If It Feels Good Do It!! ... or should it be a question mark??

I love to talk to people.

Especially people older than myself.  People that have more life experience and listen to the wisdom they have gleaned from their experiences.

I had the pleasure today, after accompanying my Dad to his chemotherapy appointment, to enjoy a bowl of soup in the hospital cafeteria and interesting conversation. He told me of his frustration with his incredibly strong body being beaten  down with a treatment meant to heal him.  I could see the frustration, the anger, AND the determination within his eyes and felt many of the same emotions for him.  On the way home we pass Curry Barracks.  A once majestic home for our military boys stationed here in Calgary.  My father spent about 5 or 6 years there serving our nation with the 2nd battalion of the Queen's Own Rifles. He almost always points out as we drive by where his room was, what buildings were what and hilarious stories from the parade square. I see the joy in his eyes as I watch the memories swirl.  Today we decided to turn in and take a little look around to see what we could see.  A little closer look at those buildings we rush by.  We decided to check out the old officer's club where my father served as a bartender for a time.  There are some stories and experiences there that he would prefer to have not experienced and would like to forget but the pride in remembering the perfect precision of the gardens out back, the dining room, kitchen and various other rooms is wonderful to experience with him as he describes in beautiful detail.  It is now a sales office.  The young lady taking care of the reception desk was honoured and excited to have a former military man come and visit and was more than willing to let us take a look around.  Much to our surprise there was a large framed photo of my Dad's own battalion on a march for a special occasion that I will have to recall when we go back and take a picture.  I was excited and proud!! Another young woman took the time to show us a small door that revealed the fact that everything , every room was actually not attached to the existing building as they were not allowed to cause any damage to this once majestic building that housed our military officers.  "It's really a building within a building! " she said.  As I peered in , there was enough room to see what the walls used to look like... the detail in carpentry .. the old windows. Old covered by new. Even the floors had to be built on a platform.  I prefer the old.  Though the new was very nice. There is something about the craftsmanship of the original building that you just can't touch.  I listened intently to the stories and memories my Dad chose to share and almost felt like I was there. We drove around the base and he pointed out all the rooms he stayed in and as he talked I saw his mood lift.  At least for a time.

Tonight as I started to replay the day in my mind.  I remembered his eyes.  How they change depending on what he talks about or how he is feeling.

I was raised to look at people in the eye when they talk to you.  That was reinforced during a wonderful 30 year career as a hairstylist.  When people talk to you and you don't look them in the eye, there is so much that is missed. Words are words. Sometimes filled with wisdom. Sometimes there are just not words invented yet for the feeling felt deep down that are revealed in a person's eyes.

It got me to thinking of the mind, body, soul connection.

What is it that connects the soul and the body? I mean, obviously our body is the vessel for the soul. The soul being our true self.  We are all going to leave this planet some day and it's the vessel that gets left behind. That vessel will no longer breath, think, feel, but the soul will.  How is it that whether we feel joy or sorrow that moves our very soul, we feel it physically?  We feel a very real pain in our hearts. Nausea in our stomachs, we feel as if our heart will explode with such excitement we may physically explode!

There are many articles to "google" about the scientific connection of emotion and it's physical effect or  manifestation through our involuntary physical actions.  Meaning tears, smiles, laughs etc.  I urge you to google it if it interests you.  What stuck out to me in a variety of articles was, in "Jacquie terms", various emotions... like tearing up, crying, is the bodies way of letting you know there is something that needs to be addressed.  Feelings of overwhelming sadness, frustration, anger or even joy are basically needing to be expressed. As if our physical body... the vessel... is just to small to contain the feelings.  They need to be released. Some say it's the bodies way of purging toxicity.  That was something I found intriguing!  Negative emotions being toxic to the physical self and needing to be purged.

I could go on for quite a while with that train of thought and I may do that yet, with a particular writing project I'm working on, but the point I'm getting to is I worry.  I worry when I see that blankness in someones eyes.  When they start to talk and because whatever they are feeling is starting to "leak out of their eyes" I can almost see the light behind their eyes go out... like they shut the curtain.  A pretty good analogy I figure as I believe the eyes are truly the windows to the soul.  Sometimes it's a curtain going up and sometimes it's a brick wall.... whatever the barrier... the bigger it is the bigger the emotion they are trying to push down.  I worry because those feelings, those memories, those thoughts are going to be released some how.  So just as physical pain is our bodies way of letting us know "something needs to be addressed"... so are our tears, our anger, our shouting.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all hung up on the negative emotions.. nor am I talking about my father with any of this.  I've seen it in countless eyes of the cherished clients, friends and family I share life with.  At times it gets so overwhelming to see and feel what's going on behind someones eyes I just need to turn away.  Though I find myself excitedly peering at the "windows" when someone is feeling intense joy. At the birth of a child, a wedding, a graduation or any exciting event or news that is making them physically jump up and down with profound feeling of happiness as if they have to expend that energy or they may actually explode! I find myself clapping or laughing that big loud laugh I'm notorious for, watching and physically feeling their joy... smiling like an idiot after being covered in an explosion of freaky happy energy!

I just find it fascinating to observe. To listen. To learn.  To watch.  Now that actually may sound creepy, but I mean when I'm talking with people I know or have just met... just wanted to clarify.
There is so much more to learn about someone other than the words that come out of there mouths. The emotions behind the eyes. The body language they involuntarily show is where the truth lay.  That brings to the original thought I had this evening.  I find it interesting that we can say what ever we want to convince someone of what we want them to believe about ourselves... like "I'm fine" ... "I'm good", but our physical mannerisms our involuntary body language will always give up the truth of our emotions.

What about the physical self though?  A common catch phrase in the church is "fleshly desires" and I won't get into the whole thought process I have on that... I'm keeping that for "the book"...you'll just have to wait... lol... There's a whole other can of worms... If the flesh is weak but the soul is willing... what the heck does that mean.  Can the flesh actually want something the soul knows is wrong or bad for us.  Or do we just have these desires somewhere within us, to do , to try , to experience, to say , to react, whether those experiences or desires are "good" for us or not, the world says , if it feels good do it!  This seems to be the "norm" in our society. If it feels good do it! No regret , no worries, do what "comes naturally"... how bad can that be.  Then how come when we do "what comes naturally" we realise it was a bad decision.  If its natural... how can it be bad?  How can there , at times, be serious consequences for the choices we make to do what comes naturally. To follow or "give in" as some would say to their natural desires.  What ever that may be for you.  Why is there a war within ourselves if it, whatever that may be, is natural.  Why is there physical consequences to our choice to follow our desires?  For myself, as a believer in Christ... is the war within myself between my own spirit and the Holy Spirit with in me?  Because I'll tell you this...there are times I feel like I'm fighting a battle for sure!

So there then lies the question in the title in this pondering... should it be..

If it feels good ... DO IT!!!

or

If it feels good... do it???

thoughts?