Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:03 Think meditation is hard. Do me a favor, take a slow deep breath in and now breathe out. Congratulations, you just meditated. Hi, I'm Crystal Kakowski and this is Breathe In. Breathe out a weekly mindfulness and meditation podcast for anyone ready to own their own shit and find a little piece while doing it.
Speaker 1 00:00:28 Hello and welcome back to Breathe In, breathe Out. I'm Crystal Jacobowsky and this week is a fun one. I'm just excited about this week, <laugh>. So just for a minute, I want you to picture that you are on a bus. The type doesn't matter, whether it be a school bus, a city bus, a Greyhound, whatever transit bus you want to picture, go for it. And now I want you to think about, there are several people on this bus. There are a lot of different people on this bus. Take a moment and look at them. Every single one of them has a backstory. They all have different ages, genders, appearances, the way that they present.
Speaker 1 00:01:18 They've all had vastly unique life experiences, the way they grew up, the society that they were in, whether they were in cities or out in the country. <laugh>, each one of them probably has a different religious belief. Are they confident in who they are and where they came from, or do they just seem to be pretending to be? So do they seem like withdrawn and secretive? Take a moment with the person here and the person there, the confident looking lawyer kind of person that's all suited up and seems confident. And then over there there's someone who looks really insecure and withdrawn from everyone. <laugh>. There's a broody person trying to be as minimal as possible while emanating this super spiky energy of Leave me the hell alone, don't talk to me, don't look at me <laugh>. Maybe there's a bookish person that's minding their own business and lost in this world that they've chosen to dive into and explore the colors and scenery that the words on the page create for them. Here's the thing. Every one of these people on this bus have their own hopes and fears. They have dreams, successes, failures. Some have actively chosen to be on this particular bus and others have come unwillingly and they are thrust in a mass transit with things totally and completely out of their control. How do they deal with that? Are they laissez-faire about it or are they kind of cranky and irritable that they are stuck in this spot?
Speaker 1 00:03:20 And if you really take another minute, you might notice or intuitively discover that some of them would rather be driving while others are perfectly happy to take a backseat, at least for now. <laugh>, take in the colors, thoughts, the emotions, the space, this bus, the myriad of things that you can take in and explore. The physical discomfort. Are they the hard plastic chairs or are they more soft and cozy? Is there a restraint? Is there a seatbelt type thing? Is it comfortable, uncomfortable, or do you just not have to wear one like on a school bus? Like yeah, this whole space, I can feel it. I used to ride a Greyhound when I was younger and um, city transit that I've done that. And I also rode a school bus when I was kids. So yeah, I can really vividly feel this. And <laugh>, while enjoying a lunch date with a dear friend, he actually gave me this visual.
Speaker 1 00:04:32 I'm not sure if he actually knew how vivid the images were for me in that moment. It was like a scene from a movie where somebody makes a comment and the world stops for one of the other characters and that character is lost in whatever came into their mind after the comment was made. And you see this play the scene, play out for them, and then all of a sudden it pops back to the moment where they're still talking with the other person. And that's really kind of how it was for me. I was transported to this new place in time for a moment as the vivid images, and I swear there were even smells, um, and colors that came to my mind when he mentioned this. But his comment was actually the conversation that we were having was a simple statement that he made and it just blew my mind for a moment. He said to me, crystal, you are the bus. Everyone on your bus wants to be the driver.
Speaker 1 00:05:37 I want you to take a pause and let that sink in for just a moment like I did in that moment with my friend. You are the bus, you are the vehicle that goes through this life, rolling down the road, hitting the potholes, taking the turns, dealing with flat tires, needing gas to continue forging forward, <laugh> to the next mile marker and the next one and the next town, the next whatever is coming up. You are the bus and everyone else on that bus is a backseat driver. Everyone else is a representation of the voices that you hear <laugh>. Think about what they're saying. You drive too slow. You're driving too fast. This is uncomfortable. I don't like the colors. Things should change. This is not good enough. You are not going to be able to make it to the next stop. Who do you think? I mean?
