TL;DR: This is the fourth installment of my series outlining the attributes of the Four Characters from Whole Brain Living by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. If you haven’t already done so, go back and read the three most recent blog posts. Below, I examine my “Right-Brain Emotional” Character Three.
Go here for Bolte's descriptions of the Four Characters: https://www.sloww.co/whole-brain-living/#whole-brain-living-four-characters
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CHARACTER THREE: “Sunny”
I named my Right-Brain Emotional Character Three, Sunny.
Sunny is the part of my emotional self that shines bright! 🌞 She is expansive, open, and fearless. She lives entirely in the present moment and processes immediate experience in real time. She has no recollection or perception of the past and is never disconnected from the consciousness of the present moment. As such, she can act impulsively without considering consequences. Sunny loves the sensory experience of grocery shopping, particularly when wandering around the bakery! 🍪
Sunny is friendly, kind, empathic, curious, and compassionate. She is trusting, loves unconditionally, and is always ready to offer support to others. She is very adept at reading people’s body language and facial expressions. She is able to interpret people’s emotional cues of vocal inflection and intonation. She focuses on the “big picture,” is creative, and sees possibilities instead of limitations. When Sunny is present in my professional life, I feel like I provide my clients with authentic, dynamic care and support.
When Sunny takes a walk in nature, she feels awe and wonder. She has a strong connection with this physical body, and she sees it as a fabulous toy! She loves to be active and feel herself move, and since she has no sense of linear time, she can find herself in a “flow state” while walking very easily. She overflows with gratitude to be One with the interconnectedness of the universal flow of life. Sunny always exists in this perfect flow, regardless of how Life shows up in the moment. She never perceives separation from anyone or anything. She is the wind. She is the tree. She is the river. She is the ground beneath, and the sky above. She is pure, emotional experiencing of the NOW.
I love inhabiting this character! Life looks and feels sweet, joyful, and miraculous when Sunny is in the lead, though sometimes her impulsivity gets me into a bit of mischief! When I sit down to eat, I prefer if Sunny is the one in charge. Angela (my Character One) plays an important role in meal planning and creating and enforcing boundaries for me when it comes to food, but when I sit down to physically eat, I invite Sunny to the table. She uses her in-the-moment focus to truly savor, experience, and enjoy the food I’m consuming. When Sunny is eating, she is using food for nourishment and enjoyment, NOT as a tool to avoid or resist a feeling. However, if Angela doesn’t monitor her, she might have an extra helping (or two) of dessert, because it’s just so delicious! 😅
❓In what situations does your Character Three come out to play? Let me know in the comments below!
Join me next week for the final installment in this series where I explore Character Four...