Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
--David Mitchell
There is a liquor store just over a mile from our house that posts comical thoughts on their store sign. If you are a regular reader, you know this one really made me laugh: "It's a small world unless you have to clean it." I live in a small house until it comes time to clean, then it is a mansion!
I have seen my older son, upon the arrival of his first child, clean up his act physically in dramatic ways, most notably to stop drinking alcohol. This is a quite common and worthy practice among parents with new beings to whom they are bound.
I've been thinking lately about personal daily practices--crimes and kindnesses--that birth our future. It is the repetitive daily actions that birth a healthy future. You don't eat just once a month--we get hungry and eat several times a day. You don't brush your teeth once a year if you expect them to stay intact. Exercising once a month isn't that helpful.
I am a Melt Method instructor. Melt works with your connective tissue system which is everywhere in your body. It is a fluid-based system that surrounds all your muscles, organs, and bones. You could remove all the bones from your body and it would still be intact because of the connective tissue. This system includes the primary balancing function of your body. It dries out from daily activity and repetitive actions. Ever been stiff and sore? Bingo, that's a dried-out connective tissue system. Drinking water and eating a healthy diet support this system, but it isn't enough. Daily movement is required. Melt is a very simple and quick way to support this system, and it does wonders for relieving aches and pains. The catch? Melting every day.
I have a checklist of things I feel are necessary to support my wellness. It includes such things as flossing my teeth, taking my vitamins, doing my spiritual practice and using my netipot (sinus rinse) every day. I keep track of my exercise on a wall calendar and that motivates me. I've seen what happens to too many folks when they stop moving.
Days turn into months, months into years, and it is the "little" daily things we do, or don't do, that birth our future.
One day at a time,
Leta