There are a few phrases, idioms, sayings that I hate, not only because I don\u2019t like them, but because I think they\u2019re destructive. \u201cEverything happens for a reason.\u201d \u201cIt was God\u2019s will.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re only given what we can handle.\u201d I think these platitudes make us complacent, take away cause, and often remove our motivation. Let\u2019s face it, sometimes things just happen.<\/p>\n
![\"Sidewalk\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0077-225x300.jpeg?resize=225%2C300\")
Meanwhile, there are all the bits I\u2019ve been saying here about listening to our bodies. These comments might sound the same. Specifically, I\u2019ve been claiming that our bodies keep trying to get our attention as we live into our best selves. (I was going to say \u201ctrue purpose,\u201d but that sounds as if there is only one right path, which I don\u2019t believe at all.)<\/p>\n
This means that at some level, we already know who we are at our happiest, most joyful, and most effective\u2014however that manifests for you. This knowledge is often not in our minds because the brain is wired to protect us. The brain does this by building on past experience. So, in a very simple example, if you survived being yelled at by retreating and if you have found comfort and security through eating, those actions will form your safe patterns when there might even be just a chance of loud noises occurring. You\u2019ll retreat and reach for the ice cream.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, our bodies somehow know that these responses come from our mind protecting us and that patterns such as retreating and compulsive eating keep us from being our best selves. As a result, I think our bodies often do things to intentionally get our attention. Sometimes it\u2019s just a vague feeling one can learn to identify, but often (maybe because we keep refusing to listen), it\u2019s more dramatic. For example, I think a fallI I had in 2015 and my odd leukemia in 2016 were instances of this. These experiences both led me to find my best life journey, one that focuses on learning to live in the now – or just being.<\/a><\/p>\n What are you learning in your daily stumbles? Have fun with the journey!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n __________________________________<\/p>\n Photo credits from the top: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are a few phrases, idioms, sayings that I hate, not only because I don\u2019t like them, but because I think they\u2019re destructive. \u201cEverything happens for a reason.\u201d \u201cIt was God\u2019s will.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re only given what we can handle.\u201d I … Continue reading ![\"Author](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/81589064_10220684928854363_9089799962698448896_o-136x300.jpeg?resize=136%2C300\")
So is a fall always a sign? I don\u2019t think it is necessarily. A couple of months ago (mid-December 2019,) I fell again while walking a friend\u2019s dog. Somehow, I tripped on a rise in the sidewalk, knew I tripped, and fell in a way that I couldn\u2019t stop myself. Sparing you the details of the next hours (and days), I finally learned I had fractured my right elbow and would be wearing a stylish black sling when I was out of the house. But throughout this experience I was, and still am, very sure it was just an accident. I fell simply because I wasn\u2019t focused on where I was going. It was a painful and inconvenient, but effective way to force me to become more ambidextrous. It was a dramatic way to encourage me to continue to ask for help<\/a>. So, while no cosmic mission (or my body trying to get my attention so I could see the mission) caused the fall, the path to my best self has certainly used it for my own growth. This continues: I just learned my physical therapist will help me improve my posture!<\/p>\n![\"Small](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sallybsedgwick.com\/conversation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_0094-246x300.jpeg?resize=246%2C300\")
Bottom line: sometimes stuff happens just because it happens. Sometimes things happen because there is something important that you are missing and need to learn about or pay attention to. This simply means learn to listen. Without blaming yourself or anyone else about what happens to you, how are you called to be your best self? What are you being told and why?<\/p>\n
Sidewalks for walking \u2014 Spirit Moxie
Author with arm in sling at Yosemite (detail, Christmas, 2019) \u2014 Prajak Sophondirekrat
Dog waiting for a walk \u2014 Spirit Moxie<\/p>\n\n\n