Dooley Noted: 3/26/2014
My patient gave me permission to discuss the following observations she made while visiting family.
She was nervous, being away from care for a few weeks as she took care of her nephews. So, I told her to study those infants and toddlers, with their perfect movement. I asked her to report back what she learned.
She provided for me her observations, and they are imperative to healthy movement and a well-lived existence.
Please read her crucial truths, learned by watching her nephew.
Lessons From a One Year-Old Boy
1. Keep moving.
2. If you fall down, get up again.
3. Make your needs known.
4. Laugh, cry, make noise…all from the gut. And let that gut be free.
5. Keep working to master the physical world. It is a source of endless stimulation and challenge.
6. Listen to your body: Drink when you are thirsty. Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating when you are full. Sleep when you are tired. Go to the bathroom whenever you need to.
7. Squat rather than sit.
8. If you want to interact with an object or person that is out of reach, get closer.
9. If you experience a hard moment, a setback….it’s ok. Take care of yourself in that moment: seek comfort, let yourself feel whatever you are feeling, take a break from whatever is upsetting you. Then move on.
10. Greet people with a smile and you will be richly rewarded.
Read your books. Take your classes and seminars. Hire experts for help.
But don’t negate all the lessons around you.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley