You need to do this. You should do that. This isn’t going the way I want. Why aren’t they doing what I want? Why is this sooooo hard????? Welcome to the annoying background thoughts of an annoying and frustrating day.
Being alive comes with both the ups and the downs. The background thoughts often reflect the desire to have life go just one way, the way where everything is “perfect”. This narrow view of what perfect is can lead to feeling isolated and alone in our struggle. Everyone else’s life is going great, right? Why not mine?
Walking the dog. Taking out the trash. Preparing a meal. Glancing out the window in the midst of a work task. Looking deeply at the person you are with. Each of these, and many many other moments in an ordinary day, provide an opportunity to connect with the pain and the joy of being alive.
In this moment, right now, what sense is most active for you? Check in with any of them.
What do you see? Looking out the window, I see the leafless winter trees that have beautiful diamond drops. Soon those drops will be replaced with buds, then before I know it leaves and the season will change. What do you see?
What do you hear? I hear the soft stirring of my beloved about the house. I also hear the low buzz of an airplane. People are moving through the world in their own way on this ordinary, extraordinary morning. What do you hear?
What do you feel? I feel the support of my seat. I feel the temperature of the air. I feel the boundary of my skin, the soft animal that defines me from the rest of the world. What do you feel?
And other senses: so many types of tastes, smells, touch, balance….
Take a breath or many breaths and celebrate one of the senses, and the amazing depth of experience and connection available in this very moment.
Now, using this connection you just built through your senses, feel into your body. What does your body need? A stretch, a yawn, a loud exhale? When we are tense emotionally we are also tense physically. How is your body asking to release even a small amount of held tension?
If you would like to connect to movement, your senses, and being alive in your amazing body while in community, join me at noon on Tuesdays for a short 30 minute Lunchtime Reset class where we connect to our deepest selves and listen to what we need.