Speaker 1 00:06:37 Just, just take a moment and filter through all of those voices in your head that are telling you how you are, who you are, what you are, whether or not it's acceptable, right? I love this analogy. I absolutely love it and I adore it, which means of course I have to share it here because that's just what I do. And it is so vivid for me. I was like, I'm a storyteller. This is going on the podcast done. So as I step back and I look at this and I want to share it with you, this is simply another I way to illustrate the need to find your own voice, the good driver with love, confidence, and hope. The one who trusts in your path and drives from one point to the next point safely. Every now and then they get a little reckless, but for the most part they're pretty good in what they're doing.
Speaker 1 00:07:32 And sure there are hiccups. A pothole may mean the bus needs an alignment or a flat tire sets you back a bit financially and slows time down. Maybe an oil change is required to keep your motor running smoothly and avoid everything seizing up. Filling the washer fluid means that the windshield is clear so that you can continue going down the road with a beautiful view instead of hazy and uncertain. All of those challenges that I just mentioned directly relate to the self-care that's required for your physical body, the bus to maintain healthy optimal performance. If you don't maintain your fluids, eventually something goes wrong in the engine. If you don't stay hydrated, if you don't eat food to fuel you, eventually you're going to break down. If you don't check the oil or swap out the tires, you could find yourself out of commission for a while with a hefty bill for serious medical care.
Speaker 1 00:08:35 Or maybe it's just that you break down for a day or a moment before you can regenerate, recuperate and get back out there. You are the bus. What self-care, what physical maintenance does your body need so that it can keep going down the road? Now, unlike the bus, you can buy a new car, right? You don't have a new body. You cannot buy a new body. You cannot download your brain into some other being. So you have to take care of this one and only vehicle that you have for the rest of your life, the maintenance. And let's get back to those people. Who do you really want driving your bus? And what backseat drivers are you really thrilled that came along? Because there are those backseat drivers. You might be thrilled. You might be on a road trip with some people and you trust them all and they are all nurturing, supportive people, and you may be perfectly happy to let somebody else drive for a little while and you don't have to make the decisions because you trust them and everything's good. Are there other drivers that you're not so thrilled with that you're not so happy about that you really would rather not have on your bus?
Speaker 1 00:10:03 Every voice that you choose to listen to affects the twists, turns and straightaways that you choose to drive. And while all of these other voices may get loud and demanding, they may drown your own voice out. You have the power to turn on the music and blare it or pull over and tell them to get the heck off. I don't want you here. You're not very helpful. You're not very supportive. There is no under no circumstances what I want you driving my bus. So why would I allow you to continue on with me? You have the power to let them go. You have the power to stop listening to those voices and tell them to get off the next time that you begin to think unloving thoughts about yourself and the life that you are leading. Take a moment to see who you are allowing to drive your bus.
Speaker 1 00:11:03 Who did you hand the wheel over to? And is it time to take it back? Because if it's time to take it back, I encourage you to pick the best backseat driver that you can, the one that will contradict and help you get rid of that negative one so that you can live more true and more joyful in being exactly who you are. You are beautiful, you are amazing, you are talented, you are unique, and that uniqueness in and of itself is a gift. So don't let anybody else try to push you into their box. Don't let anybody else tell you what they expect you to be because quite frankly, they can live their own lives. <laugh>, there's the old song, I don't care what you say anymore. This is my life. Go back to your own life and leave me alone. Tell those voices to go back to where they came from and pick the best backseat drivers that you can to come along and help you embrace the amazing life that is before you. I'm excited to bring you a meditation next week, ride along with this to help you boot somebody off. So I hope you come back next week on breath In, breathe out.
Speaker 1 00:12:38 I hope this moment of self-care and healing brought you some hope and peace. I'm Crystal Dukowski on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and I hope you check us out and follow along for more content coming soon. I look forward to being with you again here on breath Breathing, breathe out. Until next time, take care.
