Archives for category: The Big 5
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No, Seriously

June 27, 2014 //
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Life will not be argued with on this point; change is. Seriously. lol.

I had plans for the evening, last night. Change, however, is. My experience had a lot more to do with being close to accessible plumbing than a night out, dinner, a show…Change is, and it isn’t always a change we’re happy about. Initially, I struggled to keep myself on track with the planned evening; I had been looking forward to seeing this show, having this night out, since we planned it.  By the end of my work day, I was beyond feeling guilty about ‘ruining the evening’, and just angry, disappointed, and more than a little hesitant to face a half an hour on public transportation and two one-mile walks with the gastrointestinal challenges I was having.  I was also really hungry, rather thirsty, and not comfortable with either eating or drinking water until I could be sure of having a toilet nearby.  It sucked.

The evening was blown. I spent it in solitary misery, my churning guts preventing any real sleep or rest – and oh hey, here’s something I did not know; it’s damned difficult to meditate your way out of nausea, or between bouts of other assorted human primate gastrointestinal nastiness.  Sometimes being human is incredibly gross.  I mostly just drifted in and out of awareness, sweating, and waiting for whatever it was to pass. (lol)

My world didn’t end. My disappointment didn’t destroy me. I didn’t wake to feel that the world hates me for not attending this event.  I’m not drowning in regret or punishing myself. Change is. Sometimes we choose it, sometimes we accept it. Sometimes it is ‘a little from column A, a little from column B’.  It feels pretty good to wake this morning, having taken care of me last night.  My partners still had a great time, and since I didn’t find it necessary to be ‘needy’ while they were out, they probably didn’t have to spend the evening immersed in my suffering – I don’t know all the details of their experience; they wisely kept their distance after returning home, avoiding possible contagion, and respecting my need to rest (if I could). Respect. Nice one.

I can be so child-like and insecure when I’m ill. I take things unbelievably personally, sometimes, and struggle to make sense of a bigger perspective. My partners checked-in on me, via email while they were out, and after they came home, one checked-in on me for real, keeping a responsible distance (passionate tongue-kissing would not have been appropriate. lol). I woke to a gentle email reminder that if I am not well, to stay home from work. Considerate. Compassionate. I like that.

Today is a good day to look beyond the obvious.

Today is a good day to look beyond the obvious.

This morning I woke feeling better, and not just because I’m over whatever the hell that was; I also feel good experiencing my partners delivering on The Big 5.  That’s a big deal.

Today is a good day to take care of me, to be compassionate with others, and to roll with changes. Today is a good day for celebrating simple things and connecting with friends. Today is a good day to smile. Today is a good day to change the world.

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Categories Anxiety, Brain Injury, Healthy Living, Love, Menopause, Mindfulness, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Relationships, Sleepless Nights, The Big 5

One for You

June 26, 2014 //
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Good morning – or afternoon, or evening – I hope that the moment you find yourself in feels comfortable and that you are content, if not generally, then at least right now.

Yes, you.

This post is for you. Each of you, all of you, any of you. Because you are reading these words. Because you stopped by just this once to check out this blog, for some reason, today. Because you’ve bookmarked it and read it often. Because you clicked a link to my blog from a comment on some adult blog, figuring on more of the same, and instead of being disappointed, you’ve come back a few times to read more. Because you don’t even know me, and find value in sharing some piece of my experience anyway. Because you do know me, you know me well, and you quietly read each post, rarely speaking up to make a comment or observe a detail, or offer a helpful suggestion, understanding perhaps that there is a fundamental loss of privacy happening, between you and me, when I write and you read – and knowing me, you understand how vulnerable and raw that may actually feel. Because you know me, not as well as you’d like, and you remain curious and fascinated, and enjoy the vicarious ‘insider information’ that occasionally feels like you know so much more about me now.  Because you’re a troll or a spammer, out there doing your thing, and some one time, some one post, actually touched you – you’re still spamming me, but you made one pleasant, sincere, heartfelt comment that even had good spelling and grammar.  Because you are you, and you are reading these words, long after some little joke of mine has begun to wear thin, or some metaphor has finally be over-worked to death.

