Treat Every Day like it's Monday?

I have been recently listening to this recording called the "Joyous Body" by Dr. Clarissa Estes. The main premise of this talk is thinking about our body as our "consort." I’m not sure about you, but generally, I’m not thinking of this body as a chum or partner that I love and cherish. In fact, more often I am picking it apart, being judgemental, and overall wishing for things to be different. She describes treating the consort as a lover that is always by your side, accompanying you through your life, storing memories of cherished moments and, well, all the moments of this life. Hmm...not exactly how I had been thinking of it. So, would you give your lover a doughnut if she were thirsty? Would you put trashy food in your lover to provide energy? Would you want your lover to never move her limbs, to be in a state of couchy-potato-ness? Would you tell your cherished lover to skip their practice and watch Dr. Oz instead?

 Dr. Estes goes on to talk about the Monday pattern. The “hey, I”ll start eating better Monday”, or the “I know I’m lactose intolerant so I’ll start eliminating it on Monday” , or “I realize I feel icky when I eat wheat so I’ll stop on Monday”, the “I’ll add more greens to my diet on Monday”, the “I’ll stop eating greasy French fries on Monday” or, wait for it.....”I’ll start getting on my yoga mat on Monday.” She encourages the listener to treat every single day like it’s Monday. Every day is the day we take care of the body. Not so that the body will run forever, but so the body works as best it can. To quote Rumi, “this body is a guesthouse.” It’s a guest house for our soul. Where do you want your soul to stay? The Motel Six or the Ritz? So, our body is our consort and every day is Monday. I didn’t have to wait till Monday to be hit like a ton of bricks and pack up from the one star hotel.

Shortly after listening to this talk by Dr. Estes, a very dear friend of ours neared the end of her six-year battle with Multiple Myeloma. She had this knack for not complaining about the pain, the chemo, the radiation, the weakness, the change in her daily life. She was an every-day-is-Monday kind of person. As I spent moments with her during this last week it was crystal clear that her consort was with her. Her body was doing it’s best to serve her like the Love that wouldn’t leave her. It no longer mattered how she felt in a swimsuit, or that she needed a cane, that she never lost those pounds she talked about, that she wished her hair was easier to style; nor did it matter that she had nice clothes and cool jewelry, art work from around the world or a pedicure.

The consort was finishing it’s time on this earth and she, as we knew her, was leaving as well. There’s no vanity at the end. With our friend, it was courage and grace, moments of laughing and humming and a few minutes of reminiscing about all of the amazing moments she gave us. It was the guesthouse giving us the opportunity to spend more moments honoring one of the best guests that ever touched our lives. In the end - the literal end - of her journey with the consort, what mattered was that her amazing spirit had 63 years to touch the lives of those around her. As she left the guesthouse, her children, daughter-in-law, husband, and five friends held our hands on her body, stroked her hair, and whispered love into her ears. She lived every day as Monday and now I’m gonna' do my best to do the same.