Lately I have been thinking about how being in a body is a big responsibility. What is intriguing for me is that this didn’t come up regularly in my consciousness until I was sick several times during the first part of this year. Though this isn't necessarily a new idea for me, it is not something I am always considering as I move through my day.
Humans have the tendency to get so caught up in our social world, whether that means focusing on a career, friendships, family, or hobbies, and we forget about paying attention to the physical world that we live in all the time: our bodies. The truth is we can’t experience anything else without it.
And when I really think about it, this body-suit requires a lot of maintenance to function at an optimal level. Eating healthy, exercise, and rest can take up a good portion of our day, not to mention all the time it takes just to figure out exactly what our body needs. But most of us don’t have as much time to devote adequate attention to these tasks. The flip side is that without this attention eventually something breaks down or becomes inefficient.
This is what I was thinking about a few months ago while I was lying on the couch just trying to get comfortable in my body again while some respiratory bug worked its way through my system. I never think about how great it is to breathe until even that simple act is painful and evokes a deep cough every time I inhale.
I thought again about my body responsibility this week when I was getting ready to leave the house. Lately, I have been focusing more on being mindful, being fully present in whatever I am doing. This is an ongoing practice but it can make any menial task go smoothly and even become more fun. As I started to brush my teeth and become mindful in just brushing my teeth, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the importance of such a task. Though I may repeat this same practice several times every day, each time is equally significant. So the responsibility of being in a body appeared again in my mind, and I realized again that this is really the only responsibility we have in this world.
The theme for me the past few weeks has been to let go of the responsibilities I have taken on over the past few years that I can no longer give myself to 100%. It has been difficult to say no to some of these activities, because I genuinely care about the projects and the people involved. But spreading myself too thin is what does not allow me to take care of the needs of my body, and thus I get sick and that becomes the only things I can do. When we are sick, we can't do much else but whatever it takes to get better.
So I started to think about the word responsibility. I have heard it put this way several times, that the word really means “the ability to respond.” For example, I have the responsibility to take care of my dog. This means I need to be available to respond to his needs as soon as possible. If it’s time for breakfast, he needs to be fed. If he is dirty, then it is time for a bath. If he gets ill, I have to take out the time from my day to get him what he needs. Having this responsibility of the dog, means I need room in my life to be able to respond to his needs.
So when my life is too full to allow me the ability to respond to my body’s needs, then something has got to go. For me this has meant creating time to walk the dog, do yoga, make my own healthy food, and keep the house clean (because I have noticed that when my living space isn’t comfortable to be in, neither is my body).
Our bodies’ needs will vary from person to person and even during the same person’s lifetime. But part of this journey is learning what those needs are and whether or not we have it in us to meet those needs. I believe that those who listen to and meet their needs are the ones on this planet who are truly happy. And I will say that lately, I have been more happy.
Humans have the tendency to get so caught up in our social world, whether that means focusing on a career, friendships, family, or hobbies, and we forget about paying attention to the physical world that we live in all the time: our bodies. The truth is we can’t experience anything else without it.
And when I really think about it, this body-suit requires a lot of maintenance to function at an optimal level. Eating healthy, exercise, and rest can take up a good portion of our day, not to mention all the time it takes just to figure out exactly what our body needs. But most of us don’t have as much time to devote adequate attention to these tasks. The flip side is that without this attention eventually something breaks down or becomes inefficient.
This is what I was thinking about a few months ago while I was lying on the couch just trying to get comfortable in my body again while some respiratory bug worked its way through my system. I never think about how great it is to breathe until even that simple act is painful and evokes a deep cough every time I inhale.
I thought again about my body responsibility this week when I was getting ready to leave the house. Lately, I have been focusing more on being mindful, being fully present in whatever I am doing. This is an ongoing practice but it can make any menial task go smoothly and even become more fun. As I started to brush my teeth and become mindful in just brushing my teeth, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the importance of such a task. Though I may repeat this same practice several times every day, each time is equally significant. So the responsibility of being in a body appeared again in my mind, and I realized again that this is really the only responsibility we have in this world.
The theme for me the past few weeks has been to let go of the responsibilities I have taken on over the past few years that I can no longer give myself to 100%. It has been difficult to say no to some of these activities, because I genuinely care about the projects and the people involved. But spreading myself too thin is what does not allow me to take care of the needs of my body, and thus I get sick and that becomes the only things I can do. When we are sick, we can't do much else but whatever it takes to get better.
So I started to think about the word responsibility. I have heard it put this way several times, that the word really means “the ability to respond.” For example, I have the responsibility to take care of my dog. This means I need to be available to respond to his needs as soon as possible. If it’s time for breakfast, he needs to be fed. If he is dirty, then it is time for a bath. If he gets ill, I have to take out the time from my day to get him what he needs. Having this responsibility of the dog, means I need room in my life to be able to respond to his needs.
So when my life is too full to allow me the ability to respond to my body’s needs, then something has got to go. For me this has meant creating time to walk the dog, do yoga, make my own healthy food, and keep the house clean (because I have noticed that when my living space isn’t comfortable to be in, neither is my body).
Our bodies’ needs will vary from person to person and even during the same person’s lifetime. But part of this journey is learning what those needs are and whether or not we have it in us to meet those needs. I believe that those who listen to and meet their needs are the ones on this planet who are truly happy. And I will say that lately, I have been more happy.
You make some great points here. I think it is hard for people to make their own decisions about what is good for them. Its easier to be told by a professional and buy whatever get-happier-now product that professional tells them to get. But sometimes the only person that can help you is you.
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