There were lots of birds at my bird feeders this morning. And Gracie, my cat, spent much of the morning watching them out the window. Occasionally she got very excited and her swift movements frightened the birds away. But soon they were back again with Gracie keenly watching every single movement.
Just now a squirrel tried climbing the bird feeder pole, only to be stopped by the baffle on the pole. Gracie quivered and meowed as she watched the squirrel move this way and that. Then suddenly the squirrel saw her through the window and made a quick retreat.
I am staying indoors despite the somewhat warmer temperatures this week, seeing if limiting my walking will help my sore heel that has been making walking difficult for me since September. Some of the things my physical therapist has recommended have helped relieve some of the pain, but unfortunately, not all of it.
The Riddle of Acceptance
The question I always wrestle with is, how to accept what is at the same time as doing all I can to hopefully heal chronic physical pain issues. It’s a paradox that I have not resolved over many years of chronic health issues.
As I write I am thinking about the concept of acceptance and its relationship to suffering. I really try to stay out of fix-it mode with my health, because whenever I go there it doesn’t work out very well for me. At the same time, simply giving up and not trying anything doesn’t seem very smart either.
The closest I have come to resolving the riddle is to embrace each moment with acceptance. “Yes, this is how it is for me right now,” while also embracing the possibility that some things that I do in my life can improve the quality of my life.
Openness, Curiosity
When I approach pain with openness and curiosity I can welcome it in, even though I might prefer no pain. Sometimes I intuitively find something that helps improve my health. Other times whatever was causing pain simply stops causing the pain and I have no idea why.
For over a year, I could not eat any raw vegetables and really had to limit many foods that I love to eat because of ongoing gut issues. Then after Thanksgiving last year, things suddenly improved and I’ve been enjoying salads, legumes, and many other foods that I had been limiting. I don’t know why things finally improved. And over the many years that I’ve consulted doctors about these issues, they have no idea about the cause of these issues either.
Gratitude
Though I might wish all of my health problems away, I am truly grateful for them because of what I have learned because of them. We don’t always have choices about what life brings us. But we do have choices about how we deal with what life brings us.
Hawaii memories from Feb. 2013
The past two years have been challenging for everyone. And I understand how many simply want to forget about everything that has happened and return to “normal.” But I believe that we can learn from everything that has happened and from the uncertainty we all face. We can become wiser, kinder, and gentler. And we can recognize what is real and has true value in our lives, and what is simple glitter and glitz. We can wake up and choose love now and in every moment.
May you walk in beauty.
Hawaii Memories, Feb. 2013
Hawaii memories, Feb. 2013
Hawaii memories, Feb. 2013, the house where I lived for 3 months
Hawaii memories 2013, Banyan Trees
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