I am not sure we pay enough attention to our bodies. I hear so much about mindfulness and I think it’s important but vague…perhaps that’s my analytical mind.

So, I thought it would be fun if periodically I picked a “body part” for us to concentrate on for, let’s say, a week. What you do to “concentrate” on it is up to you. Since I’m an avid gratitude journalist, it will be easy for me to write about whichever is the “part of the week” in my gratitude app. However, as I said, you can do anything. For example, if it’s “leg week” you could name your legs and thank each or both when you get up to get something to eat, or run or walk or anything. Make it fun.

Why do this? Other than you can make it fun, it will make you very grateful for the miraculous machine we have been given. As an aside, I heard a great statement the other day that I might write more about. “We are a spiritual being in a physical body but with an animal mind in a social context.” And we wonder why things are so complicated?

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming (for those of you old enough to remember that)….

This week’s special body part is your ears!

What do ears do for you?

Are they something you pay attention to in others?

Do you bite them?

Did you neglect them and now they don’t work as well?

If so, how can you show them your gratitude rather than your frustration or disappointment that they don’t do everything you’d like now?

What funny image can you make in your mind – rabbit ears on a rabbit – or on a TV (another old thing)? Were you ever smacked in the ear?

What memories do they bring back?

What do you think your life would be like without ears and their components?

When you’re sitting in traffic or waiting in line or waiting to pick up the kids, do something “with” your ears! Have fun and be grateful.

“It Is What It Is”

Not really.

How often do you hear this or even use it? What does it mean to you? Ii think it’s supposed to mean something like “it’s ok”, or “it’s out of my control” or….

But it’s one of those phrases that should be considered on a purely individual basis, not as a pontification for the world.

When I put the rocks in the road the other day to protect the fawn, “it was what it was” right?

Well, to me they were supposed to be a deterrent making people go around the little one.

To a cyclist, it meant “crap, something’s in my way and I have to go around or crash”.

To the deer (if it could think or interpret things) it meant “oh good, I’m safer right now”.

To a driver coming down the road it might mean either “oops, i better get off my phone and drive in the road, not the bike lane” or “what’s that noise” if they drive over the rocks because they were veering.

So, “what it is” is not the same for everyone. Maybe it should be “it is what it is – for me”.

Here’s what dictionary.com says it means:
“Deal with it. It is what it is is an expression used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted.”

And this is from grammarist.com – “While it can be seen as a lack of desire or motivation to change or improve circumstances, the hidden meaning behind this phrase is deep understanding and acceptance that some things are beyond our control.”

I agree that some things are beyond our control but I also believe there are things we just use this phrase for that can definitely be influenced by our actions.

Sigh…it’s just another one of those “things” to me.

Are there phrases that get under your skin? If so, list them below.

This is a tiny tease but I have to express my gratitude to the world.

As you know my latest book is at the proofreader/editor. I was at a loss, though, for someone to write a forward. Since the book is not lighthearted like “It’s Not About the Miles”, I knew I had to find someone who could relate.

As usual, the universe took care of me. Just after the academy awards I read a post about the movie “the Whale”. After reading the post, I just had to watch the movie. It was phenomenal and spoke to me as did the post. I wrote a comment and confessed to two things that had never been public knowledge. For me to do that after 74 years, you can imagine I had to have felt a massive connection to that other person.

So, the not-so-brave little me found a pile of courage along the road and reached out to her and asked her to write the forward to my book if she felt it was good enough.

I just received her forward. I cannot tell you what it did to me. To say I was blown away is the biggest understatement of my life. I am excited to have her compelling missive at the beginning of my book. The book is important and her writing leads you right into it. In fact, you’ll probably be disappointed in the book given how beautiful this masterpiece is.

Thank you, Dana! You have made my decade! I can’t wait for everyone to read it (and then the book).