Two, two, two (222) tales in one

“You can’t go wrong if you’re dancing, singing or laughing.”—Betty Shaffer

My 90-year-old friend Betty was taking a nice, hot bubble bath last week. She rarely locks her door, but for some reason she did that morning and for some reason, her boyfriend, who had left earlier, came back to retrieve something he’d left behind.

Betty, of course, wasn’t wearing her hearing aids, so when her beau knocked, she didn’t hear him. She was blissfully oblivious that he was outside her door, panicked and banging furiously

He rushed to the apartment office, explained his dilemma, his intense alarm that something horrible had transpired.

They hurried back to her door, clumsily inserted the key and threw open the door to find a completely nude Betty dancing with wild abandon.

I love this story for two reasons. It shows how unfounded most of our fears are. It demonstrates how quick we are to assume the worst and to forget that life is always working out for us.

The other tale relates to our bodies and how we perceive them, how we decide certain things about how they should work, how they age. We listen to medical doctors who sole job is to look for problems and pretend to have answers, some of which, of course, are really helpful.

I just wish more of them knew that our bodies are simply condensed energy providing a vessel in which our spirits can express and grow.  Our culture tells these bodies what they should do, what their limits are, who they should love. Docs even provide statistics and predictions on how they should react to various calendar years.

Sadly, most of us are at war with our bodies, wanting them to look different, be a different size.

But as Betty demonstrates, a body is simply something to enjoy while you’re lucky enough to have it. From what I can tell, they’re here for us to notice and relish beauty. And, when we can, to use for dancing, singing and laughing.  

Betty, by the way, is my friend who when she hears someone’s body is perhaps on the way out, is quick to think, “Oh, I’m so excited for them.”

I love you all and I love your bodies. Hope you use them to see something beautiful today.

#222 Forever!

Pam Grout is the author of 20 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, The Course in Miracles Experiment: A Starter Kit for Rewiring Your Mind (And Therefore Your World)