These words were very timely this morning as I lay awake at 5am unable to sleep. The body speaks but we often choose to ignore it. We have many gifts and appreciation of them is important.
Love this... and it’s so true how our bodies eventually force us into doing what our kind has tried to tell us. Hope you’re back to full hearing but that the quiet sounded good too x
You quoted Rumi & that quote caught my attention. I need to open my fairly " new " copy of the Tao Te Ching. A good old - fashioned quote - off !
Holidays are dicey times for injuries, illnesses, infections - as if there was ever a TRULY " GOOD " time for such incidents. " To everything there is a season ". ( not scripture as much The Byrds. I'm a boomer )
Yes. Interesting how the body sometimes seems to hold on until there is a suitable space to get sick!
That Rumi quote has been a favourite and helped me through many challenging times in my life. There was a period where I stuck it on my bookcase, where I would see it every day
I " borrowed " my copy of Rumi from my stepsister & it just never found its way back to her, although I suspect that even she's forgotten by now. My 1st Tao te Ching came from a college class. Notations, underlined passages, dog - eared & vanished years ago.
It's supposedly better known than the BIBLE ( DON'T tell that to an Evangelical. " WARNING, WILL ROBINSON ! Danger ! 🤖 " ) or the Epic of Gilgamesh. I have thought about doing a " family / kid - friendly " version of Gilgamesh, but it would be like doing a Disney version of The Exorcist or The OMEN, & I don't think that's overly exaggerating.
I was really impacted by the sentence: "There’s wisdom in the body, even in its most annoying and inconvenient communications." Such an important reminder.
My wake up call for rest at the ebd of last year was through a bike accident where I injured my arm, but my whole body was shaken to the core and I couldn't think clearly anymore. Before it happened I knew I needed a break but kept going telling myself: 'only two weeks until the holiday'. When it feels hard to stop despite all odds begging for it, and we keep pushing through to reach an external timeframe that doesn't match the bodies need, it will eventually scream! Thank you for sharing your wisdom Vicki.
So beautiful, Vicki. So true. Sending you wishes for much spaciousness and clarity as you reemerge into the world of external sounds while safeguarding the wise voice within.
I prefer to spend the vast majority of my hours in solitude and silence (other than nature sounds, which I welcome pretty much always). When I don't honour this or make space for it, I am scattered, reactive, and swing from one extreme to the next. Unsettled, ungrounded, no longer knowing myself. So, especially since my mid-40s, I honour and make space for it daily. Is it all the space, solitude, and silence I'd like? No. But every bit nourishes and sustains me.
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree and know I function so much better with generous stretches of silence and solitude in my day. It's a juggle as I really value connection, but my body seems to crave being left alone! And yes, this has definitely intensified since the mid-40s with the added layer of perimenopause. Thanks for your thoughtful comments Dana 🙏
I finally learned to stop and rest without guilt. Even BEFORE I get exhausted. I am getting more attuned to what my body needs and so very often it is simply rest and quiet, not sugar or caffeine 🤣. It took a cancer diagnosis to teach me. The body winning the end lol.
Life reached a low in 1998 when my partner decided she'd had enough of my failed attempts to make a living from coaching football and left with my two daughters. I was living in a flat on the second floor of a block of flats and on housing benefit.
On my first day shopping I took the wrong turn at a junction and drove passed Warwick University where a sign advertised Tai Chi. I'd always been interested in watching but never thought slow movements were for me. But, I went along.
One year later at a Health and Ecology Exhibition at the same university we ended a demonstration and, left with an hour before the show closed I saw people sitting on chairs with practitioners standing behind them with their hands resting on the shoulders of the sitter, of working their fingers into the neck, shoulders and back. I sat down.
Two years later I qualified as a Shiatsu Therapist and continued my tai chi...four years later I was practising both with the public.
2019 saw my tai chi sessions, my shiatsu practice and my work as a storyteller closed down by the pandemic. I kept tha tai chi practise going by myself and struggled on.
In December 2023, I became homeless and foound myself in a tent, in the woods.
But, in that situation, I feel my years of working on myself held me in good stead and I actually enjoyed the freedom of waking up in the morning and going to sleep to birdsong.
By then I had added one more arrow to the quiver...daily prayer.
A morning and evening prayer I had experienced whilst having the honour of visiting a community of Lakota peoples in 2016...I believe that prayer and tai chi were my shields against complete collapse.
Unfortunately, the woods were private and though no one ever disturbed me, the chance of being found was always there.
So, today I have a roof over my head, a state pension and housing benefit to keep me going and since the chance of high earnings looks remote I have continued my tai chi, shaitsu, and stroytelling as a volunteer.
These words were very timely this morning as I lay awake at 5am unable to sleep. The body speaks but we often choose to ignore it. We have many gifts and appreciation of them is important.
Thank you Vicki 🙏
Thanks Judy, yes, so often we can get into a battle with our body, instead of recognising it's on our side! I hope the sleep improves ❤
It’s beautiful to witness the gifts you’ve mined in your experience, to make space... When our senses shift to offer us contrast🙏
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Jenni 🙏
Love this... and it’s so true how our bodies eventually force us into doing what our kind has tried to tell us. Hope you’re back to full hearing but that the quiet sounded good too x
Yes! It's one of those gifts that's easier to appreciate in retrospect 😂
You quoted Rumi & that quote caught my attention. I need to open my fairly " new " copy of the Tao Te Ching. A good old - fashioned quote - off !
