A belief I now hold, which I first learned in studying A Course in Miracles, is that we are not our bodies. In spite of the fact there is extreme attention put upon our bodies and that we are bombarded with information on how to take care of them and make them look good, that is not who we are.
I was reminded of this today when I read a Facebook post of a man who wrote about his wife, a woman in her thirties who suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is apparently rapidly deteriorating in her ability to do even the simplest tasks and sadly is quite depressed.
I know it is impossible to even fathom what it would be like to be in this situation, locked inside a body that doesn’t work. There is no cure, no relief in sight.
Only a day to day life of doing the best she can with whatever power she can muster moment to moment.
My heart went out to hers as I imagined her physical and emotional pain as she struggles in the body she has.
Imagining what this would be like, I daydreamed about what I hope I would remember if I were locked in a body that didn’t work. I’d want to remember that my spirit is alive and well. I’d do my best to remind myself that my heart is truly my connection to eternal life. I’d want to remember that even when my body dies and is no longer here, the essence of ‘Kate’ will live on in complete joy. I would hopefully just watch my body break down like an old garage crumbles to the ground . . . a garage where my soul has been parked for X number of years.
I also think about how wonderful it is in my current physical reality that my garage is still standing. It may need paint, but it is strong. I am reminded to lovingly care for it so it can continue to protect me from the external pains of the world. I appreciate how it enables me to physically do the things I do every day.
And with all of that appreciation, I know no matter what happens or when, I have the capacity to love, to feel joy, to feel gratitude and to share these gifts with those around me, no matter what shape I’m in, since I am not my body.