I Love Our Artist Dates!
Can I say, I just love our Artist Dates? It gets me out of my routine and literally out and about, too. I didn’t do anything new this time, but instead, things I love. I held the intention of taking myself on a date. That made it not only special, but gave it a new twist by wanting to be present, and in my body as much as I could.
I had an appointment at my Thai massage therapist, and that’s something I love, especially because of the outcome. Honestly, there are sometimes moments when this type of massage can be painful enough that it’s hard to stay present with it. Yet each time I get out of there, and walk down the stairs, I feel like a new person as things are moving much more easily – that’s a moment I am in my body naturally because it’s feels that good.
Afterwards, I had a nice little chat with the manager of a health food store, as I picked up a few things. I then treated myself to a fortune role and another Asian dish at a restaurant close by the massage place. While I was doing that, I kept on trying to stay present and in my body to see what difference that would make in my usual routine.
I walked home instead of taking the metro, and I chose to take a route through the park that connects the area of the massage place with my home. I love this park specifically because it has so many different trails, but guess what – I discovered a new one today! Thanks to a woman who was walking on this “off-road” trail (you know the kind that wasn’t planned, but people created by walking there using it as a short cut), I saw it for the first time. It ended with this picturesque exit where you emerge from the woods into the sunlight. It was like a symbol of that process of an artist date where you take yourself somewhere new and at the end you come out of it into the sunlight as if it’s a (tiny) new beginning.
On the way I learned a few things about myself. For example, it is hard for me to stay present in my body when somebody is talking to me, or just plain talking, even if it’s in another language I don’t even recognize, because the processing of language gets me up in my head thinking. It’s quite contrary to listening to sounds, such as that of nature, as well as that of traffic on the street, or people passing by. When focusing on my senses, whether it’s hearing or seeing or smelling, all of that gets me into my body and very present. Also, I noticed that each time I thought: “oh, I better get back in my body, because that’s what I wanted this artist date to be about,” it made it heavy and created stress within. When I instead leaned back to just enjoy and relish the moment, that’s when I was relaxed and in my body naturally. That really was the biggest take away: the easiest way to be present and in my body is to take in the world around me through my senses and just relish the moment! And the result!? Relaxation and peace in both body and mind!
Written by: Sabine Roggermeier; Gluecklich Im Sein