This post is for you. Thank you. That’s really it, just a thank you.  I kept a journal for years, you see, and although I write nearly compulsively, and often find I ‘don’t get it’ until I see something in words, I found myself drowning myself in the very words I love so much, and writing endlessly the damaging ruminations and negative thoughts I was stuck on. I wrote volumes. This is the simplest truth, I know; they are stored in a bin or two in the attic, save for some small number that have more meaning, or capture an important time of change. Those sit unread on a bookshelf by my bed, in case I need to ‘check myself’ about who I was then, or what events seemed to be about at that time.  As 2012 drew to a close, and I approached my 50th birthday, my whole experience sort of crashed in around me and I found myself mired in pain and doubt and regret, and frankly unsure that continuing to live had any value at all.  I didn’t really discuss that detail of my experience with anyone. I tried once or twice, and it was quickly apparent that I wasn’t getting anywhere, or making a connection.

Writing in my journal wasn’t helping me, anymore, and I was no longer sure my writing had value of any kind, or any purpose, or have anything of interest to any person. I was quietly planning to ‘check out’. Then… life went from bad to worse. It was all pretty subjective – the factual details of my experience of everyday life just weren’t particularly ‘bad’, not even a little. It was my emotional experience, my personal, subjective, internal experience of ‘self’ that had finally just caved in.  I started this blog then, aware at the time that these could be the last things I had to say, to share, and for me that meant that doing my best to make them ‘worthy’ and genuine and real was important to me.  This blog ended up being a big piece of ‘saving my life’.

This is no longer a salvage operation. I’m building on the best of who I am learning to be, and taking those tools, and experiences, and each day working to be just a bit better at being me, at being the best of me, that I can. You’re part of that. Thank you.

Why am I saying ‘thank you’ today? Because you thanked me first.  Yesterday was an interesting day for that.  I got a flurry of emails about a particular post, and it happens now and then, and this particular flurry of grateful and appreciate words felt so warm and nurturing – not saying thank you would be rude.  Thank you for caring how I am doing. Thank you for finding value in my observations on life, and my commentary on my challenges, my growth, my progress, and life’s curriculum.  It’s an amazing journey, and it matters to me that we’re sharing it.

I hope your today is a success – however you define it – and that your choices are wise and support your needs over time. I hope today the challenges seem less challenging and more rewarding, and that you take a chance on you. You deserve the best you have to offer. You matter.  Thank you for reading my blog.

Like a potted rose slaking its thirst on a gentle rain; I'm grateful.

Like a potted rose slaking its thirst on a gentle rain; I’m grateful.

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Categories Brain Injury, Healthy Living, Love, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Relationships, Roses, Summer, The Big 5, Turning 50, women, Words

Back to the Lessons

June 25, 2014 //
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I woke early this morning. It was very late before I fell asleep. A short night; there are potential consequences later in the day, when I start to feel fatigued. These days that is nothing more than something to be mindful of, to account for with kindness and compassion – and patience with myself.  At this early hour, that’s all theory for later. For now, I am quietly enjoying the too-brief tranquility of mornings and studying. This morning I am studying concepts of attachment and ‘clinging’ that undermine growth, development, ‘becoming’, and emotional resilience.

Sure, why not?

Sure, why not?

I spent a few moments, recently, grieving the loss of a particular experience I wholly enjoy. Like so many things, it could be that its time has simply passed; change is.  I experienced the sadness of that, the loss, and generally such moments feel destructive, joyless, and despairing to me. Yesterday I deviated from my norm, some glitch in my programming turned up and… I understood concepts related to attachment that I have been struggling with for some time now.  Change is. Growth happens through change – whether we embrace it or not – but the nature and extent of our growth may be affected by whether we embrace change or struggle with it.

Change is part of life.

Change is part of life.

I’m not saying I like the concept. I’m just saying yesterday I woke up to an important idea, and accepted it; when I can let go of attachment to specific experiences, possessions, or qualities of character I have chosen as ‘my identity’, I can achieve something new, try something, experience more, and move forward on life’s trajectory.  Even the most perfect of lovely mornings, repeated endlessly, could grow stale.  So, okay, I can find contentment in change…loss still hurts. Saying good-bye can still feel sad. Grief and grieving are still honest and heartfelt emotional experiences that are likely for most of us, at some point in life. Nothing unique there… but I grieve a broken porcelain demi-tasse cup with the emotional depth and intensity that some save for losses of life, and it occurs to me that may not be the best way to take care of my heart, or treat myself well.

