"You feel your strength in the experience of pain." -Jim Morrison
What is feeling tight and constricted today?
Constriction
is
a place to start
feeling
As we feel the space
the joy and the peace
There is also
the anger, the fear
the doubt
Feeling
We tend to bypass that
and
we want what the symphonies
of heaven
have to give to us instead
No more
uncomfortable feelings
Hell
we figure
we can drive over
as if it were frozen
Ignore it altogether
Feeling is
not necessary
we think
Feeling our bodily sensations
however
is
the feeling
that brings us right back
to what is
right here
right now
Our triggers
are the hell we try to bypass
They wash over us
and we don't even notice
we are stressed
living the nightmare
we are trying to escape
Right next door to that
is
heaven
and peace
accessible to all within an instant
a place to stand in
and
to observe our triggers
as they play out
that place
is the
silence in between the breaths
the pure
unadulterated moment
Yet we get squished
by our triggers
into 
a fraction of what we
could be
In the pause
Breathing
Being fully in that
moment
Feeling where there is more constriction
where the tension accumulates
Feeling
the triggers themselves
and softening
that tight grip
just a little
Feeling
the ground underneath our feet
and letting go
into the support
of the floor
letting go
of the constriction just a little more
Feeling our muscles
letting go on the
body's scaffolding
the bones
our bones holding us up
effortlessly
Effortlessly
we can be
Resting on the
base
on the structure
on the
very being that
holds us together
From there
From the space
of mighty bone
and softening constrictions
we feel the daily chatters
come and go
From there
we can enjoy the vicissitudes
the intensity
the layers of emotions
the brouhaha
of anything
anywhere
We can
fully
dive into the favorite scents
the most loved dishes
find the potions
of love
whatever they may be
Or maybe even an herb
that becomes
A friend for the moment
A cup of the tea
that speaks to us
most
Sinking into the steam, the smell, the warmth
or a cup of coffee
The bitter sweet cocktail of tastes
With much to offer
Playing with
that place
that place that had started
as a
constriction and now
is just a little safer
resting
on
that structure
of bone
holding us up
to enjoy
and
act in the world
from
that space
Moving and making
sharing and creating
from
that space
Watching the thoughts
that could be
the year in pictures
that play in our minds
or just
the next to do list
Maybe we are standing in the kitchen
cooking
or we are making
imbuing
imparting
whatever it is that comes from our hands
with our thoughts, our wishes, our emotions
We have travelled
from triggers
that hold constriction
from constriction
to space
and from there
to creating
Maybe
the rhythm of smashing
up the garlic
while cooking
is what takes us from the
constriction to the space
and from there
to the creating
We can become
our own haven of peace
that we then pass on-
the alchemy
of emotions
resting in our hands
pulsing within themselves
to that same rhythm
We pass on
that same love
and letting go
just a little more
We bring our very own
spaciousness to life
Maybe baking
loving the dough
bringing it to life
with that same rhythm
Maybe simply
making hot chocolate
a drink of the gods
such as it was
at the very beginning of its time
That space of constriction
where we are
can turn into the place
where we let go
and are
peaceful from
The place we create
from
create dishes, 
teas, coffees and art
or code
or theories, ideas and concepts
Rather than
choosing to run with the triggers
we can safely
watch them in their tumultuous being
in their erratic dance
while
we imbue
this moment with our very own
spacious touch
of peace
"You go from I hate myself, to I love myself, to I am myself" Eckhardt Tolle
The Science
Daniel Goleman, the book: Focus, the Hidden Driver of Excellence
Rudolph Tanz: What can Alzheimer's disease teach us about the brain, mind and self? YouTube video
How to be present: in the zone, while cooking
and a recipe to carry you through the winter months.
And the surrealistic cinematographic version:
Agua para Chocolate
Art
Robin Arnott
The old design shop
More food and science for stress reduction and getting into your zone
Chocolate is shown to aid memory.
Triggers
Two types that may seem all the same but which differ greatly.
The way through our triggers: feeling our lives to the fullest step by step.