He lifts her by the feet and tosses her free falling into the air and water.

She laughs and says do it again!

He carefully lines up Star Wars figurines and names them one by one as he listens and is mesmerized with the same enthusiasm.

He ever so carefully changes her diaper; he methodically removes his splinter.  He smiles when he comes home from a long day of work and welcomes their happiness.  He glances toward me with appreciation.

I can remember so much joy surrounding the children; it is more complicated for me to remember us. Maybe us is them? They have become living examples of our union that once was and today I wonder if that was our dharma/purpose in meeting? I often ponder what exactly happened or what could have been.

The best of him is being a father and quite possibly the angels knew what we had the potential to create.

I may not have received what a younger version of myself thought I needed; what young girls are taught to believe they should strive for. However, I can now see with eyes wide open, with a heart that has endured and the courage to just know that all is as it should be.

In my mind’s eye, in my heart that has been fairly ruptured for the majority of my life, I can now see so clearly.  I see the memories and I cherish them all, I welcome them all and I need them all.

At my shalas, we teach others to walk through all of life’s experiences, to use all of the lessons to contribute to one’s own evolution.  To do this is not easy but is the journey one needs to take or rather must take to truly experience this life.

Soul connection occurs many times in a human’s life, we must remember to look back at all of the connections with a softness versus regret.  If we feel lost, we must learn to come back to our “Touch Tree”, as Glennon Doyle so eloquently describes. A touch tree is one recognizable, strong, large “tree” that becomes one’s home base.  We can all venture into the woods as long as we remember to return to our touch tree over and over again.  

These are the bones of our lives, the memories, the lessons, the special people, and in my case my touch tree is a man that I once shared a marriage with whom I now share two glorious children.  A man who, like me, went into this adventure with the truest intentions and then life happened.  A man deserving of happiness and a man whom I will be eternally grateful to walk on opposite sides of the street through this life, as the other half of two souls.  Our bones may be fragile, but they will be eternally connected by soft tissue that understands the essence of the soul and our purpose here and now.

Nicole Zornitzer, ERYT 1000, yoga therapist, founder of Niyama Yoga & Wellness Shala, located in Randolph, New Jersey, and Upper Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey. NiyamaYogaShala.com.