How does it feel when I bring reverence to a daily activity?

Good Morning, I retired very early last night and awoke this morning about 4 a.m. As I made my way to the kitchen to take my thyroid medication (a morning ritual) it was obvious that my whole body was quite tense. It dawned on me that my mind was already percolating. It tends to bubble up when my feet hit the floor with several options about what needs to be done today. I realized what a blessing it is to have my simple morning ritual—taking my thyroid pill—before the compulsive doubting that has more or less ruled my life sets in.

I decided rather quickly, a decision I can only attribute to the ever present natural grace I tend to ignore, that I needed to sit down and begin my day with a 20 minute silent meditation. With my feet flat on the floor, a small pillow on my lap on which to rest my lower arms and hands, an awareness of my sit bones supporting my spine and the gentle tuck of my chin to be sure my head was not leaning forward and placing its heaviness on my cervical fusion, I closed my eyes and basked in the predawn stillness.

The fact that my toes were gripping the floor for dear life entered my awareness and I started there with a body scan. Letting them go, gathering the free-flowing energies that relaxation brings. As the energy traveled upward, my sit bones greeted my chair and tension departed from my buttocks. An awareness of my scoliosis followed and I felt my left shoulder and rib cage adjust itself with a gentle release that seemed to align my thoracic spine. My heart felt the shift and seemed extremely thankful. Tension left my shoulder blades. I’m sure if they could speak, I’d have heard them sigh.

I heard an inner voice whisper, “Smile!” The brain loves it when we smile. It is the simplest form of meditation and sends a primal signal to the brain that all is well.

As I closed my meditation, I realized that my 20 minute experience was reverential. I had dedicated 20 minutes to showing reverence for my body.

I am extremely fond of “re” words. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines reverence as
1: again refill [=fill again] redo [=do over; do again]
2: back to an original place, condition, etc. recall [=call something back]
reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring.

“Re” words always invite us to call something back—to meet and greet it in its original form which to my way of thinking is natural. If one reads the Genesis story of creation, we are told that the act of creation is a “letting.” “Let there BE.”

May we all bring reverence to our daily activities for we are both Creature and Creator. It’s truly an awesome realization and if indeed there is such a thing as original sin, it is that we have forgotten who we are and attempted to separate ourselves from our natural state.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:27
God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Let it BE,
Carol