My two year old’s belly laugh should come with a warning. Something like:
CAUTION: May cause serious bodily harm. May be highly addictive.
The other day I woke up in pain, my neck and shoulders a hot mess of pinching, stabbing discomfort accompanying any sort of movement. I soon found myself at my chiropractor’s office where she asked me what I had been up to lately that might have been the cause. Chagrinned, I reluctantly shared how I might have been a little overzealous with my head banging moves while dancing with my toddler.
Don’t judge, as my twelve year old would say.
Where it all started…
You see, my husband is a talented songwriter who has recorded some very catchy, danceable tunes. Our son, who is his biggest fan, can’t get enough of “Daddy’s music.” As I started singing along and swinging my hair 360 degrees like a bad ‘80’s backup dancer, my little guy thought this was hilarious. He threw his head of curls back as laughter reverberated from deep in his belly. I was instantly hooked.
So, despite the fleeting voice of reason warning me that I may live to regret the outdated (both in music and body) moves, I veryunmindfully persisted, ignoring the wise voice in my head. We were having so much fun. He was bestowing THE LAUGH. With abandon. Like an addict desperate for another fix, I continued, carried away with the hope of another addictive belly laugh hit.
As I lay face down on my chiropractor’s table, I tentatively glanced over at my wise two year old, who sat there listening with a half-grin on his face as if to say, “What can I say? She gets carried away. I mean, can you blame her? Check out this adorable dimple and these lush, dark eyelashes.” Yes, he is well aware of the power he has over me. I am a total sucker for him. You would be, too, if you saw him, or, at least, gave birth to him.
See those eyelashes?!
In my Balanced Motherhood workshops, I talk about increasing the joy in our busy lives through play, fun and laughter. The key here is BALANCE. And so I was poignantly reminded that there is, indeed, such a thing as TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING –whether Ben & Jerry’s, work, wine or dancing, you can be sure if you aren’t maintaining balance in your life, a lesson will eventually present itself for your learning pleasure.
Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment without judgment. When we live mindfully, we tend to naturally maintain a sense of balance and moderation. It is when we are unaware, or, in my case, choose to ignore what we know to be in our best interest, that we move off course. The beauty of Mindfulness is that each moment is a new opportunity to begin again. From here on in, you can bet I will be moving and dancing with much more awareness.
Oh, but that belly laugh… This besotted Mama is already searching for another way to get my next fix. My little guy is right, can you blame me? No one ever said Mindfulness was perfection. In this case, I’m not even going to try. Why fight it?