It was a gorgeous morning and I went to the lake for maybe a final skate of the winter. I really do love to skate. You may notice on these adventure clips that I’m not moving very fast. That’s my instincts keeping me safe. Even so, you’ll see, I can get a little Central Nervous System exercise.
Remember when you were a kid and explored breaking ice in your boots?
I used to walk through the biggest deepest puddles I could find. Got my boots stuck once and fell over into sitting down on my bum in a seemingly vast low spot of water, covering soggy park grass. Funny thing is I still remember what I was wearing, whose house I went to for help on the way home. Childhood and exploration and curiosity go hand in hand. I’m working on holding onto that part of me.
I’m not recommending anyone go out on ice, but I am recommending that you consider what its like to explore and engage your world on the edge of your comfort zone. Keep yourself safe, but find a way to explore and see what happens within your instinctive self. It’s a powerful place, an integrative place, and a place of healing. Curiosity, playfulness, little excitements are a part of being and feeling alive.
I couldn’t really figure out what category this kind of a “movie letter” goes in. I’m thinking that it’s part of PTSD and Stress recovery. When I suffered from severe PTSD it seemed like anything that jacked up my stress was nearly unbearable. At the same time, I could tell that my life would feel hollow if I couldn’t participate in play and exploration that involved fairly minor Central Nervous System escalations like having a faster beating heart. In fact, even doing cardio workouts that upped my heart rate was borderline too much. So, if you are dealing with PTSD, keep in mind that you may need to exercise your Central Nervous System a wee bit as part of helping to restore a sense of control.
I also thought that this post fits into the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) conversation, because re-establishing an ability to explore and decide if it’s OK to explore is sensible in many recreational pursuits. Plus, exploring in the natural world may involve balance, muscular co-ordination and timing, independent thinking and judgement calls. That edge between safety and confidence, and “tuck tail” can present in the simplest of situations.
Everyone finds their own way to exercising. I would rather be doing something outside if possible, and then I find myself keeping it interesting.
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