It amazes me that when I was young, my body looked older and I thought that was great. Now, I’m old and it looks younger, and that’s even better. Genetics is wonderful!
The mystery of its functioning is amazing and awe-inspiring. So much works without my noticing even an inch of its beautiful working together as a whole complex system, said to be of 80% water and just 20 % or so is giving shape and structures to the water the body contains. It must be that water conveys information, as does the nervous system. and all without even being noticed. A miracle in itself. Why is this body living? What makes the wonder work? A precious vehicle while being here, and i will look better after this astonishing body which is a God-given mysterious guesthouse for what i call “me” while living on our precious Mother Earth. Thank you all dearly for your replies and being here.
Your response is so full of wonder, Ose, thank you. When I experience illness, or an injury, something out of balance in my body, I always give thanks that so much is working well. As you say, truly amazing.
My body
was light and lively,
strong and sturdy
when I was young . . .
I confess that I took it for granted.
When I was outside
I hadn’t a care in the world.
I played outside with the turtles and the bugs,
brought home birds fallen from the nest,
baby rabbits.
I chased fireflies with glee,
I learned to ride a bike,
how to sew and knit and make clothes,
doll beds out of cigar boxes,
cook soup and make salad . . .
appreciate the world around me,
and loved deeply when I became aware of boys,
then men.
I was ripe,
and delighted in all things of beauty in nature.
I have experienced pleasure, passion,
and very physical joy that swelled my heart
beyond my wildest imagination
and my body
continued to support me.
I also had my heart broken,
and realized the agony of death
and of losing those I loved.
Over the years
I’ve had sickness and scars,
mishaps
and death defying experiences.
In truth,
I’m fortunate to be alive today . . .
really fortunate.
I have learned though
what a gift it has been
and continues to be . . .
I don’t take anything about it
for granted . . .
not anymore.
I’m just grateful that my body works,
and has finally accepted me as a friend,
or perhaps
I finally accepted her as a friend
rather than an enemy.
My body knows both my pain and my joy
more intimately than any human being,
and has cared for me all the way through,
waiting patiently for me to embrace her.
I should be dead,
but here I am,
alive,
although not exactly kicking anymore,
but we live peacefully together,
finally
and I will love and honor her
until we must part ways. ♥
This was wonderful to read, Sparrow.
I especially enjoyed reading about you as a child
and as a young woman.
Your whole share is so open and real.
Thank you for writing so generously.
Sending love, Mary
My body has taught me many things. To name just a few in no particular order:
– I have been capable of riding a bicycle from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, through sunshine, rain, mud, and an unexpected hill climb carrying the bike.
– When I break a bone it heals. Not quite the same as it was before, so my body evolves and adapts.
– Physical therapy really works. See above.
– My brain decided I don’t need to retain the vivid, detailed sensations of labor and delivery. Smart brain.
– Walking fast can feel like flying.
– Asking gently works better than force.
– It doesn’t have to conform to artificially created standards of appearance to work just fine.
– Not everything it does is super awesome but I can survive it. [waves at migraines and vertigo attacks]
– Modern medicine deserves a shoutout, as does public health.
– My tastebuds are among my best friends; they bring such delight. Eyes, ears, nose and touch too.
– As it gets older it makes more unexpected noises. Hello, snapping sound in my ankle when I stand up.
– A hot bath is a gift my body deserves every so often.
– Hugs are wonderful.
My body has taught me to trust myself and my emotions. For so long, I ignored my needs and questioned my reality because I was gaslighted and constantly told I was too sensitive or overreacting. But my body never invalidated my feelings; it sent clear signals that something wasn’t right inside. I’m deeply grateful to my body for validating me and reminding me of the importance of taking care of myself.
I have only recently been tuning into and learning about how my body can give me information about emotions or other information that I might not always consciously be aware of.
What I’ve learned, and what still amazes me, is how delicate, and at the same time how tough my body is. I am physically capable of much more than I think. I have pushed myself far beyond what I thought was possible and have come out the other side with more confidence and a better understanding of what it means to be human.
I’ve learned to take care of it, or I should say, I’m learning to take care of it.
If I consider my mind the conscious awareness of thoughts, urges, sensations, and impressions coming from my body, then the thinking part is really just a teeny tiny little manager attempting to take in, and make sense of, the deluge of information from my body (which is also, of course, the interface to the outside world, including the digital world). So from that perspective, my body is like … everything! A constant teacher. The teeny tiny manager likes to posture like it’s in charge, push the body around, but really this is an alliance, and really body is something vast and incomprehensible with endless teachings. To me, body becomes vast if you keep your awareness on it, like the story where the boy Krishna, confronted by his mother about eating dirt, opened his mouth, and the entire universe was inside. Really the “me” part is about cultivating acceptance of what today’s teachings will be!
