My family and I have just moved house to commence a renovation. It’s a step we’ve been waiting for and only too happy to take. We have very quickly abandoned our old house in its charming yet decrepid state, to temporary digs that are fresh and new and easy to live in. Whilst welcome, the move has brought upon us a series of tasks and decisions that have been annoying, persistent and at times objectionable, The move has been an ‘interruptus’ to my ‘modus’ – the reason why I am writing this blog.
I heard it said once that moving house is up there in terms of stress and grief with the death of a loved one, suffering a serious illness or losing a job. I don’t want to sound facile, comparing our recent move to death – but I am still trying to understand the unpleasant pathology that goes with life events like this.
Whilst I have, at intervals, maintained some physical activity recently the last 2-3 weeks have put a major hole in what was shaping up to be a 2:1 ratio of days:physical activities. Our collective diets have suffered too, with convenience foods and take out replacing home cooking, supplementing increased appetites and rewarding jobs well done. Last, but not least, we are generally fatigued and sleep deprived.
But hey, that’s life right? There will alwys be interruptions; things to throw me off centre and challenge what balance I try to achieve. This modern life doesn’t leave much room for… well, modern life, so moving house was always going to create havoc in the finely tuned routines of my home.
I figure, as has been plainly demonstrated by this recent ‘interruptus’, that any ‘modus’ I find myself in is going to take a few knocks every now and again. Perhaps, instead of viewing myself as being in a new ‘modus’ this year, I am better enisaging myself as being in one continuous ‘modus’. Perhaps this year isn’t about deleting a history of habits or ways of being – its about realigning them.
2015 is for me a year for celebrating everything that has gone before – the great modus of life that has been – and leading it in a way that means that I can be more resilient in the face of and responsive to the bumps and bruises of the little/big interrupti.
This year is about knowing where the centre is, and always seeking to return to it.
Year of the Body 