Last week, I had many wonderful experiences and one difficult one. Why? Someone put me in a situation, asking something of me that was awkward and emotionally painful. Since the request was couched in words that sounded – on the surface – warm and heartfelt, I was confused about what to do and how to handle the request. I felt betwixt and between. I shared my frustration with a wise friend. He said, “if you stop all your mind chatter, what does your gut tell you to do?”
The answer “no” pounced from my mouth. For some reason, the mental turmoil I felt earlier was gone once my friend posed the question directly to me.
I suddently remembered, how near bedtime the night of the request, I’d become nauseated and sick at my stomach hardly sleeping a wink. At the time, I thought my discomfort was from something I’d eaten-even though my dinner was hardly the kind of thing to cause an upset stomach. I didn’t associate the stomach “flu” with an “ill” request.
In hindsight, my gut was screaming at me.
I often tell my clients, “The body never lies.” This was a perfect example of needing to take my own advice. The mind cavorts with skillful dexterity around many sensitive issues associated with self perception or how others think about us. Not the body! It’s literal. The body tells the powerful truth, provided we are listening.
The trick is learning to listen…..