This has become one of my favorite rituals in this Year of Reckoning. I try to Carry Something Heavy every day, and every day I try to carry something heavier, further.
The Something varies. In my dojo, I practice with the 50# sandbag. It might be my favorite tool ever, and it has become my go-to workout when I can't get my a$$ in gear. It is so simple, and mimics so many everyday, mundane tasks. My goal is to carry it all the way around the block effortlessly. A sack of potatoes, a bag of dog food or kitty litter, or those giant rolls of paper they use at my kids' school that weigh 200 tons, are also good options (I'm telling the office ladies to call me whenever they need to change those rolls. Watch for the hilarious results!).
You may want to try it with your short-handled purse- the one you pack with all the day's necessities, resulting in its exceptional weight. Carry that $hit proudly! With head up, shoulders strong, and heart open! (This does wonders for self-confidence. Own that!)
Sometimes, the Something is intangible, yet most heavy, so so heavy. Every time I open the newspaper my heart grows heavy in my chest, and I despair. I read about things I thought could happen only in dystopian novels, and I read about behavior I thought was regelated to history forever. Sometimes the truth of the world around me is so heavy I may crumble beneath it. In these times I focus on Stability. I become a foundation for heavy hearts to rest, including my own. I hold myself in quiet stillness. As I grow more and more stable, I know that the heaviest of heavies will have a resting place.