You guys, I’m so tired. Moving is hard work, and as much as I wish I could do it without skipping beats, my beats have gone totally missing. I feel much more like curling up in bed than thinking deeply or creatively about anything – let alone unpacking more stuff!
But this is what bodies do, right? They hit up against their limitations. They get tired and over-stimulated when they don’t get enough sleep and have way more decisions to make than they normally do and way less time alone. They think they can do more than they can sometimes, too, and then have the shocking wake-up or slow, torturous dawning that no, actually NO, you cannot just keep trecking on like what you’re doing is nothing.
I found the following song a few years ago when a friend introduced me to kids’ singer Tom Hunter, and return to it, if only in my mind, whenever I need the reminder and reassurance that I’m not alone – that when it comes to having physical and emotional limitations and getting pushed, often reluctantly, up against them, we’re all in the same boat.
The chorus says,
Everybody has to eat
Everybody has to breathe
Everybody poops and pees
Everybody loses teeth
…but I always swap out lines for whatever physical or emotional thing I’m facing (and, quite honestly, sometimes with tears of feeling so comforted).
Wanna play too? I’d love to hear in the comments what line you might add to this song today.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
(Click here to listen if you don’t see the audio player above.)
Everything Belongs
Seasons are universal. Treat yours uniquely.
“Everybody has to rest” is my line. . . . Take care of yourself, Kristin. Moving IS hard work. Wishing you the break, the rest, the comfort that you need. . . .
Comment by Ellen — June 11, 2011 @ 12:24 pmEllen, thank you. So much.
Comment by Kristin — June 11, 2011 @ 12:30 pmI work the overnights at an assisted living home. All night long I take people pee. When you look at a baby and then the end of life at an assisted living home- it is exactly the same as the song says, we are connected by many things. It is too bad in between we get hung up with our insecurities, our image of our body, asking or not asking for help, allowing our tramas growing up to influence who we are the rest of our life(that is a hard one cause noone should go through what some people do), physical and age related ailments and diseases. I think deep down we share more in common, but our masks keep us from letting the other person know we have those flaws,also. I Hope I can now look at another person and concentrate on that thread that connects us together in this boat of life and allow each of us to be who we really are. Moving is fun, but awfully tiring. Get some rest.
Comment by Shandeen — June 11, 2011 @ 12:32 pmShandeen, I love this idea you raise about how clearly our needs look alike at the beginning and end of life, and how our similarities with each other get hidden in between those times. There’s no denying we all have huge differences, and the physical limitations we have, specifically, are not the same. But I find it so comforting to recognize that we all have them, and all struggle when we’re pushed up against them.
Comment by Kristin — June 11, 2011 @ 2:26 pmOne of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is to listen to my body, and to work with it whenever it needs something that my mind isn’t willing to submit to — and the key word there is *needs*. Our physical selves will just hit those limitations and stop. There’s no pushing through them (like there often is with the mind), there’s simply stop. Enough. End of. And then it’s a limbo, a waiting game while our bodies take what is needed in order to get back in the game. And that can be a whole level of frustration to the mind in of itself, never mind the whole “I should be doing ‘x’…” that rattles on while we wait for our bodies to heal, to rest, to do whatever it is that they need to do.
An even harder lesson is learning to be embodied whilst in great pain. This is another one I’m learning, day by day, to live with. And don’t even get me started about body image — one job at a time…!
Do remember to take time out and rest when you need to, Kristin! Your blog is so thought-provoking and wonderful to read. Thank you. *hugs*
Comment by Heather — June 11, 2011 @ 3:40 pmHeather, I’d love to hear more about what you mean by being embodied while in great pain. So many people live with chronic pain that this seems like an important idea to explore more about.
Comment by Kristin — June 13, 2011 @ 3:34 pmWhen I cannot face myself, cannot face my life, my body steps in and shuts me down, and I sleep. Even during the day. I do not know if this is healthy self-protective behavior, or an avoidance technique. Maybe I should try to push through the day, instead of napping? Or is the napping necessary and healing? I honestly do not know. It does not help that my medications for bipolar disorder make me very sleepy, and dull my senses.
Comment by Camilla — June 16, 2011 @ 1:37 amI enjoy noticing how my body connects me with everyone else–especially when I feel myself connecting through generations of time. When I go running barefoot–I feel connected with humans back to ancient, primal times. When I (used to) bake homemade bread, as I kneaded, I felt connected with my grandmother (who still uses my recipe! love you grandma!) and generations of women through time. Sometimes when I bleed, I feel connected with other women through the ages and around the world. When I hold my daughter, I feel connected with my own little child self. Thank you for this post, Kristin, and reminding me how much I enjoy these experiences of kinship-via-body.
Comment by Karah Fisher Madrone — June 17, 2011 @ 4:17 pmHUGS to you all!
Karah, I love your list here. YES. I’m particularly drawn to the one about bleeding, as I’ve had the experience often of bemoaning the fact that I menstruate, but then seeing it totally differently when put into the context of a whole history of women menstruating and experiencing the joys and pains related to childbearing, infertility, miscarriage, etc. Something about that common thread makes me feel honored and proud, rather than grumpy about what my body does. When I remember it… :)
Comment by Kristin — June 17, 2011 @ 4:33 pm