Today’s post was written four years ago on April 11, 2020. Do you remember four years ago?

It’s interesting that today’s excerpt is a wonderful complement to Sunday’s excerpt from abetterway. abetterway was a a collection of blog posts written in 2021.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you assume context, or ‘more to the story’? Would it be helpful? Would you appreciate if others around you assumed context when they interacted with you? I think in this example, ‘assuming context’ would be the opposite of ‘jumping to conclusions’. It would stop gossip, and assume good, or neutral, intentions. It would stop the ripple of negativity and false claims that keep groups stuck and spinning in a version of the same limiting story or outcome.
2. Can you consider noticing and naming resistance inside your body? Energetically, it may feel similar to the experience of landing a plane, the plane hits the resistance as it begins its descent. One can notice their feeling response by breaking down the nervous system into segments: mind, heart, belly, muscles, skin. Just notice the experience of resistance as it is described in today’s excerpt: tight? heavy? uncomfortable? blocked? Dan Siegel says ‘name it to tame it.’
3. Executive Functions are inner resources that help one execute new outcomes. Can you notice and name your experience of skillsets: inhibit, emotional control, shift, self monitor, initiate, working memory, plan, monitor, organize. It’s so easy to notice the lack of these skills in others and assume if the other used their inner resources effectively then the other would not cause discomfort inside of you. This is an external condition – the other. When one is mindless, it is easy to assume others are responsible for one’s sense of comfort and ease. ‘If only others could be better, then I would not feel the discomfort of resistance and need to change my own thinking, feeling, or behavior.’

And finally, I must show the image of the most adorable little gnome that mysteriously showed up on my desk…