“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love...” - Marcus Aurelius

Reflection 2

I sat nursing my morning coffee as the sun, already up, shone brightly on my knees and lower quads. Enjoying the tranquil silence, I noticed something. A slight chill hit me and my skin tightened into goosebumps to preserve a bit of heat. I felt it, then watched the effect dissipate. Did I do that? No, it just happened. My skin did that autonomously without direction. I realized something – the skin isn’t me; I am not my body. I am the leader, the master, the commander, the CEO of this body and its faculties. They each serve a specific function, a purpose, and act in their day-to-day duties without prompting. In this light I also realized that self-discipline is a form of leadership. This is my body, my factory, my company. I direct its movement and its actions; it works for me and I ensure it is provided for.

If I cannot lead my own body, or I act based on what it feels like doing moment to moment, I am not its leader. How, then, could I lead other people who are also commanders of their own bodily units? Moreover, what are my faculties working towards? What is the overall mission of the “company”?  Is there even an objective at all, or are we just getting by to give Mr. Achilles Tendon a job with benefits to provide for his relatives Heel and Calf?

When I travel to the gym and train, I am not building muscle. I am stimulating my “company” with new challenges to test its limits and promote adaptations so that it is more capable in other demanding environments. The building is done autonomously given sufficient resources are made available.

The things we feel are reports from our various departments. The leader can act upon or ignore the report based on desired outcome. The mind faces its own challenges in this respect when facing rejection, lost love, or even boredom. Our bodies await proper leadership. They await their mission.

I have heard not to suppress one’s emotions, but perhaps a healthy distance from them, for the sake of clear leadership, is the appropriate alternative. This is not advice; these are abstract thoughts spawned from goosebumps.

Discipline and mastery create such beauty.