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Daily Question, March 24

What parts of me might I love more fully?

  • Maurice Frank

    My regrets. Yesterday I listened to the NPR Lifekit podcast episode about regrets with Daniel Pink, and I found the insights soothing.

    • Laura

      I’ll have to check that out.
      I’m a big fan of OnBeing with Krista Tippett.

    • Elaine

      Thanks for referring us to this illuminating podcast Maurice. Some regrets – particularly related to my parents – haunt me and are hard to love.

  • Laura

    The wounded parts that remind me of past emotional pain. When I feel ready to face a past failure or hurt, I mentally wrap my arms around my younger, inexperienced self and tell her that she did the best she could.

  • Mary Pat

    Well, it is close to a part…the insomnia part. I am learning to tolerate it, and maybe then comes love….we will see. I did happen on an idea that has helped me; ask the insomnia what it needs from me. Just pause and ask. I did and the answer was Pay Attention. So I did and I wrote down everything that popped into my mind. It was a good exercise. I have slept for two nights in a row. We will see how it goes, but love it more fully? That is a bit of a stretch, but we will see…

    • Howie Geib

      THIS. I am so grateful for your share Mary Pat. I have long suspected that my own fitful sleeplessness is like a small child next to me tugging on my shirt tail trying to get my attention to tell me something.

      • Mary Pat

        OH, how truly human we all are…..I share this with you, and hope you have the same success that I did on Tuesday….

  • Marnie Jackson

    The human parts where I get things wrong or do something imperfectly – those parts always need some love and care

  • Kevin
    Ah, “might?” I’ll take might as meaning, it depends! It depends on the day, on the hour and the moment. When my back starts screaming in pain (as opposed to its usual groaning) I sometimes ask it, what have I ever done to you to deserve this kind of pain? Then I remember, jumping out of hay mows onto concrete floors while farming as a kid, or finding out who among other teenage workers who could carry the most sacks of grain across the barnyard, or roping and wrangling yearlings down for v...

    Ah, “might?” I’ll take might as meaning, it depends! It depends on the day, on the hour and the moment. When my back starts screaming in pain (as opposed to its usual groaning) I sometimes ask it, what have I ever done to you to deserve this kind of pain? Then I remember, jumping out of hay mows onto concrete floors while farming as a kid, or finding out who among other teenage workers who could carry the most sacks of grain across the barnyard, or roping and wrangling yearlings down for vet visits? And then I recall life-long farm hand Marshall, admonishing me with, “You got two arms and two legs, kid, but one back to ride out life with. Ya’ gonna be sorry someday.” That’s when I apologize to my cranky 72 year-old back. I’m still working on the love part.

    Read More
  • Dusty Su

    My anxiety, which is really contentiousness if I run it right. The running it right is the tricky part.

  • Antoinette
    I might love the part that received the diagnosis of Complex PTSD. I could start by accepting and acknowledging that I have this disability- if you call it that . Today I opened up about some of the trauma to a few people in my meditation group. These baby steps of letting go of whatever is currently coming up and out of me is a prayer. Some call it letting go and giving it to god. Be present and let it be as it is the road to recovery. Peace is with me holding my hand and I’m starting t...

    I might love the part that received the diagnosis of Complex PTSD.
    I could start by accepting and acknowledging that I have this disability- if you call it that .
    Today I opened up about some of the trauma to a few people in my meditation group. These baby steps of letting go of whatever is currently coming up and out of me is a prayer. Some call it letting go and giving it to god. Be present and let it be as it is the road to recovery. Peace is with me holding my hand and I’m starting to let that light shine. I’m starting to trust know that the past is only a picture and the pictures are not me. The pictures don’t have to become real by me reliving the pain.
    I can let go and let love. The present moment is the only real place there is. This moment is perfect when I rest with god.

    Read More
    • Hermann-Josef

      There is a reason.
      For every pain that we must bear
      For every burden every care
      For every grief that crushes our heart
      For every scalding tear we shed
      For every hurt, every plight
      For every lonely, painful night
      Yet if we trust god, as we all must
      It all can turn to be for our good,
      He knows the reason.

    • Kevin

      And my prayer here, Antoinette, is for your continued healing over time.

  • Iamme
    My body, I've hated it in many ways over the years and now as I age it's telling me it's a little worn in parts. My biggest issue is energy and I get upset when I see friends who are ten years older than me who seem to have boundless energy whereas mine has bounded off somewhere else. Having thyroid and autoimmune issues has slowed me down for the last two decades, catching covid in March 2020 remained with me as long covid, but after a second dose of covid about 7 weeks ago, the last few week...

    My body, I’ve hated it in many ways over the years and now as I age it’s telling me it’s a little worn in parts. My biggest issue is energy and I get upset when I see friends who are ten years older than me who seem to have boundless energy whereas mine has bounded off somewhere else. Having thyroid and autoimmune issues has slowed me down for the last two decades, catching covid in March 2020 remained with me as long covid, but after a second dose of covid about 7 weeks ago, the last few weeks I have felt better than I have for a long long time. I think the second infection helped kick it out of my system some how. I have been triple jabbed too.

    I think back to when I felt at one with my body during childhood until about 11 or 12. Riding my bike, running about and feeling free from negative thoughts. Then the teen years come along and I started to feel very self conscious, also aware that I wasn’t as strong or as fast as my peers, useless at ball games of any kind, always the last to be picked for a team. I had to wait a long time to feel that oneness again, it was when I became pregnant in my early 30s. Suddenly my body felt absolutely right and beautiful, doing exactly what it was designed to do. I absolutely loved being pregnant.

    Now in my late fifties, I look much younger than my years but feel much older than my years. I am conscious that it’s more important than ever to look after my body with exercise and nourishment and relaxation, so that I can live my life as fully as possible. I want to be able to run around, lift and carry any future grandchildren. I want to be fit and active in my older years. I’ve neglected exercise over the past few years and now I need to honour my body, show it some love, and regain a level of fitness that will help to keep me active into my old age. All the females on my maternal side of the family have lived until their mid to late 90s and been fairly active and independent until the last 5-6 years, I hope I will follow in their footsteps.

    I need to love my body more fully by taking better care of it, but also by having gratitude for all the amazing things it has enabled me to do. It’s carried me this far and I hope that we still have much further to go.

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    • Mica

      I like ‘boundless energy’ but your energy has ‘bounded off,’ Iamme 🙂

    • Barb C
      My body was the first thing I thought of too.. I've been reading Burnt Toast, a newsletter by Virginia Sole-Smith that takes on diet culture and fat shaming and health. I really need to read the things she writes about the fact that our bodies change and we've been acculturated to believe we "should" look a certain way. It's very hard not to continue to judge myself against standards that were never mine, not really, that I grew up with and that were done to me and done to all of us. Working on ...

      My body was the first thing I thought of too.. I’ve been reading Burnt Toast, a newsletter by Virginia Sole-Smith that takes on diet culture and fat shaming and health. I really need to read the things she writes about the fact that our bodies change and we’ve been acculturated to believe we “should” look a certain way. It’s very hard not to continue to judge myself against standards that were never mine, not really, that I grew up with and that were done to me and done to all of us. Working on this makes me kinder to myself, kinder to others, and more mindful of the things we think or believe without really understanding where they came from.

      A lot of her writing has to do with parenting. My daughters are grown women now and I’m recognizing the ways that I acculturated them the same way I had been even though I tried to talk about health rather than weight. It’s really the same message about your body not being perfectly fine the way it is. Truly, all bodies are amazing in what they can do regardless of whether one body can do everything that another body can do. It’s not a contest.

      Virginia’s newsletter https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/.

      Read More
      • Iamme

        I will take a look at that, thank you. I think the older we get the more we appreciate how our bodies have served us, its limits, the story of our lives stored within it alongside the love we give and receive, and the less we focus on physical imperfections, I’m more focused now on physical limitations but perhaps I need to learn some acceptance there.

    • Michele

      I totally relate with your reflection. I will be turning 53 on Saturday and I need to better take care of my body. I also loved being pregnant with all 3 of my kids, went natural all 3 times:)

      • Antoinette

        Hi! I can relate to you both! I have also had three babies! I’ll be 55 April 1st. Taking care and not rejecting the way our bodies change is very important. I keep thinking if I workout harder mine will be like it use to be! Lol- nope. We can be grateful that we are here and healthy! Thanks for sharing . 😊🙏

      • Iamme

        Same here. Long labours but just the most incredible experiences of my life. No one can really explain the wonder of it until you have done it, but it just felt the most natural thing my body had ever done.

  • Michele

    the fat parts. Today’s National Days:
    March 24, 2022 – NATIONAL CHEESESTEAK DAY – NATIONAL COCKTAIL DAY – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED RAISIN DAY

    • Iamme
      Hahahahahaha! Every day is a national food day in my house, unfortunately! I think I need to celebrate the ones you have listed Michele, I love them all! Hmmm… cocktails for breakfast anyone? That reminds me, my birthday is in July, some years back during a heatwave, my friend called me on the morning of my birthday and invited me round for breakfast. We had ice cream! She had several flavours and we sat and ate two big bowl fulls, she'd stuck a birthday candle in my first portion. :) Th...

      Hahahahahaha! Every day is a national food day in my house, unfortunately! I think I need to celebrate the ones you have listed Michele, I love them all! Hmmm… cocktails for breakfast anyone? That reminds me, my birthday is in July, some years back during a heatwave, my friend called me on the morning of my birthday and invited me round for breakfast. We had ice cream! She had several flavours and we sat and ate two big bowl fulls, she’d stuck a birthday candle in my first portion. 🙂 That memory makes me smile.

      Read More
      • Barb C

        What a brilliant birthday gift!! I may steal this for one of my friends who lives nearby.

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