Walking barefoot in the meadow. Feeling a myriad of sensations through my feet. Enjoying the variety of textures and surfaces with every step. Soft green grass. Brittle brown grass. Stiff small branches. Soft Earth. Hard Earth… Thinking of all the health benefits I’m receiving in this natural reflexology session. I’m getting it for free just by daring to enjoy something very primal, easy and super enjoyable; walking barefoot in Nature. A simple joy that all kids love and most adults lose. By wearing shoes all the time we deprive our bodies of a great source of natural healing. It weakens our senses, immune system and stiffens our joints.
I was getting a good dose of Mother Nature. Then OUCH! I stepped on something sharp. It hurt! I instinctively rubbed my foot on a thick wad of grass, which luckily took care of the sharp object. It didn’t hurt anymore when I stepped on my foot. At this point I looked at the concrete pedestrian path nearby. Should I choose the “safe” path where I can see what I’m stepping on or continue walking in the meadow? Should I sacrifice all the healing, enjoyment, sensations, excitement and connection to Mother Earth for fear of the occasional thorn? The concrete path is uniform, predictable and “safe” (not totally but it gives the illusion of more safety). It’s also boring, unhealthy and unpleasant to walk on. Should I choose my path based on love or fear? The carrot or the stick? What would you choose?
If I’m driven by the rewards, going for what I enjoy, choosing love, I will opt for the grassy meadow. If I’m driven by my fear of getting hurt by the occasional thorn, focusing on the potential short lived pain I could experience, choosing the perceived “safety”, I will opt for the concrete path.
Every decision in our lives, big or small, has these 2 main forces at play: love and fear. Meadow or concrete? Cake or death?* Shame, guilt, anger and all the negative emotional states stem from fear and scarcity. Whereas all the positive emotions stem from love and abundance.
Our fear is, in essence, a reaction to a past memory or an imagined future. It does not and cannot live in the present moment. Because if it is, we have no time to fear. We’ll be taking action. If a bus is coming towards you at high speed, you won’t be standing there feeling afraid, you’d instinctively jump out of the way. When we imagine horrible scenarios of the future, they are more likely to happen. We are helping manifest them. And if they don’t manifest, we would have wasted our energy in unfounded fear. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Every fear we have robs us of a degree of freedom. Overcoming a fear opens up a new world full of possibilities, joys and adventures.
Sadly, fear is the most addictive and most contagious emotion ever. It takes a great amount of consciousness and support to overcome its grip.
If we try to choose love and abundance while surrounded by an ocean of fear and scarcity, we stand no chance. We need a tribe, a community, a village.
The most basic law of Nature to which no living being is immune, is that we adapt to our environment. Our surroundings; the people with whom we interact, the ideas to which we are exposed, what we consume, mentally and physically, shape our reality. Our choices are a direct product of our environment. Choose carefully!
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears” Nelson Mandela
* “Cake or Death” is from Eddie Izzard’s “Dress to Kill” stand up comedy routine.
P.S. For those who are curious, I continued walking in the meadow 😸
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Unconditional Love 