To See the Good in the Bad

I, like most everyone, grew up being taught right from wrong. I also quickly learned the difference between good and bad. To smile and be nice to someone was good and right while spitting in your sister’s hair was wrong and bad (yeah, I was that 3-year-old) never mind the fact that she stuck her tongue out and hit me with a toy when all I wanted was to play with her …. Looking back, it’s easy to see both sides. I was a pain in the ass, older sister without boundaries that stopped at nothing just to have someone to play with. She, being 18 months younger, was more interested in sleep; so, for me to climb into her crib, was a bit over the top … literally. Regardless, I still have to ask: which one was good and which one was bad? I mean, what if the person smiling at you is actually trying to manipulate you … is that good and right? And even though I now think spitting in someone’s hair is gross, back then, I was angrily expressing my feelings as only a toddler knows how to do. Nevertheless, my mother found out and chose to wash my mouth out with soap. Did I learn my lesson? You better believe I did …spitting at people is bad!  ……. And so was defending myself ……..

This was unfortunately the takeaway that haunted me for years until I realized that through it all, I actually learned how to powerfully gentle ... assertive, if you will which wouldn't have evolved had I remained aggressive! However, the point of this post is not to bash the past. We all do the best we can with what we know. At the same time, our culture is overly motivated by the context of good and bad. We define nearly everything in this manner, from our children to health conditions, and while I realize there are a number of aspects to life that can easily be classified accordingly, I think we would do well to reshape this context..

What led me to even write about this was a recent ‘discovery’ I made regarding hypotension. When I think of the stress response, my head automatically flashes to high blood pressure, rapid breathing, heightened sensitivities to sound, smell and foods, etc. That was until I began assisting several people at the same time struggling with low blood pressure. However, before telling you what I found, allow me to just say that even though we think of stress as the fight or flight response that jacks your heart rate up, long term exposure to stress causes the body to make the necessary adjustments in order to maintain …. a.k.a. keep it together. How this plays out in each body varies depending on the individual genome. Keep in mind, the body is fluctuating every second of every day based on lifestyle, emotional load, etc. This is why some people end up with chronic high blood pressure while others find themselves experiencing hypotension. As I always say … anything is possible ….. That said, the information uncovered was awe inspiring because the body truly is amazing. Yes I know, degenerative illnesses are off the charts which I believe has everything to do with the way we are viewing health and treating the body.

You see, thousands of years ago, man / we addressed symptoms whether it was a cut, nausea, fever, etc. Today, we’re doing the same thing ….. experience a symptom and treat it. Should it get worse or another one come along, we become more aggressive, hoping to get things under control. Allow me to let you in on a little secret …. we are NOT the same species .....

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