As soon as I left for my run the other day, I wondered if I was making a mistake. My body has been feeling strange lately, and I'm waiting on COVID-19 test results as we speak to see if that could be the cause. After I had gone about a half-block, my head started hurting, similar to a shooting headache that came and went sporadically. I figured it would subside eventually, and within 20 minutes or so it pretty much had.
So I forgot about it.
Or rather, I forgot to appreciate the absence of the thing that was formerly causing me discomfort. As humans, I feel as though this is one of our most common mistakes. We experience distress; maybe caused by a fear of the future, an injury, or a worry about the past. 99 times out of 100, the distress is short-lived. It may last a minute, an hour, or a year, but eventually, it will almost certainly subside. Then we go back to our default state of presence; traveling through life without an immediate issue that steals joy or contentment from us.
And in doing so, we hardly ever remember to be grateful for not feeling what we felt before.
So tonight, I want you to do a simple exercise. Think back to a couple times in the past when you were experiencing some type of pain or worry. Then, feel what it feels like in your body to be rid of that. And how good it feels to have the weight off your shoulders, the pain gone from the stubbed toe, or the broken heart mended. Feel how good it feels to be without.
The daily bliss of life is sometimes found not in the high moments, but in the moments that are neutral. Not good nor bad, but without discomfort. They always say you don't appreciate what you have till it's gone, but I think the real work is in appreciating the absence.
"A Single Seed" is my attempt to get out one idea every day that I've learned or accumulated over the years, with the hope that it may stick in someone else's memory bank as well. The idea may be related to fitness, business, life, or philosophy, but I think you'll find that many can change domains if you wish them to. With each seed planted, a new life awaits.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/crdot/6212236687
