The Joy Diet: Treats

This week's ingredient is to add at least 3 treats a day: one after your risk for the day and two just because. Martha Beck's definition of a treat is something that makes you feel like smiling. For me, this idea, lead me back to my InterPlay training.

In InterPlay, there is a concept called the Physicality of Grace. In English, there is not a good, common word for what we feel when we feel the opposite of stress. There are some that come close, but nothing that really captures it. In InterPlay, we use the Physicality of Grace to refer to how our bodies feel when we feel the opposite of stressed. Sometimes, it is easier to understand if you start by noticing how your body feels under stress. Then, when you think about the opposite of stress, you can feel how your body feels and call that feeling the physicality of grace. Once you notice the things that make you feel the physicality of grace, you can choose to increase them in your life. For me, this week, I tried to find treats that really gave me a full body experience of grace, not just made me feel like smiling.

My primary treat all week has been to use the super-minimalist version of the InterPlay seated warm-up every time I remember it - and to teach it to my kids because it is more fun in a group. Here are the instructions:

• Take a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. Repeat. Again. And once more if it would feel good.
• Shake out a hand.
• Shake out the other hand.
• Shake out a leg.
• Shake out the other leg.
• Shake out whatever you are sitting on. (Shake out your whole body if you are standing).

Just this much of the warm-up always makes me feel better. In fact, just step one usually makes me feel better. The kids like the shaking out though, so we do that together. Once they think that this is something we do, I'll teach them the rest of the warm-up and we'll be able to make that part of our day, too. But, for now, I love that I have finally really started integrating InterPlay practice instead of just InterPlay philosophy into my parenting.

For a good summary of InterPlay, check out Grethen Wegner on InterPlay.

I have noticed things that make me smile and chosen them this week. The things that make us smile are unique. Nobody else will smile at exactly the same things I smile at. Our bodies are all different. Our brains are all different. We perceive and interact with the world differently. We all need to discover for ourselves what makes us smile.

For me, this week, the list of treats has included:

• driving through hills looking at the fall leaves.
• chai
• licorice tea
• wrestling with the kids
• reading about the history of Islamic achievements in art and science.
• fake hip-hop dancing in my living room
• the smell of freshly baked bread
• walking in the wind
• long baths with eucalyptus epsom salts
• white wine and sweet potato fries
• the warmth in my hand of a particular cup when the tea is still almost at boiling temperature.
• listening to music that I love but haven't heard for ages
  

Interestingly, I have noticed that I am yearning for new experiences - especially new music - as part of my treats. So, part of my treating myself for the next few weeks should include searching out new music to notice what my body yearns to listen to and dance to now.

There is a richness to life when I choose these little treats. My overall life may be exactly the same, with the same frustrations and limitations, but the joy despite the frustrations makes it all seem less oppressive. I'll be choosing those treats more often.

How about you? How will you treat yourself?