Fr Jim Cogley
From a young girl came this piece of wisdom that was far beyond her years. ‘My body’ she said, ‘is like my pet. I need to take good care of it with food and drink. It needs exercise and I have to make sure its well clothed. Sometimes it may need medical attention. However in the end of the day, I am not my pet, no more than I am my body. If I am too identified with either I will get into trouble, after all I only happen to live in my body, and for a relatively
brief period of time’. That being the case our bodies can still hurt and cause us discomfort. To be in right relationship with my body is to treat it with the respect it deserves. This means that when it’s sick or hurting, I don’t resent or punish it; I don't push it beyond its limits. Instead I invite it to speak to me and so I adopt a listening attitude. It may be telling me that I have been overdemanding and pushing it too hard and that it needs me to slow down, rest or take better care of myself. It may even tell me where there is an imbalance in my life that needs attention.