I have been sick for the past week, with little energy to do anything but lie on the couch. NO FUN. Especially when living in a gorgeous place like Hawaii. Especially when I’m in a mad love affair with movement, doing yoga & working out. I highly dislike being sick, especially for a week, but whenever I get sick, I always find that there is something to be learned. No matter if you have a cold or a chronic disease, when you have no energy, you have no choice but to lie down & just STOP. You have no choice but to surrender & be still.

So it’s been a week & I’m sick of being sick & tired of lying on this couch, trapped in my own little world. Today I started to notice my energy returning. I was standing up & listening to music & I actually felt something like a spark inside. I felt that life energy coming back, I felt some excitement & movement. My body started to move & flow with the music.

And I realized – how phenomenally amazing the human body is. I remembered why I’m so intrigued by MOVEMENT. Sometimes we take for granted & think nothing of moving our bodies. Movement is what makes us come ALIVE. This life energy is what ANIMATES us.

After being forced to be still & feeling that lack of life energy, the return of it is so sweet, gratifying & enlightening. As the music played, I felt it in my body & I couldn’t help but let it come alive, let it be moved by the rhythm. This rhythm is the rhythm of LIFE. It is the heart beat. It is the PULSE of LIFE. After all, why do people dance? Why does it feel so good? Because it’s an expression of LIFE. It’s a celebration of being ALIVE.

SO my lessons learned:

• There is a purpose for being sick. It might be in a time that I need to surrender, slow down & just BE. Maybe it’s when I’m trying to DO too much. Maybe it’s when I’m spreading myself too thin all over the place & losing myself. Finding balance is key. Balance of movement & stillness, of doing & being, of activity & rest, of music & silence.
• I am ALIVE. It feels good to be alive & well. I can move, dance, express myself & be ME.
• When I’m feeling good, feeling healthy & strong, I’ve got to FEEL & real-ize that. It can’t be taken for granted. I can’t hold back the vitality, the vibrance, the shine, in FEAR. LIFE is now. I’ve got to live it FULLY, loudly, boldly, vibrantly. Yet know the stillness, silence & peace underneath it all.
• There is no energy to waste on worry & fear. There is no need to waste energy on keeping my lid screwed on so tight & keeping my defenses up. Now is the time to let go & live it now.