Every now and then, life hands you a strange revelation… sometimes it comes in the form of a blinding-light styled epiphany, a “Eureka!” moment of extreme enthusiasm… other times, it comes as more of a muted “huh.”
I guess it doesn’t matter which way a revelation arrives, only that you do your best to listen to it when it does.
Now, before you get too excited, this is definitely one of those muted moments… nothing that’s going to change the world… but will (potentially) make a small difference in mine.
So, I noticed the other day that the base of my t-shirt had teeny-tiny holes in it. I lifted it up to the sunlight and could see maybe three or four little holes close to the base-hem and briefly wondered if we had a hungry moth in the cupboard. Then I lifted out another t-shirt and noticed the same holes in the same location. And so I checked another. And… sigh… another.
None of the holes were particularly large, so I’m not surprised I hadn’t noticed them, but how annoying to have so many t-shirts affected. And all in exactly the same way. So much so, that the hungry-moth theory literally flew out the window.
So, if not a crazy-critter, what could be causing so many t-shirts (in different brands from different suppliers) to self-combust in exactly the same way and same place?
I looked down at what I was wearing, and decided it was the zipper on my jeans that was to blame. I must have been snagging the t-shirts in a way I wasn’t aware of during the day… every day. It seemed logical, and yet… not quite right. Surely, I would notice my t-shirts getting stuck in the zip on a regular basis?
Trying to practice my “stress-less” phase of life, I decided that the holes were too inconsequential to warrant any more time and energy, and so I decided to ignore them, move on, and just do better at zipping up my pants (ha ha – that sounds so bad – but you know what I mean!)
OK, so this is all sounding very lame, I know… but the revelation is coming…
Later than night I was doing the dishes at the kitchen sink. I was tired, my head was hurting, but not terribly. I just wanted to get these dishes done and call it a night. As I was washing, I realized that I was also leaning… slouching, really… pressing myself up against the kitchen counter to try to take a little load off my feet, redistribute the weight and stay steady.
Huh.
As I washed and leaned, I turned left and right, dirty-dish-stack-to-water-to-drip-tray, left-right-left, and each time I did so, yep, you guessed it, the t-shirt was caught between my jean’s zipper and the counter top / cupboard door. Wedged in place. Tearing the cloth in a teeny-tiny but very real way.
Repeatedly.
Every night, most mornings and some lunchtimes… that slouchy-leany-posture was repeated and those t-shirts were copping it.
So, like I said – not a universe saving revelation, but an awakening nonetheless… I preach about the whole idea of Power Poses and the importance of honoring your body and mindful movement … and yet… here I was, several times a day giving in to the not so good hunchy-scrunchy version of me.
In that moment, I tried to do what I always do (now) – be non-judgmental – leaning against the counter makes sense if you’re tired. I get it, no need to be too down on myself. But, on the other hand, slouchy-pouchy means slumped shoulders and bent spine, and neck pushed out at a strange angle… and when my migraine-brain goes looking for feedback from my body, it’s not helpful for it to find a posture that implies I’m unwell.
Forget the damage to the t-shirts (which is annoying but not a crisis) this was a learning moment because I realized that “sitting well” and “typing well” or “driving well” were all moments in time that I have been practicing over the last year… but here was a small moment, repeated 10+ times a week, that was slipping past my guard…
What to do?
Stand up straight. Try to remember to scan my posture as much as possible, even in those small domestic moments. Accept that if I am so tired that I can’t stand up straight, then I should be lying down. The dishes can wait. The kids can be called upon (sometimes!). The dishwasher can get more of a workout and I can stop worrying about whether the power bill will blow up as a result.
There are options.
And all of the options move me away from hunchy-scrunchy-slouchy-pouchy-holey-moley-moments.
Again – not a giant revelation – but an important reminder to me, that mindfulness comes in all shapes and sizes… and this “problem” is on me – not some super-specific moth-muncher… and the good news about taking accountability, is that I can also take action!
Here’s to standing straight… or… lying down: listen to your body and do what it needs most… dishes be damned!
Take care taking care, and chin up lovelies,
Linda x
The Mindful Migraine 
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