‘In gentle ways we can shake the world’ – Gandhi
How ya feeling these days? So much changing, opening and an overwhelming sense of high alert, and fear. ‘Fight or flight’ is the new 21st century normal. It’s not just urban dwellers, like in the past with high speed and high stress lives. It’s everywhere. Now, even in small rural townspeople are freaked out and on edge. I don’t have to list the present and futures horrors that we’re all hearing about multiple times a day, to be reminded of how messed up things are getting or could be.
So basically we’re F****ed, right?
Or maybe not…
How about taking action right now, on one small thing. Maybe that’s the radical act of our time. Being open, flexible and resilient in this present moment.
Resilience – the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused by compressive stress.
Flexibility – the capacity to bend without breaking.
I love these Webster definitions. They are so physical!
Let’s say I’m racing down the highway at 65 mph. Somebody cuts me off going 90. I’m pissed. I clench my teeth, grip the steering wheel, stop breathing and call the driver an idiot (or worse). My body tenses up from the shock/startle – basically I’m freaked out. And how quickly I’m able to loosen up (unlock my jaw, relax my hands, arms & shoulders and take a deep breath) – is my ability to be resilient and flexible. I don’t have to wait to get home and take a bubble bath, meditate or do some yoga (although those things are nice), I can re-wire my response to the situation right now, in this present moment. Little actions taken minute by minute, day after day add up. Resilience & flexibility are to be practiced. Not something you learn, do once and forget about.
I’m inviting a conscious turning of your mind. Rather than being the plastic bag in the wind that’s getting whipped around by all this – how about being the wind that is shaping our lives. ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’. Another of my favorite Gandhi quotes. If it was good enough to transform India in the 1930’s and ’40’s, why not today?
Here are some gentle shaking of the world from the inside out ideas:
Be kind to yourself. Be loving with yourself. Be gentle to yourself.
If you feel overwhelmed, ask, “What’s the simplest possible thing I could do (or undo) right now?”
And when you need some extra support from an expert like me, please call. Let’s chat!
With Gentle Reliance & Flexibility
– Melissa
info@melissamatsonmoves.com