So, so true. In a political psychology class I learned that the body’s emotional systems kick in before rational thought. This isn’t something we can control; it happens in nanoseconds and that’s just the way it is. So every thought we have really arises in the body’s responses to what’s happening now and what has happened before.
My body has taught me that the language of the body is amazing. The messages of body language go beyond spoken language. A hug heals the feeling of fear more effectively than a thousand words.
My body is my vehicle in life, a strong compartment for me to move around, and a messenger for all sorts of things. Even though I have criticized it in the past, it’s still there for me, walking around, preparing food, practicing yoga, dancing, and surfing when I can get to the beach. My body reminds me that it needs to be moved and stretched by showing me aches or tightness. My body also thanks me for taking better care of it by bending back into poses that weren’t in my range of motion just a few months back. My body tells me when I need rest, sometimes forcefully if I don’t listen to early signs. I thank my body for carrying me around, for allowing me to do the things I like to do. I promise that I will take the best care of it so that it will gracefully take me into the rest of my life, as there is still so much I intend on doing!
Even just a little bit helps, but you probably can guess that I am all for lots of it! Give yourself a gentle figure 4 with the legs to help your hips feel better
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I need to continue taking care of it! It was cold and windy today. I did some indoor yoga. The weather looks a lot better for next week here.
That I need to keep moving and keep strong !
It amazes me that when I was young, my body looked older and I thought that was great. Now, I’m old and it looks younger, and that’s even better. Genetics is wonderful!
That’s great!
The mystery of its functioning is amazing and awe-inspiring. So much works without my noticing even an inch of its beautiful working together as a whole complex system, said to be of 80% water and just 20 % or so is giving shape and structures to the water the body contains. It must be that water conveys information, as does the nervous system. and all without even being noticed. A miracle in itself. Why is this body living? What makes the wonder work? A precious vehicle while being here, and i will look better after this astonishing body which is a God-given mysterious guesthouse for what i call “me” while living on our precious Mother Earth. Thank you all dearly for your replies and being here.
Dear Ose, reading your words today, I imagine you with a wonderful smile, and I am happy for you.
Your response is so full of wonder, Ose, thank you. When I experience illness, or an injury, something out of balance in my body, I always give thanks that so much is working well. As you say, truly amazing.
What a beautiful reference,
dear Ose,
to our bodies being a God-given
mysterious guesthouse.
My body
was light and lively,
strong and sturdy
when I was young . . .
I confess that I took it for granted.
When I was outside
I hadn’t a care in the world.
I played outside with the turtles and the bugs,
brought home birds fallen from the nest,
baby rabbits.
I chased fireflies with glee,
I learned to ride a bike,
how to sew and knit and make clothes,
doll beds out of cigar boxes,
cook soup and make salad . . .
appreciate the world around me,
and loved deeply when I became aware of boys,
then men.
I was ripe,
and delighted in all things of beauty in nature.
I have experienced pleasure, passion,
and very physical joy that swelled my heart
beyond my wildest imagination
and my body
continued to support me.
I also had my heart broken,
and realized the agony of death
and of losing those I loved.
Over the years
I’ve had sickness and scars,
mishaps
and death defying experiences.
In truth,
I’m fortunate to be alive today . . .
really fortunate.
I have learned though
what a gift it has been
and continues to be . . .
I don’t take anything about it
for granted . . .
not anymore.
I’m just grateful that my body works,
and has finally accepted me as a friend,
or perhaps
I finally accepted her as a friend
rather than an enemy.
My body knows both my pain and my joy
more intimately than any human being,
and has cared for me all the way through,
waiting patiently for me to embrace her.
I should be dead,
but here I am,
alive,
although not exactly kicking anymore,
but we live peacefully together,
finally
and I will love and honor her
until we must part ways. ♥
I simply love your sharing here, Sparrow, thank you.
It’s just the way it has been for me,
dear Mary . . .
This was wonderful to read, Sparrow.
I especially enjoyed reading about you as a child
and as a young woman.
Your whole share is so open and real.
Thank you for writing so generously.
Sending love, Mary
I made a promise,
dear Mary,
somewhere along the way
to be honest about myself,
and tell it like it is/was. ♥
Thank you for that wonderful read, dear Sparrow.
My body has been through some hard times,
dear Joseph . . .
thank you for your response . . . ♥
it means a lot to me.
My body has taught me many things. To name just a few in no particular order:
– I have been capable of riding a bicycle from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, through sunshine, rain, mud, and an unexpected hill climb carrying the bike.
– When I break a bone it heals. Not quite the same as it was before, so my body evolves and adapts.
– Physical therapy really works. See above.
– My brain decided I don’t need to retain the vivid, detailed sensations of labor and delivery. Smart brain.
– Walking fast can feel like flying.
