I’ve been thinking a lot about our bodies– how miraculous and baffling they are. All the different components working together, the signals, the hormones, the cues and responses. I’m trying to think about how my body works instead of just how it looks.
Also, when half your face goes numb and the doctors are trying to figure out wtf is going on, curiosity can sneak in. They take pictures of my brain, I learn as much as I can about my nervous system.
And yes, as a trainer I already had physiology and all that, but this brought it to a different level.
I started thinking about our brain, and how THAT is us. My perceptions, my feelings, my senses, my thoughts, it’s all there in this clump of neural whatnots shooting electrical currents back and forth.
And from that little blob stems out all these little tentacles, like a jellyfish, that thread throughout our bodies keeping every piece chatting with the others. These nerves that tell us what is going on around us, where we are, if we’re safe, what the temperature is, all of that.
The ones in my face— are having a moment. The motor neurons are firing, so I can MOVE my face. But the sensory nerves aren’t online. I can’t FEEL it. Like after the dentist, but now it’s been two weeks. It’s weird. So very weird. Yet I find not just comfort but AWE in the wholeness of my body, this phenomenal network.
And that awe extends to the rest of the world. I’ve been digging into my plants, repotting, whatnot. And seeing their root system– makes me feel connected. Plants are jellyfish too! (Obviously not really, but you know what I mean).
I guess what it comes down to for me is to realize that we are all more connected that we remember. That we really are walking miracles. Our nervous system alone is worth pausing to write poetry. A magical electric network, sensing, sending, moving, communicating nearly instantly.
So take that magical human jellyfish suit and enjoy your day in whatever capacity is available to you. You are loved. By me and others.
xox
Pretty Good Ugly 