I walked outside for the first time without my headphones on today. It was a wild concept — I would just step outside without any input. I was wildly afraid to go anywhere without my headphones, mostly because I was afraid to be alone with my thoughts. But then I remember that some of the best thoughts come to me when I’m in the shower…
So I stepped outside and I just let my mind wander and…. I was not assaulted by intrusive thoughts. I smelled the fresh rain on the pavement as I walked, I noticed bright yellow flower buds on bushes that had just bloomed, I even heard the chatter of birds I never knew existed even though I’ve walked through my neighborhood dozens of times.
I realized that so much of my human experience lives inside my head, completely disconnected from the outside world. I realized that humans have done this for ages — since the dawn of walls and churches that echo human sounds in isolation, apart from nature. Because of this, we are completely out of sync with the natural world and in turn, completely out of sync with ourselves. Perhaps this is why I’ve been feeling so trapped in my body.