– Asking gently works better than force.
– It doesn’t have to conform to artificially created standards of appearance to work just fine.
– Not everything it does is super awesome but I can survive it. [waves at migraines and vertigo attacks]
– Modern medicine deserves a shoutout, as does public health.
– My tastebuds are among my best friends; they bring such delight. Eyes, ears, nose and touch too.
– As it gets older it makes more unexpected noises. Hello, snapping sound in my ankle when I stand up.
– A hot bath is a gift my body deserves every so often.
– Hugs are wonderful.
Wonderful Barb, thank you. We may be sisters from different mothers.
Pittsburgh to DC is quite the ride!
I’m with you on the hot baths and hugs. Two of my favorite things
We biked the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath. It was incredible. I blogged along the way to capture some memories and photos https://bikestylelife.com/2017/11/01/bike-touring-round-up-bike-the-gap-co-canal-towpath/.
I don’t run,
, but walking fast surely does feel wonderful!
So much fun to read, Barb!
” Asking gently works better than force.”
Indeed,
dear Barb . . .
I loved that line too!
My body has taught me to trust myself and my emotions. For so long, I ignored my needs and questioned my reality because I was gaslighted and constantly told I was too sensitive or overreacting. But my body never invalidated my feelings; it sent clear signals that something wasn’t right inside. I’m deeply grateful to my body for validating me and reminding me of the importance of taking care of myself.
Your intuition is alive and well, Antonia.
I love this, Antonia. Trusting your body and your feelings is so important to our mental and physical health.
I have only recently been tuning into and learning about how my body can give me information about emotions or other information that I might not always consciously be aware of.
What I’ve learned, and what still amazes me, is how delicate, and at the same time how tough my body is. I am physically capable of much more than I think. I have pushed myself far beyond what I thought was possible and have come out the other side with more confidence and a better understanding of what it means to be human.
I’ve learned to take care of it, or I should say, I’m learning to take care of it.
My body always gives its all even when my mind is challenging it.
Love this!
My body has taught me the amazing interconnection of the systems. It is an amazing creator.
Expanding upon Ngoc’s answer, my body taught me the value of the saying “Show, don’t tell.”
If I consider my mind the conscious awareness of thoughts, urges, sensations, and impressions coming from my body, then the thinking part is really just a teeny tiny little manager attempting to take in, and make sense of, the deluge of information from my body (which is also, of course, the interface to the outside world, including the digital world). So from that perspective, my body is like … everything! A constant teacher. The teeny tiny manager likes to posture like it’s in charge, push the body around, but really this is an alliance, and really body is something vast and incomprehensible with endless teachings. To me, body becomes vast if you keep your awareness on it, like the story where the boy Krishna, confronted by his mother about eating dirt, opened his mouth, and the entire universe was inside. Really the “me” part is about cultivating acceptance of what today’s teachings will be!
Fascinating take on the mind, thinking brain, and the body, Drea!
I love the story of Krishna ‘eating dirt’,
dear Drea . . . ♥
So, so true. In a political psychology class I learned that the body’s emotional systems kick in before rational thought. This isn’t something we can control; it happens in nanoseconds and that’s just the way it is. So every thought we have really arises in the body’s responses to what’s happening now and what has happened before.
My body has taught me that the language of the body is amazing. The messages of body language go beyond spoken language. A hug heals the feeling of fear more effectively than a thousand words.
My Ngoc, I enjoy hugging you a lot.
Ngoc, so true. A good reminder of the importance of human touch, one body communicating to the other.
My body is my vehicle in life, a strong compartment for me to move around, and a messenger for all sorts of things. Even though I have criticized it in the past, it’s still there for me, walking around, preparing food, practicing yoga, dancing, and surfing when I can get to the beach. My body reminds me that it needs to be moved and stretched by showing me aches or tightness. My body also thanks me for taking better care of it by bending back into poses that weren’t in my range of motion just a few months back. My body tells me when I need rest, sometimes forcefully if I don’t listen to early signs. I thank my body for carrying me around, for allowing me to do the things I like to do. I promise that I will take the best care of it so that it will gracefully take me into the rest of my life, as there is still so much I intend on doing!
So full of respect for your body, SunnyPatti. What a beautiful partnership you are creating.
I loved the line, “I thank my body for carrying me around…”
I never thought about my body that way!
Thanks, Mary. Like Joseph said, we’ve only got one, so we should give it the thanks it deserves.
And don’t forget to stretch it
Good reminder to stretch, Sunnypatti, as I sit here with stiff hips and take in your wise words.
Even just a little bit helps, but you probably can guess that I am all for lots of it! Give yourself a gentle figure 4 with the legs to help your hips feel better
Yes, I wonder why I’m so stiff sometimes.
Some yoga would help me out a lot.