I must have stumbled into some poison ivy while wearing my invisible shoes. All I know is that my feet have turned into two big itch zones. This is incredibly annoying, but is great practice for living consciously and not following every urge to itch.

I have not been doing very well on controlling impulse itching, so this blog will be my reminder and motivation. I am planning on not itching them any more for the rest of this scientific appointed time (see Living in Appointed Times by Faith).

Here are some lessons I’ve learned along the way:

1. Giving in to an itch feels so good the split-second that you start doing it, but then the itch just gets worse, pulling you to itch again, and the gruesome cycle continues.
2. The sensation to itch will pass if you just ignore it and think upon something else.
3. The feeling of accomplishment after you deny the sensation to itch and the urge goes away is empowering and worth the temporary struggle.

This principle of denying the itch parallels so many other areas in my life, such as the urge to check email, the urge to eat quickly, and the urge to be amused. If finding the power to deny itches in your life is important to you, consider reading this article by one of my blogger heroes, Leo Babauta.