Heart drawn on fingers Red heart drawn on fingers on a white background (isolated)
OUCH! That hurts!! Suddenly we are in touch with our bodies. We touched the hot skillet, we missed the nail and hit our thumb with the hammer, we fell off the ladder and broke our leg, we did any one of a number of things we humans routinely do to cause ourselves physical pain. Or perhaps we did nothing on our own, perhaps we contracted a virus or got a disease or were injured in some way through no fault of our own. Suddenly our bodies become the focus of attention and what do we want? We want the pain to stop, we want the disease to go away, we want an end to whatever physical misery has come our way. We make the demand that things return to pain free normality and if we are lucky, and they do, our attention once again strays away from the body and out into the world.
Consider this. The relationship you have with your body is very much like the relationship you have with the people in your life. What would happen if you only paid attention to your children when they were misbehaving? You'd have some pretty rowdy children, would be my guess. What if you only spoke to your friends or your spouse when they displeased you and then only to express your disappointment or displeasure? You'd be in some pretty miserable relationships, I'd say. Yet, how often do we give our bodies positive attention, express gratitude, reverence, even adoration? It sounds embarrassingly uncomfortable, doesn't it? How did we get here, in this place where we take our bodies so for granted, where we have all these standards for how they should look, how they should feel, what they should be able to do, and all without a smidgen of recognition for the miracles they afford us every single day?
Our bodies have an estimated hundred trillion cells and each one of those cells performs six trillion tasks a second, a second, and each cell instantly knows what the other cells are doing. The astounding complexity of the human body boggles the mind. Just to scratch the top of your head involves a complex set of signals and instructions that represent an absolute miracle. Ask anyone with paralysis about this miracle, this gift that we take for granted every single day.
So, next time you stand in front of the mirror and critique your physical appearance, next time you take ill or suffer some injury, take a step back and consider your relationship with your body. Take a moment for a deep bow to the mysterious gift of a human body, whatever its current state. You can be assured, your body is working hard to tend to your needs every single second whether or not you acknowledge its constant, unwavering, unselfish contribution. Talk about being loved unconditionally. There is a body of evidence to support the notion that it is your number one fan.
Comments