enCouragingBliss: Our Bodies as Healthy Vehicles
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 11:49 AM Last week Blisschick announced a way of being intentional about following our bliss and sharing it with others. Living an authentic life is something I encourage both in others as well as myself. So, when I saw this week’s challenge “enCouragingBliss: Our Bodies as Healthy Vehicles,” I wondered about the personal resistance I felt.
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I feel a strong pull toward something or conversely a push away, it usually means there is something to be explored. This, I believe, is part of following (and/or uncovering) your bliss. As normal human beings, we usually want to avoid what feels dissonant, however, those seem to be the places that offer the most opportunity for me. Thus, I forged ahead to explore my body – head to toe – as Blisschick encouraged.
It was a very enlightening and surprising exercise for me. While I thought I would probably have the most energy around my round buttocks or my not so ample breast or even my squishy belly, it was my hands that called out for the most attention. They are my mother’s hands – old & weathered. Next, reflecting on the beautiful truth of my hands I became aware that it is through my hands that my creative and written voice is funneled. How lovely is that? Here are other words that followed upon a bit more reflection:
Odd that my hands would be the part that is so much like Mother. Perhaps I am writing for her. I am writing for us. Healing for the generations of women with no voice or voices that came from the false self – the place of inauthenticity – the voice of the outer world rather than the truth that resonates within.
Love your body. It carried you here and never left even though you abused it along the way. It gives you the conduit to share the wisdom – the love and compassion that is yours alone to share. Be grateful. Love your body.
Over the next days, weeks, months and years, I hope I will consider and remember these words. Whether you are a part of enCouragingBliss or not, I would love to hear what resonates for you when you think about encouraging your healthy body.
"hands" inspired and created by lucy 3.21.09
bliss
Reader Comments (5)
Oh, I love surprises! We think we know ourselves and then...
I wonder, too, how this will change your view of yourself as "writer."
All very good stuff.
Lucy,
I immediately spotted the older woman's hands in the collage. Mainly because in a small group of women this week we were laughing at ourselves about our attitudes at age 20 versus our attitudes now. I told my mother once that someone at work had complimented me on my hands and I was surprised but certainly confident that with manicuring, hand dreams, careful attention to them they would always be as youthful.....then the day I woke to find "Mother's hands" attached to the end of MY arms! We all had a laugh!
Your words are lovely about the recognition of your/our hands and what tools and talents they bring to us. What a gift you've reminded me of!
xoxo
Okay, Lucy. Several weeks of Blisschicking and you have whet my appetite. I think I shall see if I can come along for the blissful ride :)
I agree we can only start to live out our bliss when we are living within our bodies. It's something I keep coming back to - probably because I keep leaving mine ;) Perhaps all the advertisements full of beautiful women encourage me to do so and my own squishy belly too but oh, at the same time, I am falling in love with my insides, LOL.
I love your thoughts about hands. Isn't it funny, the resistance we feel, and how worthwhile it is to walk inside that resistance and see what lies on the other side? I'm glad you did :)
You're absolutely right about exploring resistance. It can be extremely fruitful.
Hands can be so evocative of our shared past.
blisschick--definitely much pondering to be done here. i am seriously considering going for a manicure :-)
SS--how does that happen...waking up with someone else's hands at the end of our arms? i love seeing all of the wonderful gifts coming from our mother's hands :-)
sue--what beautiful words "i'm falling in love with my insides"! glad you're joining in.
an aside--your blog seems to not be feeding into my feedreader so i thought you had gone away for awhile. weird!
tess--"hands can be so evocative of our shared past." yes, indeed!
also, thank you for the lovely words about my parisian hands :-) it was a beautiful little boost to my day.