Life is filled with distractions, demands, opportunities, and obstacles. Sometimes in the cacophony of all that is happening around us, we loose sight of what truly matters. It is easy enough to start spinning around and around in circles. This motion can create a strange sense of integrity, as if the movement itself keeps everything connected, establishes an orbit to our lives. But, by getting caught up in the spinning, we loose contact with what matters. We cease to be present in our own experience; we become disconnected from the deep wisdom of our bodies. Absent this fundamental connection, we are adrift.
A few days ago, I found out that my dearest friend has cancer. This news sent me into an old orbit, one about illness and isolation, about loneliness and suffering. For almost two days I was spinning in this place, utterly unable to be breathe, to be present for the sadness this news brought and too unable to be present for the immense gratitude I have for this woman, my dear friend, and her radiant life. I lost contact with the joy of life, of love, of friendship. It took Buddhist author, Tara Brach’s reminder to sit still and breathe in order to stop the spiral. Once I reconnected with my body, once I sat in the feelings rather than spinning in the endless stream of negative thoughts, I could finally reconnect to what matters.
As we move into the myriad of summer activities, remember to stay connected to your body, to breathe into your life. From this place, you can open to all of life’s gifts and stay grounded in the face of life’s challenges. From this place, a life of authentic joy is possible.
