An Ode to Being Stupid
by ericadcannon@gmail.com | Sep 2, 2019 | ego mind, freedom, true life, words
Let me first start by saying that I have no clue what an “ode” is.
Is it a limericky-poem? Is it a song? A short story? Isn’t it about gushing about something you love? Whatever. I refuse to google. I’m ballparking here. The title of this post shall remain the same as a nod to the purpose of this post. And the purpose, in case it’s not clear, is to encourage you to be a little bit stupid sometimes. Well, actually most of the time.
Okay, all the time.
I tend to attract super duper intellectual types so I know that this is a tough ask but hear me out. Don’t you get tired of being so poised all the time? Aren’t you over skipping the fun times when you’re in a new or uncomfortable situation? You have to be tired of always being the picture of fucking responsibility.
Wouldn’t it be crazy to be the loudest exhaler in your yoga class? Think of the fun you could have dancing like a toddler who’s got very little body awareness because your song just came on…. Let me be clear, I’m not talking about looking like a dance superstar — even if it’s in your wheelhouse.
I’m talking about letting go of your thoughts and your training (both your professional dance training if that’s your situation and your “I care what people think about me” training) and dancing like your mind is not watching. When I first met my spiritual teacher, she was surrounded by people who were actively engaged in being stupid. I don’t know if they would have termed it as such but that’s what I called it. Well, when I first called it that I didn’t mean it in a nice way. It was pretty condescending actually. I don’t feel that way anymore.
These people were doing things like running down the beach screaming in a way that gave great concern to passersby, playing catch with imaginary balls, and mimicking each other while jumping up and down in a large circle. My teacher required these shenanigans in order to do any deep work with her.
I couldn’t understand why!? My sophistication and judgmental bullshit would not let me participate fully. I mean, if people were going to look at me doing this mess, I wanted to be sure to set myself apart a bit so they’d know: I’m not really like these people. One morning my teacher came strolling down the beach and she stood on the sidelines watching us doing our “be stupid” activities. Later that day, she started calling people out on their way of participation.
One was too imprecise with his movements. One was too slow. One was too low energy. Then she got to me and she said, “Erica, why don’t you try at anything?”
McScuse me!?
I may have thought the activities were stupid but I also like to win. I was fast. I was high energy. I was precise. I was also 100% in my mind. What she saw that day in my unwillingness to truly give myself to the activities was my unwillingness to be stupid. And in my unwillingness to be stupid, I recognized an inability to truly come to the present moment.
I was never just doing what I was doing. I was doing what I was doing and engaging with a voice in my head that was critiquing my every action. Not just in the “be stupid” activities. I was doing this with everything. I had pretty much always done this with everything – work, school, business, relationships, friendships, after-work drinks, yoga practice, sitting on the beach in a swimsuit. I was always doing the thing and critiquing the doing simultaneously. As if my own critiquing would save me.
Save me from making a mistake. Save me from being told I looked bad by someone else. And so there, on that beach, the very next day, I decided “fuck it.” I’m going to try. Not to be good at the “be stupid” activities but rather to give myself to them. Body, mind, and spirit. I decided to play. To enjoy running backward into the ocean while acting like a bull.
And like that, bam, I floated into the here and now. I had fun being bad at things. I did just for the sake of doing. Of feeling. Of moving. Of hearing. Of being.
How can you be a little stupid today? Go out and try and share in the comments below.
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hi, i’m erica
I’ve spent the last ten years helping people find their peace of mind, release their pasts, and enjoy the present moment with confidence, joy, and a clear understanding of what that really means.
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