The Happy Dance
"I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes." ~Kahlil Gibran
My toes are happy.
Today, both the sun and the warmth peeked out from the sky and I wiggled my toes in delight. The winter has seemed so cold, that my whole body spent the last few months trying to wrap itself tighter and tighter. At times I was afraid to move and let a new draft into some corner of my body.
But today, I breathed deep and wide, and wiggled my toes. Then I felt the relaxation of my legs (no longer shivering), my relaxed ribs and arms. My legs felt happy. My body felt content. My arms felt free.
How often do we rejoice in the happiness of our body? Does this sound a bit strange? Then think about this one: How often does a knee, back or throat express some form of unhappiness? Ah, you can relate to that one, can’t you?
What really seems strange is that we pay attention to our body when it is telling us something in wrong, or unhappy. But we don’t pay attention – that is, give our own body the attention it deserves – when everything is right. We take our bodies for granted.
But our bodies can be a source of gratefulness, of good fortune, of perseverance, and of pleasure. I love a good stretch in the middle of the afternoon. My favorite stretch? Palms spread wide, fingertips near my ears, elbows straight out. Then I streettttch my elbows back so that my biceps feel their full extension. Perhaps I love this stretch because my arms spend many hours forward, near the keyboard. I am so grateful for that stretch. It brings my body back to life as I hit the home stretch of my writing day.
I also love it when my legs sit contentedly on the couch, feet tucked under me while I settle in for the evening to read or catch the news. My legs feel happy like this. I feel grateful for them.
But when I’m really happy, do you know what does the happy dance? My toes.
What part of your body expresses happiness?
--Tina Su
Photo by: Amir Kuckovic
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Comments
Janice Woodson Friday, May 06, 2011
Some time ago I read that Sam-E was initially developed for arthritis (in UK or Europe). After trying other remedies, I have used Sam-E for about three months and have had reduced symptoms from my relatively mild arthritis - is it mind over matter or really the effect from Sam-E?