Hiding
Recently, I was trying on a pair of pants and happened to notice a horizontal black line running along my side, just above my hip bone. For a brief moment, I wondered what it was and then it dawned on me; it was a patch of skin I hadn't seen in years. The fat that used to be around my waist caused the skin to bulge out and then fold over on itself. But now that the fat was melting, the skin in that area was no longer bulging out and folding over. I was seeing the skin that had been hiding underneath the fold. Then I thought about how that was a metaphor for all of the emotional hiding I had been doing over the years.How many times in the past had I tried to hide from my feelings by running to food as a refuge? How many times had I avoided revealing my opinions for fear of disapproval? How many times had I dodged opportunities because I was afraid of failure or success? Too many times to count.
When I made a decision to no longer hide from life, then my body heard me. It seemed to say, 'Well, if you aren't going to hide from me, then I won't hide from you anymore either.' So now it continually surprises me with new discoveries, little gifts really.
I'll see a new patch of skin, or catch the ripple of a muscle when my leg moves a certain way, or feel my flexibility increase in ways I never thought it could. Oh, it is exhilarating!
My hope is that you too will decide to face your fears and problems head-on, not hide from them. If you do, you'll find the whole world is out there waiting for you.
posted by Kim F. @ 5:51 AM
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