Goosebumps & Tears - What Informs Your Life?

"When I allow goosebumps and tears rather than thinking and fear 

to inform my journey, I am fully alive."

I recently heard an announcer on NPR reference services they provide as helping listeners live 'informed lives.'  I immediately thought, 'What is an informed life?  What informs my life?'

Here in the constant information age we are informed continually and often unaware. Commercials and ads tell us what we need. The news and weather tell us what to think and fear. Externally we're bombarded by signs, symbols and slogans in sound and sight bites. Information comes so fast it's challenging to stop and ask who's behind the information or whether there's hidden intent in the things that inform and thus form our lives.

We're born embodied but at a very young age begin to be formed by what we take in primarily through our brains, brains wired since cave days to seek safety and fear fear and discomfort. Seems the media increasingly these days plays on this.

Even the way in which we're informed of the weather has shifted in the recent years.  Turn on tv which now includes "Storm Stories" (sorry, Jim Cantori) and adjectives unformed and unused a few years prior abound.  Adjectives describing wind, snow and rain stirring fear if one allows.  Mother Earth and nature have become the terrorist du jour.

I totally get fear. Fear as my filter in varying shades has informed much of my life. As a child the fear of displeasing those in authority (and feeling rejected or abandoned) informed by life.  As an adolescent, the fear of being different and eternal abandonment by a God to be feared informed me.

Briefly in my 20's intuition informed me, resulting in adventures in South Africa, Europe and Russia. The experience of meeting receptive people in other countries expanded my lens informing me of a vast world I had only heard of in bits.  Regardless of language and cultural differences, apartheid and cold war, the people I met were inviting and warm. Actually the only 'unwarm' folks I recall were two upon my return who called me a "Communist" and told me to leave Nashville.

Trusting the dance between inner knowing and following up on this sensing in the outer world allowed me a rich experience that informed me about life, love and an unfolding mystery.

Then fear cycled 'round again as I allowed the silent but loud cultural norms of the time to structure my life, get married, work and 'settle down.'

It's only been in recent years that I've awakened to experience my body's visceral, kinesthetic sense and inner, knowing, hearing and feeling again. This may make me different and at times ridiculed but today that's okay. Now 'settling down' connotes digging in the dirt and getting close to Mother Earth.

My life is rich and deep when I allow my bodily experience to inform me. When I'm listening deeply and mindfully, nature, children, neighbors, my cats and partner, patterns and even simple tasks like washing the dishes inform me of what's of value and meaning in my journey.

My body informs me when it's covered in goosebumps. My heart informs me when I'm moved unexpectedly to tears and at times an inner gut knowing informs me.

My body holds my GPS. It's always been there, this equipment I forgot I had. But like many Americans I've lived much of my life in my head.  Unlike a vehicle's navigation system where the driver inputs the destination, my GPS informs me of where I'm to go usually one step at a time.  The tricky part involves trust and suspending a need to control for I've no idea of the ultimate destination.  Come to think of it this is more truly how life works. We make our plans and have things all laid out, providing an illusion of control, then Bam!

I don't have hearing and heeding my GPS perfected, but what I know for now is when I allow goosebumps and tears rather than thinking and fear to inform my journey, I am fully alive. Even when sad and weary I'm grateful to be alive. 

What informs you in your journey?
How do you experience being alive in your body?
Do you practice listening to your gut? 
When was the last time you knew something inside that didn't make rational sense but you listened anyway?

Imagine the Shift of developing your body's GPS.

-Dawn! The Good News Muse 2 December 2011

dawn@imaginetheshift.com