A tale in demonstrating how “gold nuggets” exist within situations where things don’t go as planned or as intended and how this can include inspiration to write this very blog. We simply need to make a choice within to discover these gold nuggets.
By the way, for those of you not familiar with Australian terms of references, “thongs” are footwear, slippers or what some would call flip flops, well, in contrast to that reference being used for underwear (G-Strings). 
The Preamble
Of late I have been plagued with a range of hip and back issues which seemed to be caused by spinal misalignment and tight muscles. The long term solution was to incorporate more natural movement into my routines, and this would include long walks, hiking, etc, However, I have proven to be quite good at self sabotaging my grand plans with these activities, resulting in zero walks or hikes.
The Universe Acts
The “powers that be” set the stage for me to inadvertently do what I’ve been short-changing myself on
The car was scheduled for the workshop this morning. My grand plan was to chuck the bicycle into the car, drop the car off and cycle back home. It will be good to mention that, despite having purchased this bike two years ago, I’ve only even used it once … duhh !
So I pulled it out, dusted it out and discovered flat tyres (but of course). Would you believe, out of four air pumps (including an air compressor with a blown fuse) none of these bloody worked in my effort to inflate the tyres.
Hmmmm, its a message me thinks, not meant to be. Well, the workshop has in the past got someone to send me back. So off I go.
But, it would seem this time the workshop had no one immediately available to drop me off and I’d have to wait quite a while if it were to happen.
What to do me thinks …. a gentle voice in my head tells me, “Hey ! walk back”. Its a 3km distance to back home. That really is not that far to walk but gosh I can’t recall the last time I had walked 3km. I realise I am wearing a pair of black thongs not shoes. Bummer, shoes would be better for a 3 km walk home versus thongs.
Discoveries Of The Journey
Ok shit happens, but let’s see what comes out of this, my mind goes, its gonna be good.
My personal philosophy is that no matter what life throws us, what we are called to do instead, is to embrace the experience, and consider that, its within this space of that experience that we discover the essence of what we can now create instead
As I start the walk, and as the body starts to move with the gait, my attention is drawn to stiffness and slight pain in various parts. It may good to point out here that I’m a certified Personal Trainer, though I have not been doing myself much favours with the benefit of that skillset .. go figure LOL !
I direct my mindfulness to the movement and positioning of the hips, readjust my posture. Then checking how my torso and shoulders are moving in comparison and their relative positioning, posture. I started observing how the “hinge points” in the body behaved, from the hip to knees to ankles. How was I moving ? What did I need to shift ? How did I need to move instead ?
I pay attention to my breathing, where was I breathing from ? Was I allowing for the appropriate thoracic expansion ?
Eventually my body started moving more fluidly, the pain and stiffness subsided. I tell myself, damn ! This was what I needed to be doing more of … duhh !
Shit needed happen first
Within the journey, it was fun too observing the surroundings, gardens, ponds, ducks, vegetation. I even brought myself to venture in a park where I used to once take my doggie for walks. I rarely went there anymore since she died two years ago, there was no need, too many memories.
The Outcome
I had a CHOICE as to how to react to this situation. I did so in the manner I have trained myself to over the years … “What Can I Make Out Of This ?”
I enjoyed that walk, I am glad it happened. It presented the much needed opportunity for me to discover more how my body moved (needed to move) and acceptance into what I need to do more. It served to interrupt the pattern of self sabotage and potentially set the stage for alternative behaviors.
The black thongs held up, I don’t believe they had ever done that much mileage at one go.
I love this part …. I have not written a blog for quite a while now and in the 30 minutes it took me to reach home, the “grey matter” worked out how this blog would read and here it is.
So what’s the lesson here ?
My view of pain in the body is one way Life / the Universe tells us that we are not doing what we need to be doing. And when we continue not to adhere, other situations / obstacles can be thrown in our path as a nudge, a reminder. Resultingly things can get worse and as humans, we are extremely good at consequently reacting in unbeneficial ways, often framing the situations in the worst possible manner, which needless to say makes our reality of the situation even more undesirable.
It is our thoughts, the inner narrative that ultimately determines the reality of our experiences
We just need to become mindful of these signs and nudges, listen, pay attention. Challenge yourself, in what you consider undesirable situations. Ask yourself ;
-
- If there exists some benefit from this, what would that be ?
- If me reacting differently could benefit the situation, how would I do that ?
- If there’s a bigger picture beyond what I’d usually see, what could that be ?
- If there’s a hidden message here, what would that be ?
Lastly consider again, regardless of the situation, what we are simply being led into is the “experience”. It does not matter what the experience is about. When your focus and self-challenge is on what you can take out from that experience, what you can create out of it, then the magic of growth happens.
