Waking up and getting up is not the same thing. That took me a while to figure that out because, for most of my life, I have been one of those people who get out of bed immediately after waking up.
Recovering from surgery and the ravages of chemo and radiation gave a new outlook on the beginning of the day. I slept longer than ever before. Sometimes I would go back to sleep. Once I did awaken, I had no desire to get out of bed. That’s when I started reading the news in bed. (One great thing about catching up with the news online – I don’t even have to trundle outside to get the paper.)
These past few years have been marked by long bouts of exhaustion during the long haul that recuperation requires, A relentless, recurring global pandemic, wildfires and other climate catastrophes, and the recent devastation of war unfolding in front of our eyes also gave me more than enough reasons for wanting to remain under the covers.
Through it all, Moshe’s method has been a lifeline. Thanks to classes I’ve taken and those I’ve taught, I found ways to connect through the most isolating of times, had a reason to get moving in the morning, felt inspired, and continued learning. The steroids I received to combat the inevitable fatigue that chemo brings about may have fueled my first efforts at the beginning. What kept me going since, what turned out to be the most meaningful motivator, was using the Feldenkrais Method to make a difference for myself and for others.
When my most recent course, the yearlong Bodywise Project, finished last month, I decided to take a break. Teaching classes twice a week, meeting with the students regularly, leading accompanying seminars for my colleagues, editing the lessons, and so on was fun, fulfilling, and, in the end, a bit much.
Not only do I need time to edit the transcripts for the second and third trimesters — Finding Balance and Moving from Your Center — of the course, but I am finally ready to begin catching up on the backlog of tasks, household duties, correspondence, etc. Not teaching class every week will give me a chance to review, reflect, and reconsider what’s next. Plus, I realized that this is my chance to find a way to proceed that lies somewhere between my madcap, full-on modus operandi of the before times and the recurring bone-deep weariness of late.
Nothing about the past few years resembled a vacation. I have a trip planned. Fingers crossed, I will be visiting one of my best friends in Berlin soon and then heading to teach in Munich in May.
Please stay tuned.
Credit where credit is due:
- I created the image for this blog from a photo by Daria Shevtsova from www.pexels.com.
Your thoughts?
Please let us know your perspective! Add your comments, reactions, suggestions, ideas, etc., by first logging in to your Mind in Motion account and then clicking here.
Commenting on blog posts is available to anyone with a Mind in Motion Online account.
- Join in by getting your free account, which gives you access to the e-book edition of Articulating Changes (Larry’s now-classic Master’s thesis), ATM® lessons, and more — all at no charge whatsoever.
- To find out more and sign up, please click here.
- Want to share this blog post with a friend? You can email them the web address shown in your browser. Or share the post via social media by clicking on one of the following icons:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
[This license gives you permission to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. You may also remix, transform, and build upon the material. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.]
Responses:
Larry Goldfarb -March 31, 2022
Thank you, Joseph - I'm grateful that our contact and conversations during your training, some twenty years ago, were so beneficial. Much appreciated, Larry
franz-joseph-schumeckers -April 01, 2022
You are amazing and I will be eternity grateful for you. Not because of these amazing FI's I got from you, but for the humanity and empathy you have shown me when I was was lost in my training ( Semiophysics 1997-2022) it is an honor to know you. Thank you for sharing. Joseph
Please Log in to comment