It seems pretty clear cut when someone tells you that you must accept more responsibility with age. It just seems strange that that responsibility manifests itself in such small ways. For example my supervisor, Julia, was raking next to me today when she started talking about yoga, and how now that she knows how she likes her body to feel, she feels that she has an obligation to her body to maintain it in that way. And that it is almot stressful to stay true to that obligation. I could relate, though in what I sort of think is a far more superficial way (but maybe not).
I came home from my first 5 months in Montana with a less than stellar report on the health of my teeth. They didn't have cavities but there were a few that were being "watched" (dumdumdum). So for the next year I gargled with fluoride mouthwash twice a day (told you this is a stupid example). At my last appointment the dentist said that I had REVERSED the decay in the teeth that they had been watching. It sounds silly but I was astounded that I could exert that much (POSITIVE!) control over my body. Now I feel an enormous obligation to my teeth. Similarly to my skin (have become obsessed with sunscreen) and my eyes (likewise with sunglasses). All of this is silly, but taking on the stress (and it can be stressful) of being responsible for something like doing your yoga everyday, or gargling with mouthwash, also gives you the experience of knowing what it is like to feel good and to really take care of yourself.
But, like keeping up with technology, I wonder if i will be able to astutely decide what is snakeoil and what is best (and more importantly, a good fit for me). Afterall someone thought that it was good to insulate homes with vermiculite and someone else thought it was good to line cans of tomatoes with BPA. Everyone else seems to set the trends and you have the responsibility to know what is right for you. It is overwhelming, but rewarding.
Love,
Zoe
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