The main route I take to get to the lake is now blocked. They are widening the north-south route from two lanes to four. It will be closed for at least a year.
The west side of the lake is approximately three miles north and six miles west of my house. There are five routes that will take me there without going out of the way. Unsurprisingly, I usually take the fastest, safest, easiest, and most scenic route. It’s where I see owls and hawks and drive past corn fields. It is full of beauty.
Two of the other routes are currently closed for unrelated construction. In the fall, a fourth route will close where it crosses the road they are widening. The remaining option involves narrow backroads that are a little tricky to navigate in the dark. It is slower and a little risky in the low light of dawn, and I wouldn’t try it in winter road conditions.
There are, of course, other ways to get there that take longer, go more through the city, and are more congested. I can still get there, but it will take more time, and it won’t be as enjoyable.
I’ve been learning that I have pathways in my body that have been blocked as well. When the body encounters something that constricts movement in some way, it is adept at re-routing to keep us mobile. Like my alternate routes to the lake, constriction and alternate routes in the body have downsides as they create the conditions for pain and disease to develop.
As a small example, I wear earplugs to sleep when the fireworks are going off, as they have been this weekend. They work ok, but they create discomfort and extra earwax in my ears. When this weekend is over, if I don’t address the earwax that has developed inside my ears, it will grow and eventually manifest in pain and dysfunction.
The pathways in the body get blocked by physical traumas, large and small. They get blocked by poor movement mechanics and the postural impacts of modern life. They also get blocked by emotions, tension, anxiety, and fear that move the body into constriction. The fascia system forms adhesions as it twists and turns to keep us from falling over.
I have been trying to unwind my mind and body for many years now, exploring the Feldenkrais method, physical therapy, QiGong, self-hypnosis, therapy, energy medicine, and now working directly with the fascia system. I’ve learned over the years that the body does not respond to force.
The fascia system, in particular, does not respond to force. It wants to be listened to, held close, and know that it is safe if it is to release the constrictions it has formed. It needs space, oxygen, relaxation, and a gentle but firm touch. It wants to be loved.
Ultimately, the road construction will create more space and allow more freedom of movement. Similarly, I expect the work I’m doing in my body will create more space for blood, oxygen, lymph, and life force energy to flow freely in my body. It isn’t an immediate or linear process.
The purpose of doing this work is the overall health of the system. The purpose of doing this work is to allow life force energy (a.k.a. Love) to flow more freely in me and through me. The more freely love can flow in my body and mind, the more love I can bring to the world.
As this is Independence Day weekend, I am thinking of how our institutions of democracy have become constricted, blocked, and diseased over time. In many cases, the foundation they grew on wasn’t strong, and like the body they became twisted and contorted in an effort to stay upright. These systems were ripe for disease and dysfunction, which we clearly see manifested today.
Regeneration requires space, oxygen, relaxation, and life-force energy. I wonder how we bring these ideas into our democratic institutions? I wonder how we create new pathways where oxygen, air, water, and love can flow freely through our communities, large and small.
Don’t get me wrong, we have to treat the disease that exists because regeneration takes time. As we treat the disease, I wonder how we also bring a deeper healing, a more structural realignment that doesn’t address constriction with more constriction.
A healing that is not brought by force but is brought by creating space and filling it with love. Force never works. Force makes the constrictions hang on more tightly. A gentle but firm pressure, brought with love, is required.
I don’t have any answers, but I do believe the words of Martin Luther King when he said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
I will keep working to bring more love into and through myself. I will keep working to bring gentle but firm pressure for change where I can. I will keep working for a world where love flows freely in and through every being. I will keep working for a world where beauty is available to all and all beings feel safe enough to see it.
This is what freedom looks like to me today. What does freedom look like to you?
Thanks for sharing Karen. Your act of sharing to those of us you have never met, is in itself an act of freedom. I am happy to be a recipient of your thoughts, feelings and opinions. I salute your courage to be vulnerable and freely express yourself. Love may be the ultimate answer but I believe it begins with courage which for me, is always found in the heart.
Simply beautiful images of dragonflies, Karen! They seem quite comfortable posing and being patient! Lovely final image of the Eastern Bluebird as well - thanks for sharing.