Blockage, Drainage, and Flow

Immediately upon writing this title (the first title that I have written before writing the actual article), I feel myself drawn to the word flow.  Flow is a word that became powerful for me when I was 11 years old while participating in an experiential education camp that changed the course of my life.  While canoeing for hours and days, our instructor taught us and modeled the difference between regular movement and flow and finesse down back-country rivers in Maine.  

Flow pulls me with it.  I want to be in it, around it, surrounded by it.  Swimming, flying, dancing with it.  It speaks to endless possibility.

The words blockage and drainage, on the other hand, make me picture dirty street water backing up over clogged sewer grates or greasy hair nests below shower drains.   These words conjure feelings of distress, frustration, avoidance, distrust, and this uneasy feeling in my gut that if I delve too deeply into a blockage I could be contaminated forever.

So, lets explore blockages a little. 

I will admit that my fascination with blockage and drainage right now stems from the fact that I had a sore throat for a couple of days, which shifted into a stuffy nose, which I am now blowing really often.  I am trying to come to terms with the fact that this oozy snot coming out of my face is actually a sign of health.  It is a sign that my body is clearing out whatever was blocking it before, even though the process feels gross and I am ready for it to be over. 

How do I tie this into digestion?  Do I talk about the blockages (sphincters) that are built into the whole digestive tract?  And how important these are for regulating the flow of particles through our digestive pipes?  Do I talk about how awful it is when unplanned blockages occur and constipation lasts hours or days longer than ‘regular’ flow would allow for? And the discomfort/relief that can accompany the release? Do I write about how awful it feels when the digestive system seems to go into ‘overflow’ mode and it is safest just to get comfortable sitting on the toilet with some reading material? Or do I write about my conviction that my current dietary habits help my immune system work better and keep me healthier than I used to be?

Well, I think I just want to pose the idea that being aware of and paying attention to the flow, blockage, and drainage is OK.  In fact, it can be educational, useful, and worthwhile for most people.  For me, the increased understanding helps me have compassion for my body when part of my mind is telling me to get as far away as possible from the latest substance coming out of some orifice.  Just like you can learn a lot about your current state of health from the color of your snot, you can learn a lot from the consistency (and probably color and smell) of your poop.  I am not an expert on the poop thing aside from it being a good indicator of hydration, but I am sure that people who really study this know that subtle differences in color show signs of very different nutrients and toxins exiting the body.  I would think that knowing what my body doesn’t digest and actually excretes could actually help me have a better daily working relationship with my body. If anyone does know of a good color chart indicator, I would be interested.

When I lived in Paraguay the grandmother that I lived with, Abuela'i, would occasionally tell stories of her aunt who raised her.  Her aunt was a Paraguayan version of a medicine woman who lived 70 years ago. This story takes place years before western medicine was taking hold.  According to Abuela'i, her aunt was never taught these things, she just knew.  One of the ways that her Aunt used to diagnose people was to look at their urine.  Sometimes she would ask people who came to her to pee in a container and bring it to her.  Abuela'i loved to tell the story about the time someone brought in horse pee to try to fool her, and she knew immediately that it was not human. (If only we all had this talent!)

This short foray into blockages seems like just the tip of the iceberg.  This topic gives me compassion for all of those people whose job (paid or unpaid) is to clear out potential blockages, like trash collectors, diaper changers, wound cleaners. . .

A picture of the Hoover Dam.
A very powerful blockage.

I wonder if I am I alone in thinking that its hard to explore blockages and that those people who do clear them out should be given badges of courage and not thought of as untouchables?