I think we spend too much time focused on the seriousness of being human and not enough time connected to our animal. We paint our nails and color our hair, we fill our homes with things we deem essential, and we put upon ourselves unattainable expectations to meet the expectations of others, real or imagined (in your life or the ones on the other side of the screen). Why do we paint our nails and color our hair? Is our raw wild graying hair, our chipped and dirt stained nails just not acceptable like a chipped China cup or an old favorite shirt that has a stain from a concert back in 19??.
I think it is time to invite ourselves back to our animal, our wildness and return to the wilderness of this world. To set down the screens that tell us what they want us to think is our collective reality, and to embrace the now moment swirling magically around you even if it appears to be chaos, even if it fraught with fear surrounding its frailty. We are stronger than we appear.
Your wild self, where did he/she go? Were they left behind in a childhood memory of days long gone? Were they left behind when this being human became such a tremendous burden of responsibilities? When did we think we needed to put on so many coats and parade around so importantly, and eventually miserably? Do you feel important? Do you feel miserable? All of this is about choice.
Can we collectively choose to be more wild? Can we choose to humble ourselves and bow down low as we enter the forest of our lives? Can we nestle into a pile of pine needles, press our backs against a tree trunk, place barefeet to the earth, and breathe in the medicine of nature? Yes, my friend, yes, we can choose this.
When was the last time you ran down a hill, arms out wide, and screaming with joy? When was the last time you wore exactly what you wanted to because it was the skin you felt most comfortable in, not because it matched or was in fashion or would be acceptable to the critics and certainly not selfie worthy (thank God). When was the last time you dropped the words “I’m sorry” before asking for something your rightly are worthy of receiving, or for laying down a hard boundary when someone has stepped too far into your comfort zone?
There are many questions here to be answered. And these are important things to ponder, maybe even journal about.
If the world is falling down, then how are building your world? If the person next door is renovating their house with a loud commotion, does that mean your house is also being renovated? No. It means you are being asked to endure something, and you are being shown something. Perhaps through the noise and mess, you realize that there is some aspect of your own home that does require change. Perhaps this will require a community to come in and raise that roof or dig that garden where everyone can plant seeds and enjoy the harvest around a shared table. Just maybe if we allow ourselves to be a little less focused on the seriousness of being human, we can allow in the wilderness of our souls and see our infinite freedoms.
So let your hair down, turn up the music, and dance like a wild thing until you are laughing up to the stars, never more alive, never more free, never more human.