I’ve never been more aware of my body. Even during a half-marathon or while dancing or enduring a typical illness or injury, I have not experienced it the way I am these days. Now I am hypersensitive to what is happening in my various senses, systems, and processes. Every breath, taste, sensation is pondered, analyzed, and richly experienced. Mindfulness has gone from being a therapeutic goal to a vivid reality.

Most of the time, I enjoy this heightened state. Endorphin inducing activities are that much more appreciated. Take my Beatles kick this week. The A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack has been getting repeated play. The boy band Beatles make me want to sing and dance and bask in invisible sunshine. I’m singing harmony in my car or at home. And just wait till I get back to my samba class.

The flip side is that I am experiencing bodily discomforts like never before. For the third night in a row, I am up with tummy aches and some less than glamorous symptoms. I am taking it in stride, capturing the moment the only way I know.

The alarm is due to ring in less than two hours. I may as well snuggle up to Blues and cherish the joy of a loved one’s snores and the tug of war with blankets. And give thanks for the miracle mess that is my body.