I have to say that I love Martha Beck’s writing. She’s funny, common sensical, and able to say “don’t do as I did, do what makes sense, because I’m crazy.” Aren’t we all? 🙂 What I really admire about her perspective is that she understands that we are em-bodied spiritual beings having an experience in the world. So all the willpower in the world can’t stop us from experiencing things through our body. It’s all connected so our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our souls, are all one unit living this life.
Which means that what you do with your body affects how you perceive the world. (Nope, not talking about weight loss or breast enhancements…just be patient here). So changing one little thing that you do each day will change your experience of the world, sometimes dramatically. For example, if something your spouse does makes you crazy and telling them about it just makes for frustration and gets you no where, the next time it happens, lay down on the floor. Then call them into the room and have the discussion with them while you’re on the floor. You will definitely see the situation from a different perspective and so will they and that gives both of you a chance to really hear each other and perhaps make some headway in the situation.
Or, if you and your sweetheart argue when paying the bills each month, take all the bill making items and make them out while sitting in the bathtub. I don’t recommend water, in that case, but just being in the bathtub. Again, a completely different situation changes the experience and gives you a chance to change the outcome of the situation, to hear and experience each other differently and therefore change and even improve the outcome.
You can apply this to any situation you are going into: school, wear something different or sit in a different seat, get a new and amazing pen/pencil and have a blast. Write your notes in pink! At work, change the arrangement of your desk, ask to move to a new area, take amazing and fun wrapping paper and paper the underside of your desk with it so only you will know it’s there. Think up little ways to change-up how things are and see what happens. Every little change adds to the whole until you can look back and see that you are somewhere/someone else completely and having a great time doing it. 🙂
