Bears Do It!

Bears do it!  They hibernate.  And I have found that sometimes, just sometimes, people have to hibernate too.  I have to admit that I’ve been doing a bit of it myself lately.   

I’ve been introspective….quiet….sometimes teary…and just feeling like a couch potato.  I realize this is all a part of life.  The process of ups and downs and ebb and flow.  But
in the midst of the hibernation, it can be somewhat uncomfortable.  And of course, intellectually, I know the best thing to do is to just “be” but then the pesky inner voice starts in, “you should be writing”, “you should be networking” and yada yada yada!  So after even my sweatpants got sick of sitting on the couch, something just said, “Go rake the leaves.”  My husband typically (and thankfully) takes care of this, but on this not-so-cold fall day, I decided to put my down blanket behind and grab the rake. 

At first it was a little overwhelming because my “perfect gene” started to rear its ugly head and I began obsessing about getting every last little leaf off the lawn.   When I got sick of that, something amazing began to happen.  I started to pay attention to the movement of my arms back and forth; and my feet as they stepped forward and then in reverse.  And it felt like I was dancing to a rhythm and as I bent down to pick up the leaves I suddenly felt tears running down my face (nope it wasn’t an allergy attack!). 

And then this thought popped in my head “I am so grateful my body can move and I can do this!  I am so blessed!”  And I was overwhelmed with joy!  I cried and said thank you, thank you, thank you!  (Lucky for me, most of my neighbors were out to work and didn’t witness it!)  I was amazed at how, when I was ready, I felt moved to move.  And in that movement and then in the observation of that movement (mindfulness), I found true gratitude and joy.  I stood there and observed all the leaves; the different colors and shapes and this too filled me with gratitude and joy.  So my hibernation period is over for now, sweatpants are in the wash till next time and I feel inspired to just be present and awake.  And looking forward to the weeks ahead when the holiday festivities begin!

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