How many of us (or how often do we) get that anxious feeling that tells us you need a drink?
Like, say you're overwhelmed. You need a drink.
Or you just want to surrender to the day/evening, so you have a drink.
In our culture, "you need a drink" is an acceptable suggestion to the outward showing of anxiety, tension, sadness, depression. And it definitely works. But at a certain age, during a certain hard time in my life, with a certain level of consciousness, "have a drink" was not the solution to my problem. It would only add to the problem.
During one of these really lonely, confused, worn-out, defensive, fight-or-flight moments, I chose not to flee my apartment and all its gray energy for a bar (or a clothing store). I took a bucket, poured water into it and added a shot of Pine-Sol. Not as soothing as a good tequila, but let me tell you where the shot of Pine-Sol took me. It's easy to imagine where the shot(s) of tequila would've taken me.
After sweeping the floor, I got down on my hands and knees and with a large sponge I washed the floors. Growing up I never had to clean the house (I'll blog about that later). So I did what I'd observed women in India and Mexico do as they cleaned. These were usually young girls who were the maids of the house and who mopped every day of the week.
Because squatting down is more common in Asia, I didn't so much get on my knees, but just bent them so that my back was protected and the majority of the effort comes from the limbs. If you aren't accustomed to squatting down, start getting into the habit. It's more natural than the other forms of sitting we do in the West. I've seen men and women squat down waiting for a bus in Vietnam, and when you try it you realize it's a hell of a lot better on the knees than standing. Careful though to work up to your squats and squatting positions.
As I moved across the floor I swear to you I regained my grounding. Not to sound too new agey or hokey, but if you ever need to get over yourself and begin to once again feel like a needed component of society, get low to the ground and clean. It's amazing -- when others see you clean it's just the sort of inspiration they needed. No one wants to feel like they're in the dungeon alone. Plus, when kids see their parents clean, regardless if you don't believe so now, it leaves an indelible impression.
Now sip that wine, or have that drink, or better yet, give it a go and relax naturally.