Thoughts
"Did you ever wonder....?" That is what the famous TV presenter Andy Rooney would often say during his few minute snippets at the end of the TV show "60 Minutes".
As a child, my parents would watch 60 minutes and the only part I had even the vaguest interest in was Andy Rooney. I think it's because he would say what was on his mind. He would talk about topics that no one else wanted to talk about- or seemingly cared about. At a time before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media outlets, Andy's words were out of the ordinary. Bold and real in their own right.
Today, I have my own little "Did you ever wonder...." thoughts to share with you.
You see, my mind is always on the go. I always have things that I'm wondering about. Things that I'm thinking about and making up my own stories and answers to. I want to share some of them with you- because maybe you resonate with them too. And then? I'm going to give you a movement activity that can help calm a "monkey mind" and slow you down. I know that I need it too!
Here it goes:
Did you ever wonder....
Why people don't return emails or texts? Is it a "busy life thing", or an "I just forget" thing?
What's with all the selfies on social media? We never took so many pictures of ourselves before. Why now?
Is it me, or is the world full of "gaslighting" techniques that attempt to get you to buy, use or sell their products? I feel like everywhere I turn there's an advertisement for something, and they are all "the best...." I sure hope I don't come off that way with Brain FUNdamentals!
What's with conversations that only go as deep as the weather?
Why "Amazon" is called "Amazon"?!? (I should probably just Google that one- lol)
What happened to butterfly band-aids? (I know someone who once wrote a whole blog post about that- lol)
I could continue on, but I'll stop there.
Really, the purpose of this post is to give you a tool to stop that "monkey mind". A tool that helps you to slow down, and focus on the present moment.
Thinking about things is great.
Wondering is great.
But at some point, we need to slow down, be present and let other thoughts go so that we can fully appreciate what is in front of us. Wouldn't you say?
That's where "The Puppet Crawl" comes in. The Puppet Crawl is a Brain Gym® movement that stimulates the left and right sides of the body alternatively. In the middle of the movement, we can pause and take a breath. This simple activity can help us slow down, be deliberate and "pause" in the moment. It can be compared to the "Stop and Think" side of the Learning Loop.
To do The Puppet Crawl, stand with your arms by your side. Gently raise the arm and leg on one side of the body simultaneously- as if you were a marionette being controlled by the puppeteer. Lift your arm up to the level of your ear, hand pointing to the ceiling, and your leg to about a 90 degree angle. Then, bring your arm and leg down again to the starting position.
Next?
PAUSE....
TAKE A DEEP BREATH....
Can you do it? The pause, I mean? It can be hard sometimes- our bodies just want to keep going!
Ready? Repeat on the other side. Raise arm and leg together- simultaneously.
PAUSE and BREATHE between each side of the body.
Continue this movement activity for as long as you need to to help you return to the present moment. As long as you need to to calm that "monkey mind". As long as you need to to forget about all the "Did you ever wonders..." for a little bit and just. be. present.
How do you feel?
Better? Monkey mind calmed?
I know mine is.
Hey- thanks for letting me be Andy Rooney- even if for only a little bit. It was good to get some of that off my chest. And thanks for joining me in the pause of The Puppet Crawl.
Let me know in the comments what you noticed. I'd love to hear your experience ;)