"In body" a little more

A gavel can embody the essence of the law; a stethoscope, medicine.

Symbols.

These inanimate physical objects can create a feeling when we look upon them.

We, humans, too, can embody spirited feelings or emotions.

I am overwhelmed with love at the sight of my daughter.

For me, she embodies love.

The concept of embodiment, though, has become nearly glamorous - trendy even.

It has made me pause.

Oxford defines it as "a tangible or visible form of an idea, quality, or feeling"; Merriam-Webster defines it as "to make concrete"; "to give a body to".

They prioritize the physical over the feeling.

All of this leaves me unsettled.

Of course it does.

I spent most of my medical training and residency learning to ignore my body and its needs.

We were disembodied during that process.

And so this notion to long for embodiment feels a little off course to me.

What idea, quality, or feeling are we seeking in tangible form?

"Embodied" sounds like it is beyond my reach.

It seems so lofty a concept- so unattainable. So much... pressure. Maybe it is another reminder of something that doesn't come naturally anymore, something I lost during medical training? A case of something I tell myself that should be easy, but alas, is not. And then I curiously consider this: what if all my body had to do was simply be? As it is. Not as it could be. Or as it should be. Loved as it is. And then acknowledged and honored for what it has seen, heard, felt, shouldered and endured. "In body", to me, sounds like a warm hug - the physical body and the non-physical feelings/spiritual energy all at peace. I want to allow my feelings to flow and emanate from this physical being. Marvelously complex, yet amazingly simple.

Just as it is.

What would that feel like to allow myself to be "in body" a little more?

Reconnecting with my own body's wisdom.

Learning to listen deeply to myself again.

Trusting the inner compass that has always been there.

Intuitively guiding me, even when I wasn't listening...

It feels peaceful.

It is love. In body. Embodied. Love.