I used to be really certain about a lot of things. (That sound you hear are my long time friends and family sniggering.) More recently I have discovered that certainty is just too rigid. It’s true, having the sense that you really know something can be comforting. But it also means that you are closed to a whole range of possibilities. For example, I was quite certain that my body was like a machine, an organic engine. Food in the proper amounts and combinations along with some exercise and sleep were all that I needed to keep it going. Sickness came from the outside in the form of germs or toxins or injury. Avoid those and I would be good. (The sound you hear now is many generations of healers having a good laugh.)
Through observation and personal experience it has become very apparent that this is not the whole story. There is much more to us, to our bodies, than we are taught in basic biology class. What we think, how we feel, what we choose to dwell on, how we feel about our work, how we relate to others, and so on, all affect our health and well being. Our bodies, far from being just a bunch of moving parts, are filled with intelligence. Our cells are communicating with each other all the time. And then there’s the microbes that make up more of us than us.
All of this really blurs the lines. Where does my consciousness begin and end? Or does it? Is it only my brain that is doing the thinking or are the heart and the GI tract in on it too? How does faith affect my health? Can I think myself well? So many questions that arise and there are no definitive answers. Years ago I would have found that frustrating and anxiety inducing. These days I find it comforting. There is no one answer that we have to reach. Many paths are available, I just have to start down one of them. I won’t have to stay on it as all the paths criss cross each other. I can move to another if it seems better for me at the time. Ease and lightness are my watchwords now.
rootleafandflower 