Arms and legs!

Aloha!
Welcome to my blog! :-D I had intended to start it up on the 1st of September, but I was still figuring out the technical stuff, and I wasn't sure what to write about in my very first post. Then the universe helped me out...

On September 1st I fell off a bicycle and hurt my wrist! Thankfully nothing was broken, but my right arm was essentially useless for a few days. Now, nearly a week later, I operate at one and a quarter arm. I still perform the majority of mundane tasks with my left hand (honestly, I don't know how the lefties do it all their lives! XD), but in a funny way I've began to enjoy it. The fad nowadays is to makes lists of the most/best/popularest/etc.-est things, so to fit in with what's "hip", here is my list of what this incident stirred up in my head:

1) Focus
Because I am incredibly clumsy, in general, but especially with my left hand, I have to really think about what I'm doing when I'm doing it. For example, if I want to pour myself a glass of water, normally I'd grab the glass in my left hand and the pitcher in my right hand, and just do it. Now, one by one, all with my left hand, I need to grab a glass and set it down, then grab the pitcher, then pour the water from the pitcher into the glass in a way that doesn't knock the glass over, then set the pitcher down, then grab the glass and bring it up to my lips in a way that doesn't spill anything. All of a sudden, instead of a simple, mindless thing, it turns into a lot of actions! I have to pay attention to what I'm doing, and I have to decide what I'm doing, before I do it. This may sound silly, but let me explain it with...

2) Intention, mindfulness, and time
I think in the instant era of smart phones, i-this and i-that's, we've become, on some level, unreasonably impatient (I remind you: this comes from a self-proclaimed young dinosaur). Every action, every moment, every thought, has a potential for beauty. And I think that beauty comes from intention, mindfulness, and time. Think of it in terms of a relationship.

Intention: I choose you and only you at this moment. You are the only one right now.
Mindfulness: I am aware of you at this moment. Your presence is not an accident. I see you.
Time: I experience this moment as it is. I don't rush it. I don't hold back. I am present in it.

Sounds like the dream romance to me ;-) Now, what if you had that romance while you're pouring yourself a cup of water, or brushing your teeth, or taking out the trash. Silly, maybe, but at the same time, wouldn't that be good practice for the moments that really do matter?

3) Life's Gifts
Everyone has their life struggles. But everyone has their gifts too. I am privileged to have two functioning arms (most of the time), and two functioning legs, and a functioning brain. It is amazing. I can hold, and lift, and carry things, I can climb things, I can run and jump, and I can notice, and ponder, and laugh at things in my head while I'm doing it all. Having even just a tiny portion of my body partially unavailable makes me very acutely aware of everything that is working, that is present, that is functional. I know I am flaunting my bodily privilege. But I think that's part of life. Life is not sameness. Life is not equal. Life gives in different ways to different people. What causes damage, I think, is when the gifts are not seen or acknowledged. I can have countless reasons to dwell in unhappiness: I lost a good friend, I lost an amazing girlfriend, my job doesn't pay enough, my right wrist hurts and I can't use my right arm for a couple of weeks. Life sucks. But at the same time, I have amazing legs. My legs take me everywhere I need to go. My legs are my friends :-)
(Leg day should be a holiday, not a dreaded chore! XD)
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So, dear reader, these are my thoughts of the day :-) I hope I inspired you to think of something new. Whether you disagree or agree with anything I write, I welcome it. As long as, in some way, it inspired your imagination and your creativity. :)

Wishing you all the very best,
-K