Week Three of Paula Huston's Simplifying the Soul takes on our relationship with the body. During the week, we meditate on physical appearance, comfort, needs, and wants. We also consider the circumstances of discomfort and genuine lack under which many people suffer. As we try on a different practice each day, we are encouraged to use the resulting mindfulness to join in spirit with those for whom deprivation is a reality, not a choice.
On Thursday we abstained from foods or beverages that satisfy habitual cravings. I decided to pass on the ritual late-afternoon glass of beer. It wasn't easy to alter the ingrained pattern with which Lyle and I connect more easily at the end of the day. However, I found that, with effort, I was able to relax and to converse over a glass of mineral water.
During that day's meditation, I reflected on those whose cravings take them to scarier places. I thought of the friend whose widow I saw recently. She and their young son lost him to issues aggravated by alcohol. I thought of four young men returning late from a party in our neighborhood last week. A signpost adorned with balloons, flowers, and messages of loss and love reminds us of the two who died, the one in critical condition, and the driver in jail.
Our freedom of choice is arranged along a continuum: wise and throughful on one end, habitual and impulsive in the middle, addictive at the other extreme. When I try to change a behavior that serves me poorly, I feel a deep, empathetic connection with those whose addictions destroy their lives.
The human brain evolved as a powerful survival machine. Many of the urges that drive us crazy came at the outset from healthy adaptations. Our ancestors who binged in times of plenty were able to survive the seasons of less. The "reward chemicals" that fuel addiction also motivate us to achieve constructive goals. Runner's high, the warm glow of a project completed, and the buzz we get from a bottle have much in common at the neurochemical level.
I find it helpful to reflect on the chemistry of choice. Doing so helps me understand and take steps to improve my brain's ongoing dance with its own reward chemistry. Doing so also helps me understand, respect, and have compassion for those whose chemistry runs further amok than mine. I reach out in spirit and send encouragement to those who struggle with alcohol or drugs. I give thanks for those who manage to hold their addictions at bay, day to day.
What are your most challenging areas of choice? Where do you feel most out of control? How serious are the implications? What one step can you take today toward taming your demons?
