Gateways to Relationship

At all times and in all places we are in relationship whether we pause to consider this or not. Here is an example: Walking to the lake, we breathe deeply taking in and feeling the fresh warm summer air, see long shadows of trees from a late afternoon angle of the sun, hear children splashing and goldfinches’ colourful songs, smell residual campfire coals, lick our lips and taste a bit of sticky marshmallow from our s’mores, feel our curled fingers from carrying a beach bag, snack cooler, extra towels, ladder ball bag and a sand bucket and shovel. Yes, our senses bring us into relationship with ourselves, others and our environment. PAUSE for a moment and consider my description of the lake scene above. What is your body tone? If you liked the imagery (and perhaps recall similar memories from your own experiences of lakeside adventures), your body tone may be one of ease. If you have had a challenging time at the lake (maybe you are afraid of water, it was smoky, chilly, too ‘bug-y’…) your body tone may be higher. [I say ‘may’ because there are many different responses to the same experience and much of that is based on your personal prior experience….I will speak about this in future blogs.]

Over the next six months, I invite you on an in-depth exploration of your senses and how you perceive yourself, others, and your environment. We will explore each specialized sense organ in terms of basic structure/anatomy and function/physiology in a somewhat chronological order of its development and how our prior experiences shape our responses in relationship to each sense (do we embrace the sensation or do we reject it?)… AND I will offer ‘gateways’ to repattern our sensual relationships to self, others, environment. Let’s explore:

Considering relationship(~5 minutes to 55 hours…..)

As a bit of an anatomy nerd, I am always fascinated by relationships/comparisons of structure and embryology. Consider the structural implication of the number of bones in your feet (26) …hands (27) ….skull (29)…. (actually EXPLORE this for at least 5 minutes each…it is incredibly revealing…!)

• Feet: compare the sensitivity you have when you wear stiff hiking boots (or downhill ski boots if you are reading this in the winter)…walking…. With walking in bare feet on the sand/grass/gravel! When do you feel and to what degree when you step on a garden hose?(While both are equally important for their disciplines, there is a significant difference in sensory input and subsequent perception).
• Hands: feel the difference in sensitivity in your hands required when closing your car door with picking fresh raspberries off the cane.
• Skull: consider your ability to listen to your friend at a busy pub with your ability to take in the gestalt at Big Valley Jamboree.
• In each of these, where do you find yourself relating with ease? With resistance?

Explore with me in the following months….as we relate to our senses/ ourselves/ others/ and our environment! ENJOY!