To the Lady I Passed on the Street
The Way We Move Through the World
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
To the Lady I Passed on the Stree
You wouldn’t know this, but you instantly dropped my cortisol level in the way you cheerfully raised your hand, broke into a wide-open smile as if you were spontaneously glad to see me, and said hello. Thank you for that. Something shifted in me, and I felt just a touch lighter. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say for the next hour or so the quality of what I put out into the world went up a notch.
To You, Dear Rocks & Water Reader –
If you ever question your worth, consider this: you already have everything you need inside to add value to the world and shift something to the good. Smiling at someone is so simple and elemental yet the quality improvement impact on the world’s tenor ripples across unknown spheres. I can tell you a smile would have set my heart at ease had I got one from the person who performed one of my many colonoscopies over the years. With my family history I was very nervous, but on that occasion I would have been far less anxious, far more trusting and far more willing to hand myself over had there been a warm connection.
There is a scientific reason for that. According to Deb Dana, an expert in the role the vagus nerve plays in emotional regulation, our nervous systems are in constant communication with each other, measuring whether there is welcome or warning. Because of that, the way we move through the world has rippling impact around the globe as one nervous system’s bundle of nerves interacts with another nervous system’s bundle of nerves. That energy reverberates over the zoom screens, through the conference rooms, across the streets, and into the atmosphere at large. Smiling is a stunningly simple, elegant way to create resonance.
A Wild Thought
As I was diving deep into the interactive nature of these nervous systems of ours, an absurd but provocative thought came to me. What if love and goodwill was our currency instead of money? What if to get that car or property or grocery cartful of food or that colonoscopy or vacation we had to have enough love in our heart to cover the cost? No love? No wheels. I bet we’d learn to resonate real fast then!
Logically, I can’t really imagine how that system would work but I do know if our currency was love, it would change absolutely everything. Maybe if I’d had enough love in my heart to cover the colonoscopy, my doctor wouldn’t have been able to help himself but smile back, thereby setting me at ease. Maybe he was having an off day. But in this make-believe world of currency, love is not a one-way exchange. It’s full-circle.
To our resonance,
E
Note: If you’re interested in learning more about polyvagal theory and the role the vagus nerve plays in our nervous system and emotion regulation, check out this podcast or book.