative tasks connected to Kim Studio, a Tae Kwon Do school I help to manage, which only compounded my feelings of stress and responsibility.
James, a shop owner and yoga instructor I have come to know, walked into the coffee shop giving me a reason to pull away from my to-do list. He explained how someone much younger than he had bought the yoga studio in which he had taught. The new owner wanted to take the studio in a new direction. Dave didn’t agree and left behind his students and an institution he had helped to build through years of dedicated teaching.
From the chaos (his word) this created in his life, he pushed forward and started teaching yoga on the beach with another like-minded teacher. He described how peering then reaching into the chaos helped him find opportunities he would not have had otherwise: autonomy, more students, little overhead, and freedom to carry on the traditions taught to him.
The serendipity of running into James just as I had finished the email to the young teacher, and just as I had begun feeling a storm of responsibilities gathering, chilled me. His message— don’t fear the looming storm. Instead, stand your ground and reach inside to find the opportunities chaos can create.
david cooper writing 
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