| In 1911 miners began taking canaries in little cages with them deep into the coal mines. These beautiful, tiny birds could detect the odour of poisonous gas long before a human. If the birds became ill, or died, the miners knew they needed to evacuate immediately. The practice ended in 1986 but the concept lives on. And I have thought often about the canaries in my life; the little things that start to fall apart giving me a clear signal that something is wrong. My canaries might be impulses to overeat, binge watching of television, avoidance of tasks, negative self-judgement, decrease in self-care, etc. It used to take me days and weeks to notice these signals. With my new habits of paying attention I am much quicker at recognizing the change in behaviour. And that really matters because I want to live with honesty and kindness towards myself and others. What canaries in your life are showing up to draw attention to a thought pattern or behaviour that isn’t aligned with your values? Make a commitment over the coming weeks to watch for the signs that you are not living in integrity. |
Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | February 23, 2023
The Canary in The Coal Mine
Posted in Uncategorized
Daryl Wood's Blog 
Procrastination: the task is “too big”, “too hard”, will bear imperfect results, etc.
By: Hazel on February 23, 2023
at 4:19 am