Under the table – what’s afoot?

Next time you’re waiting in a coffee shop to meet a friend, instead of pulling out your mobile or reaching for a well-thumbed magazine, take a moment to scan the room and observe what people are doing with their feet under the table.

This is a fascinating exercise in how to pick the most stressed person in the room – and ultimately, how to watch what we do with our own body.

First there’s the jiggler – a very certain giveaway.  When the pressure of internal stress creates habitual foot jiggling that even a coffee break won’t remedy, then that internal stress desperately needs to be satisfactorily addressed.

Then there’s the juggler!  The juggler’s feet are most likely propped askew on the legs of the table, probably to support a laptop on one of the juggler’s knees.  This means head, heart, hands, knees, calves and feet are all involved in a primary mind exercise.

If you’ve missed both the jiggler and the juggler then you’re sure to find the twister.  A bit of a contortionist, this one, where drinking the coffee or eating lunch seems to require all of the above, too – plus elbows and minus the laptop (hopefully).

Finally there’s the one who finds it difficult to stand up when it’s time to leave.  Well, after all that overuse of muscles that really needed to rest, maybe this one is now off to the physio or the chiro for some necessary readjustments.

Our bodies need consideration; our bodies crave balance and poise – and really, this all comes from our mind.  A mental note of what’s happening with those feet under the table might just open the way for change.  Something to consider?

Pauline McKinnon ©
June 2016