Bodies, in Motion or at Rest, Stay

10.11.05


Once I start eating, I can't stop.

Luckily, the same unstoppability carries through once I get to the gym. An hour passes, and I'm traveling further on the treadmill than ever, it seems, and still hold the stamina to hop in the pool for a few laps.

If my wishful measurements are accurate, the extra exercise will cancel out the quadruple helpings of calories, and equilibrium will continue evening itself out.

But during these marathon runs and epic ingestions, or while I'm engaged in any single activity, my participation is extreme. Total. For those four or forty-five minutes, this is what I'm doing, simple and basic. I feel I can go on forever, which is both inspiring and daunting. It gets comfortable. It gets boring. I wonder how long until a final, definitive result is reached… and whether I'll know it when I see it or, blind to satisfaction, persistently push for more.

Allow me full disclosure. My Mars is in Taurus, so this particular retrograde, back and forth across my natal placement, seems to bring out the best and the worst of my relation to the physical world.

I'm strong and solid and perfectly amenable to long stretches of work, aiming to win the marathon rather than the sprint. If I have to achingly creep and crawl across the finish line, I'll do it. I want the exclusive winner's package of cash and prizes, and I'm willing to toil and trek to get it.

When I'm finally done for the day, though… I'm done. I need hearty meals with lots of carbs and cheese-filled goodness, and a couple generous glasses of a bold Aussie shiraz. I must sprawl luxuriously across the cushioniest surfaces, and take the liberty not to move for several hours. I want beautiful things to look at and taste and touch. I crave room service.

As long as Mars is retrograde in Taurus, we can expect bodies in motion to stay in motion… and those that are at rest will need some major outside force to get them off their lazy asses. Only the first couple steps suck, but they really suck. After getting going, though, we can gradually switch our twitchy minds to the zen of industriousness and shift our bodies into conscious cruise control. As for our goals beyond the immediate, suspend too much obsessive concern for the progress being made toward them, and just carry out today's best efforts.

Be aware that this difficulty in shifting gears extends beyond exertion and consumption, to all expressions of will as well, making it thornier than usual to change our minds or adapt our moods. 'Holding on to stuff' past where it serves our own best interests is a probable reaction… not because we intend to be tenacious grudge-holders, but because our first instincts are likely to be resistant, conservative ones. Everything's good as it is, thank you. Rock my boat without permission, and I'll hold it against you until my own steady motion is reestablished.

This, of course, is where the potential for interpersonal conflict comes in—stubborn meeting stubborn, and neither allowing the other to sit in the one spot they both prefer. Eating without stopping becomes more of a problem when there's only one bag of potato chips and multiple hands grappling to grab what's inside. 'Holding on' makes it harder to listen.

With somebody else involved too, the sanctity of the relationship may necessitate more flexibility than instinctively arises. Stop reacting. Breathe. Reconsider. Adapt. Only the first couple steps suck, but they really suck.