wednesday...

as i was walking to the grocery store on wednesday, i had one of those bubbly springtime moments that lift you out of the dirty snow.

it was so nice to be able to walk outside without completely covering myself and actually feeling pain from the cold. i walked through old ottawa east to reach the store. the sun was gently beaming down on my face, and i was sure to choose the side of the street on which the sun was shining. birds were chirping. i passed beautiful buildings such as the old town hall, now a community centre:

i picked up fresh fruits and vegetables at the supermarket, walked past the canal on which people were ice skating. i was living my life. seem obvious? NO. i was LIVING my life. these are the moments that make the tedium of life bearable, the reason we tolerate the tedium. if we don't have these moments, sincerely & thoroughly felt, we have nothing.

surrendering to enjoy those sensations- the sun, the birds, the brightness of the day- is vital to living mindfully. all of the dramas to which we cling- our illnesses, family strife, resentments, fears, and mistakes- simply aren't fed when we surrender to these sensations.

our bodies' autonomic nervous systems have two states: sympathetic and parasympathetic. the sympathetic nervous system takes the helm when a stressor is either currently present or lingering in the background. it evokes the symptoms of the fight-or-flight response.

the parasympathetic nervous system takes the helm when we are relaxed and no known stressors are imminent or ticking away while we aren't looking. a good way to remember which is which is to think of your body being sympathetic to a stressor in the environment and behaving accordingly.

only one system can operate at any given moment. you are either sympathetic or parasympathetic, but not both. herein lies the choice we have. through intentional cognitive and physical efforts, we can activate the parasympathetic system when the need arises. we can turn off the fight-or-flight response simply by thinking and training our body to relax through breathing and/or progressive muscle relaxation.

this ability is easiest to achieve, as most things are, by practice. if you take time every day in a place comfortable to you to grow your ability to relax your autonomic nervous system, even 15 minutes a day will do, then calming down in the presence of the stressor will be far easier. you are creating associations in your mind and body. you begin to take deep breaths and your body associates this with relaxation.

this works with cognitive efforts as well. the more time you invest in surrendering to the beauty and joy around you, the less time you have for resentments, which a little birdie told me, is the only acid that eats its container.

so think: why do you choose to be eaten alive by acid rather than feel joy?