Holidays are dicey times for injuries, illnesses, infections - as if there was ever a TRULY " GOOD " time for such incidents. " To everything there is a season ". ( not scripture as much The Byrds. I'm a boomer )
Yes. Interesting how the body sometimes seems to hold on until there is a suitable space to get sick!
That Rumi quote has been a favourite and helped me through many challenging times in my life. There was a period where I stuck it on my bookcase, where I would see it every day
Life. Am. Weird. ( " Life finds a way " ! )
I " borrowed " my copy of Rumi from my stepsister & it just never found its way back to her, although I suspect that even she's forgotten by now. My 1st Tao te Ching came from a college class. Notations, underlined passages, dog - eared & vanished years ago.
Hmmm I don't have a copy of the Tao te Ching, perhaps I need to add that to my collection... 🤔
It's supposedly better known than the BIBLE ( DON'T tell that to an Evangelical. " WARNING, WILL ROBINSON ! Danger ! 🤖 " ) or the Epic of Gilgamesh. I have thought about doing a " family / kid - friendly " version of Gilgamesh, but it would be like doing a Disney version of The Exorcist or The OMEN, & I don't think that's overly exaggerating.
I was really impacted by the sentence: "There’s wisdom in the body, even in its most annoying and inconvenient communications." Such an important reminder.
Thanks Sophie, yes, it's a good reminder to myself as much as anyone else 😄
Ah, this is very familiar to me. My body stopped me in my tracks in early December. (And my Substack journey started in the pause.)
Even as a child my body would speak to me. If I got overly tired, I'd get a migraine that put me to bed.
If I'd just learn to listen again, it might not need to be so drastic in its speaking...
Ah yes, migraines were my messengers too for a while! I guess I must have got a bit better at listening as they seem to have largely stopped now 😊
My wake up call for rest at the ebd of last year was through a bike accident where I injured my arm, but my whole body was shaken to the core and I couldn't think clearly anymore. Before it happened I knew I needed a break but kept going telling myself: 'only two weeks until the holiday'. When it feels hard to stop despite all odds begging for it, and we keep pushing through to reach an external timeframe that doesn't match the bodies need, it will eventually scream! Thank you for sharing your wisdom Vicki.
So true Ingrid. If we don't listen to the body's whispers, it has to shout to get our attention 😣 Glad you're feeling more recovered now ❤️
So beautiful, Vicki. So true. Sending you wishes for much spaciousness and clarity as you reemerge into the world of external sounds while safeguarding the wise voice within.
I prefer to spend the vast majority of my hours in solitude and silence (other than nature sounds, which I welcome pretty much always). When I don't honour this or make space for it, I am scattered, reactive, and swing from one extreme to the next. Unsettled, ungrounded, no longer knowing myself. So, especially since my mid-40s, I honour and make space for it daily. Is it all the space, solitude, and silence I'd like? No. But every bit nourishes and sustains me.
Blessings to you!
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree and know I function so much better with generous stretches of silence and solitude in my day. It's a juggle as I really value connection, but my body seems to crave being left alone! And yes, this has definitely intensified since the mid-40s with the added layer of perimenopause. Thanks for your thoughtful comments Dana 🙏
I finally learned to stop and rest without guilt. Even BEFORE I get exhausted. I am getting more attuned to what my body needs and so very often it is simply rest and quiet, not sugar or caffeine 🤣. It took a cancer diagnosis to teach me. The body winning the end lol.
Yes. I'm amazed how many times I need to learn and relearn this lesson! And the answer is almost always rest and quiet 😂
*wins in the end!
Life reached a low in 1998 when my partner decided she'd had enough of my failed attempts to make a living from coaching football and left with my two daughters. I was living in a flat on the second floor of a block of flats and on housing benefit.
On my first day shopping I took the wrong turn at a junction and drove passed Warwick University where a sign advertised Tai Chi. I'd always been interested in watching but never thought slow movements were for me. But, I went along.
One year later at a Health and Ecology Exhibition at the same university we ended a demonstration and, left with an hour before the show closed I saw people sitting on chairs with practitioners standing behind them with their hands resting on the shoulders of the sitter, of working their fingers into the neck, shoulders and back. I sat down.
Two years later I qualified as a Shiatsu Therapist and continued my tai chi...four years later I was practising both with the public.
2019 saw my tai chi sessions, my shiatsu practice and my work as a storyteller closed down by the pandemic. I kept tha tai chi practise going by myself and struggled on.
In December 2023, I became homeless and foound myself in a tent, in the woods.
But, in that situation, I feel my years of working on myself held me in good stead and I actually enjoyed the freedom of waking up in the morning and going to sleep to birdsong.
By then I had added one more arrow to the quiver...daily prayer.
A morning and evening prayer I had experienced whilst having the honour of visiting a community of Lakota peoples in 2016...I believe that prayer and tai chi were my shields against complete collapse.
Unfortunately, the woods were private and though no one ever disturbed me, the chance of being found was always there.
So, today I have a roof over my head, a state pension and housing benefit to keep me going and since the chance of high earnings looks remote I have continued my tai chi, shaitsu, and stroytelling as a volunteer.
Thanks for sharing your story Ernie
Judy Kemp writing not Alan