Why do you do the things you do the way you do? Where did you learn your methods? How does it feel when you do something a different way?

I’ll bet you can’t even count the number of things you do without thinking. You’ve done them so many times over your lifetime that your body’s internal switchboard is on autopilot.

I’m not talking about your autonomous system, things like breathing or your heartbeat, or my early morning favorite, pandiculation.

No, I’m talking about the learned habitual stuff. Which sock do you put on first? Which thumb goes on top when you fold your hands? How do you hold your knife and fork?

In the big picture, it’s a blessing that much of our daily life requires no thought at all. Can you imagine if you had to put your full attention into every ordinary action?

But remember, it’s your body we’re talking about here. It can be really easy to slip into less-than-ideal habits and not even notice.

Think of someone with bad posture, who spends their life slumped over a screen. It’s no surprise they wind up with a bad back.

That’s why it’s fun to switch things up and intentionally alter your patterns occasionally. Somatic habits benefit from occasional interruption.

It’s like the difference between dancing a set routine and improvising freestyle. There’s a time and place for either one.

Opportunities to do this abound. Look no further than your everyday life and interactions.

Last week we were having lunch with some relatives, and I noticed something that puzzled me. The charming older woman sitting across from me was handling her utensils in a way that was utterly foreign to me.

To my way of thinking she was holding the fork upside down. But what really confounded me was the way she handled her knife.

Instead of gripping it by the handle like an average American would, she was holding it more like a quill pen or a chopstick.

Had I been doing it wrong all these years? Were my manners primitive and uncouth? Was I being a barbarian without knowing it?

I decided to discreetly try out her method. After all, the French are known for their manners and etiquette, so who was I to doubt that this was the proper way to dine?

Functionally, everything worked the same. My morsels of magret met my mouth same as ever. But it was like driving on the wrong side of the road in Australia, everything felt weird and backwards!

There’s generally no right or wrong way to do most ordinary things. What you consider proper is just the way you’ve always done it.

Inside that observation is the opportunity.

The opportunity to be mindful, to be in balance, to examine your patterns and become more aware in the present moment. Switching things up from time to time is a fun way to build somatic awareness.

Far be it from me to commit a faux pas at the family table. But if flipping the script makes lunch more meaningful, there’s no harm in trying some new moves on for size.

Yours in motion, much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #699

Mark Metz
Monday Love Movement Calendar