"She Let Herself Go"
As a kid, I remember hearing this phrase whispered behind the backs of women. I would look to see what it was that made this so. It was hair that was unkempt, hips that had gotten a little too wide, wrinkled clothing that was slightly mismatched. Slowly, I put together what it meant to be a woman who "kept herself together." I certainly didn’t want anybody to ever whisper that phrase about me!
Today, I think of this phrase often when I move through the wild, untamed places on this Earth where she has been free to "let herself go." They are the places where the eco-system has been able to flourish without interruption. These places unabashedly share the story of their history. Effects of nature-- windstorms, wildfires, rain, animals, lightening -- are bared freely. The untamed energy of life thriving without constraint is palpable.
These places are becoming harder and harder to find as adaptations are made for more people to move through them. Stairs, guard rails, and fences added, poisonous plants removed, and animals redirected in an effort to tame the wild.
To make her neat and comfortable for those around her.
Things feel "safe" and "managed" in a manicured park; each bush, tree, and blade of grass perfectly coiffed to maintain the illusion that all is under control. These spaces can feel good to be in, but they don't invite us to tap into the truth that sits in the heart of our own wild being.
And, it's in the heart of the wild being where we find our own real truth about how to live and how to flow with life rather than try and constrain its movement.
When people ask me what they should eat, I guide them to this part of themselves. This is where the answers lay, for your wild being knows what it needs. It knows how to heal. It know which nutrients are needed. It knows how to sustain the delicate eco-system within the body. And, most importantly, it knows how to open up to the vibrant expanse of life.
This expanse is far greater than any external definition of how to eat could offer us. Not surprisingly, it's the same for how we look. By not worrying about the hair, the make-up, the clothes, the body image, we gain a richer and more layered life. The soil is not just hard dust covered with beautiful bark, but is rich and layered, lustrously teeming with life. The trees may not be perfectly pruned, but are free to reach toward the light as needed. The ground is not one solid blanket of manicured green, but is varied with an assortment of texture and color.
Our beings yearn to freely be a full part of this thing we call life.
Move into the wild.
Let yourself go.
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