Pavlov's Dog... And Me!

The other day, at the end of yoga class as we were putting away our mats and things, someone accidentally struck a large ornamental bell that was hanging by the door. It let out a loud 'gong' sound. Without thought, I immediately stopped, inhaled a deep breath, and then continued to put my stuff away. Two steps later I stopped again. What just happened? My memory took me back to when I lived with my parents. My dad had hung a bell in the front door hallway and mentioned once or twice that each time he passes it, he hits it, and the sound is a reminder to connect with the present moment. He would stop, take a deep breath, and then continue. Sometimes if people were arguing, and the bell was rung it was enough to break the bad mood.

And so many many years later I find myself having this automatic reaction to an external sound. It brought back nice memories, but the fact is that there is (or was) an unconscious program running in my brain that told me what to do when I heard that sound. Even if that action was no longer appropriate.

Since that moment a few days ago, I have been pondering about how many other similar programs are running that I am not aware of. It makes me wonder if that is why I have a reaction to something that is maybe not appropriate. Or why I bark suddenly, and then look back on the situation and wonder why I did that.

I suppose these programs get set when we are much younger, and maybe at the time they are set they are appropriate for the situation. But then as we grown up they may no longer be required. And so I am on a quest to discover what hidden responses are lingering in the background of my consciousness, much like those minimized computer programs that are still running but you cannot see them.

Just be sure to tell me if you see me drooling...!