Some mornings teach you more than months of reading ever could.
Back on June 26th, at 5 a.m. I was driving south on Palm Drive toward Palm Springs International Airport. If you’ve driven that stretch of road, you know exactly what happens once Palm Drive crosses into Palm Springs and becomes Gene Autry Trail. Heavy desert winds move fast out here, and with them comes drifting sand. It’s so common that warning signs line the roadway. Heavy desert winds move fast out here, and with them comes drifting sand. It’s so common there are warning signs are posted.
Apparently my brain forgot that little detail.
Two days later, a car became stranded on that very stretch of Gene Autry Trail after drifting sand buried portions of the roadway, forcing the road to close while crews cleared the sand.
As I came across patches of sand scattered across the road, I instinctively tapped my brakes. My body reacted before my mind did. Within seconds I could feel my entire nervous system flip from calm to high alert.
MY SACRAL CHAKRA KNOTTED UP INTO A GOTDAMNT GOLF BALL.😵💫
My stomach tightened.
MY BODY FELT LIKE IT WAS BRACING FOR SOMETHING THAT WASN’T ACTUALLY HAPPENING.💀
Regulation Doesn’t Mean You Never Get Triggered
The surprising part wasn’t that I got startled.
The surprising part was that I noticed it.
There was a time when my nervous system lived in that state almost all the time. Hypervigilance was my default state. (yuck!) Being constantly prepared for the next problem was survival.
NOT ANYMORE.
That split second of panic stood out because my body isn’t used to living there anymore.
Healing Isn’t Becoming Immune To Stress…
…IT’S RECOGNIZING WHEN YOUR BODY HAS LEFT ITS REGULATED STATE—AND KNOWING THAT YOU CAN RETURN.
On the drive home, I noticed the drifting sand signs I had completely missed earlier.
FUNNY HOW OUR AWARENESS EXPANDS ONCE WE’RE NO LONGER REACTING.
Returning Is the Real Win
Instead of carrying that tension with me. I loosened my grip on the steering wheel.
I inhaled…and went straight into robotic affirming.
Babes,
Everything is ok, icon.
Stay present, icon.
You’re protected, icon.
You’re in control, icon.
My body settled back into the calm state it now recognizes as home…long before I made it home.
Maybe that’s what healing really looks like.
Not a perfect life without unexpected moments.
Just the ability to experience resistance without letting it become your entire day.
These days, when life throws a little drifting sand across my path, I trust myself to find my way back to center.
#StayingDayclubReady isn’t just about slowing down when life is easy. It’s about remembering you can return to yourself as soon as you realize you’ve drifted off course.
