Pain vs Pleasure

We began the dance evening Tuesday with a casual discussion, dealing with the idea that Tony Robbins addresses, that we are much more likely to do things in the avoidance of pain rather than just in service of pleasure. What is it that motivates us to change to intentionally create a life filled with less pain and more pleasure?

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."~ Tony Robbins

This all resonated with me as I embark upon my journey to health beginning this Sunday by implementing the Fourfold Path To Healing

We continued our intent to all dance to the same chosen line for the evening, a shared language, still from Mary Oliver's poem Blossom. The line for the evening was......... "before death, nights in the swale- everything else can wait but not....................." We went around the circle and each read the phrase in our own way, each of our intonations lending a different meaning to the phrase. We then each pulled a word that spoke to us the most. Mine jumped out to choose me....BUT..... It made me think about the buts, the excuses that I make to myself to avoid pleasure, to allow pain, and to not implement the steps that I must empower myself with, in order to create health. I danced, I danced hard, I danced dark, I tried to dance in community, I danced alone, I danced the buts, and I danced the hopes and I danced the possibilities, the change. The final song of the evening, that seems to always be played just for me, to totally fulfill my needs of the moment...............once again, the Sam Cooke song, A Change Is Gonna Come, with the yet forever relevant and very powerful lyrics "It's been a long, a long time coming. But I know a change gonna come."  I truly believe it is!............ I have to.