Photo: Anthony Quintano www.flickr.com/photos/quintanomedia/15759657241
Previously, I have written about my journey from my primitive brain to my evolved brain, saying that I’ve made considerable progress in stepping back to choose my responses in situations… https://lindamarsanico.com/single-post/2013/05/05/2003-TO-2013-–-A-JOURNEY-TO-THE-EVOLVED-BRAIN
Lately, I learned that I have more work to do…
Two weeks ago, I was surprised by my early morning reaction while walking through the beautiful, new Fulton Mall in downtown Manhattan. I was in a reverie, relaxed, as I climbed the first set of steep steps. As I came upon the glass doors, which reveal the inner sanctum of the complex, I opened a door while a man (half asleep) to my right opened an adjacent door, which slapped into me. I don’t want you to think that this physically hurt me. It did not! What it did was startle me. This door became an instantaneous barrier – I was boxed in! Turning around to find the culprit of my captivity, the initiator of my jolt from serenity to “defend,” I gave him a hateful look. This sprang up in fractions of a second, without my conscious control.
Moments later, I tried to make sense of my immediate outrage. I questioned myself about the origin of my fury, and what I could do to heal this. After talking to a friend, I’ve learned that meditation can affect a positive change on the amygdala, the reptilian brain that has been with us since evolutionary times. It’s the part of the brain that stores memories, which lurk in this deep depository. I plan to reflect on this because I am so unhappy with the “look” I produced. I would prefer to be giving out “…blessings of lovingness.” Check out this other journey on the MTA:
https://lindamarsanico.com/single-post/2016/08/01/Summer-in-the-City
A few days after this experience, I revisited the same glass doors at Fulton Street.
Passing through this clear membrane to approach the next set of steep steps, I felt a gentle touch on my left shoulder. A lovely woman with an Indian accent told me that my dress zipper was partially undone; could she zip it up for me? Grateful and almost speechless, I indicated: “Yes” and “Thank you.”
So much for the variety of my escapades from one day to the next…first a jolt and then a soothing caress…all of this before coffee. You can see why I’m never bored…
Have you had adventures on the MTA or on your city’s subway system? I would love to hear about them…you could email me and I’ll respond: [email protected].
Hope you are enjoying beautiful autumn…
Speak to you on October 10th.
Warmly,
Linda
PS: Here’s another post about subway travel! https://lindamarsanico.com/single-post/2013/11/25/A-SENSE-OF-HUMOR-–-DON’T-LEAVE-HOME-WITHOUT-IT
#primitivebrain #evolvedbrain #FultonStreetStationNYC #outrage #glassdoors #instantaneousbarrier #escapades #adventures
