A sloth is an aboral mammal that spends its days hanging upside down or, someone with a
reluctance to work or to make an effort. There is no doubt that covid has prompted all of us to become more sloth-like. To-do lists grew longer rather than shorter. We conserved our energy.
Sloths are masters at energy conservation. With 30% less muscle mass than similarly sized mammals they do everything slowly - a month to digest a leaf, a minute to move 15 feet and 6 hrs to make it to the bathroom and back. Their claws are curved extensions of finger bones connected to tendons that create a ‘gripping reflex’ thereby requiring no effort to hang upside down for 85% of their day.
For a sloth to move, to eat, to poop requires the conscious use of large amounts of energy. So too for us to shift from the sofa to vertical; from inertia to movement towards a goal. Gloria Estafen reminds us to ‘get on your feet, get up and make it happen’
Yogi Bhajan said, ‘when the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.’
The first step IS the hardest. We have two choices: do nothing or take it towards the journey called life.