Just remembered (how could I have forgot?) the simple joy of being a physical being. I guess I got too wrapped up in thinking, and worry, because a lot has happened in the last week that threatened my physicality, or the physicality of others.
To be alive in a rich environment where the five senses are activated (and hopefully the sixth as well) is probably overwhelming to us as infants, so we have to check out for hours on end and then when we become adults we shut down for one third of our lives recovering and recuperating in a continuous process of realignment and rejuvination that we take totally for granted, as if our bodies were like our cars which we can (and will, most of us) drive right into the ground.
After all, how many people really do required car maintenance?
It's funny, though few can laugh about it, at how much we are trained to turn ourselves off during the day. We eat mundane foods 'cuz we're in a hurry, we work at jobs that force us to be constrained, we wear work clothes. Hard hats- how about wearing one of those every day? Or, for the fashionable, shoes with heels? We stand too long, stoop, bend, sit, walk, twist awkwardly, lift heavy or unwieldy objects, run sometimes to get tasks done, we expend our energy on jobs we'd rather not be doing then race home with everybody else to get some down time, away time, 'what we really want to be doing time' and by default or design are living less than optimal life experiences.
Becoming reacquainted
Silas Has- Unsplash.com
But what is 'optimal life'? Can it be defined, are there those out there demonstrating it? Yes, there are role models who have followers and fans, but that's highly individualistic, suited for particular tastes, and not at all comprehensive. 'Optimal life' is a melange of physical, financial, emotional, and egoic needs being met, but to simply experience raw physicality without all the trappings, the trimmings, is in itself surprisingly satisfying. I think we've lost touch with that and might have to attend a workshop or something to rediscover it because basic physicality is being bypassed for things deemed more 'important'. It is something important and vital and you can access it without have to be famous, accomplished, or free from whatever is plauging you, distracting you, or distancing you from it at the moment. Physicality is the most amazing gift ever but also the most overlooked gift ever.
Get in touch with it again. Turn off your devices for awhile. Sink into sound, touch, taste, smell, and sight. It doesn't cost you a dime and is always present. A present- for you!