Well actually, I went beyond it and the impact is physical injury. What is new for me is that the voice of “I did it! I tried! I went beyond fear! I allowed my inner child to play!” is stronger than the voice that says, “See. I told you to be careful.” and the voice that says, “How embarrassing. I should never have tried that in the first place. How will I face my friends?”
What really happened? I went to the trampoline park with two younger friends. While jumping, I heard several voices – my playful inner child, my ego watching what others were doing, my fear of trying the tricks I’ve seen others do, and the adult voice urging me to listen to my body. Needless to say, I didn’t listen enough to that last one and with but five minutes left in our jumping time, my tired body got strained. As I write, I cannot move without pain.
So I sit with the lesson. No, I am not hearing, “Stop risking, playing or trying new things. Stop listening to your inner child.” And to that I say, “HOORAY!!! Big victory!” Rather, there is a balance, or movement toward balance that asks to be honored. Deep listening, to wisdom rather than ego, and honoring the message received, would have led me to stopping sooner. Had I listened to my body, the source of wisdom for this activity, I would have stopped when I knew my body was done. The result would have been:
I moved through fear.
I played.
I tried something new.
I took a risk.
And:
I am moving freely, injury free, on the morning after.
What about you?
Where is your listening out of balance?
What voices control your choices?
Which deserve more attention?
What would the impact be?