I see this same scenario play out in other lives, too; at work, having to change schedules unexpectedly, it isn’t unusual for a coworker facing such a change to take it all very personally, to cling to what they know, and to fight change with a ferocity one might find reasonable on a battlefield…and then to see that same coworker happily embracing new opportunities opened by that change in schedule, once they experience it. Change is scariest when I cling tightly to what I have right now, to avoid facing change, itself.  It mattered yesterday because I was contemplating a change in household hours/schedules that can’t help but throw my own routine out of whack, and that sort of thing sometimes takes me weeks to adjust to.  I realized I was not helping myself by holding on to my attachment to what had been.  I still feel sad that I may be letting a delightful emotional butterfly flutter away…but I am also grateful to have enjoyed it so much, for so long.

My garden in summer, a surprisingly fragile 'now'.

My garden in summer, a surprisingly fragile ‘now’.

There are so many experiences I have enjoyed that just aren’t part of my experience now. Every one of them remains part of my experience over time, and my history. Each has value as a treasured memory. Each exists as a sort of random card in an infinite deck of things I enjoy that could reoccur. Many of them won’t. Holding on to them, refusing change, prevents me from embracing new experiences to add to that infinite deck.  Sounds so easy, so obvious…but…

I really like sipping ice-cold root beer and sitting near the fan on the screen porch at Grandmother’s house, eavesdropping on adult conversations on a humid summer afternoon.

I really like playing monopoly or cribbage by the tent stove, with my motor pool colleagues, waiting for my guard duty shift.

I really like running bare footed down the trails in the woods, where I was not supposed to be playing and could generally be found (with some effort) any childhood summer morning.

I really like lazy Sundays with generous brunches, sleeping in, a lot of sex, a great playlist, and a bit of gardening.

I really like late night strolls through park-like old residential neighborhoods on balmy summer nights.

I really like spending the day out on the water on my grandparent’s sail boat.

I really like being out at the range, honing my skills, and competing with myself and feeling like a bad ass.

I really like keeping a few chickens.

I really like slipping away to a nearby swimming hole on a Friday when I could be working, but the broad blue skies of Oklahoma suggest otherwise.

I really like hanging out with a lover, sharing anecdotes about who we each are, growing closer, and laughing together over coffee or lovemaking.

I really like new love and romance.

I really like being between jobs and taking months off for me.

I really like summer vacation.

…And I miss these things. There are a lot of experiences, moments, and relationships that I enjoy right now that I won’t have in some tomorrow down the road. Just like that list of experiences I am not having in my now.  Some of them I may experience again. Some of them I may never experience again.  Hell, some of them I don’t want to experience if to do so I have to return to the life or context in which I had them before. That’s something to consider, there.

So. Sure. It makes sense to let go. To accept change. To adapt. What comes next? Something new.

Clinging to what has been can prevent me seeing something new.

Clinging to what has been can prevent me seeing something new.

Today is a good day to embrace change.

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Categories Anxiety, Brain Injury, Free Will, grief, Healthy Living, Logic & Reason, Menopause, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Relationships, Summer, The Big 5, women

A Whistle Stop in Hormone Hell

June 24, 2014 //
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Most journeys of any substantial distance or great importance have moments of value, and moments I could have done without. Seems reasonable to expect it would be so, simply considering the statistical improbability that any journey would be utterly lovely, and without challenge, from start to finish.

Metaphorically speaking

Metaphorically speaking

Yesterday started well, but for the headache I woke with…which evolved into something very like ‘morning sickness’ and proceeded to hot flashes and heavy sweating somewhat later, followed by a vague sensation of anger that hadn’t yet erupted, which lingered with the headache for much of the remainder of the day. It entirely sucked. Other than how I felt subjectively (body and mind) it seemed in all respects to be a nice day.  Hormone Hell.  I finally admitted I just ‘wasn’t there’ with a good day, myself, and took care of me with every tool I have at hand these days.

It can be so simple.

It can be so simple.

1. I changed my environment; heading for the most emotionally safe space I could (in this case, home).

2. I took steps to relax; a shower, comfy clothes, yoga, a nice cup of herb tea, selected with care to ease symptoms, where possible.

3. I pursued an intellectually engaging distraction; reading and study in a current area of great interest.

4. Meditation – and this being the ‘favorite wrench’ in my tool box, I did it several times, as needed, no timer.

5. Got some space. I talked over explicit boundaries with my at-home partner and ensured that we both got the space we needed to deal with my unpredictable hormones and temperament.

6. Utterly without guilt got the rest and sleep I clearly needed, crashing earlier than usual, and sleeping soundly through the night almost until my alarm went off.

The day ended well, and by ‘well’ I mean I didn’t throw a childish tantrum, having a screaming fit of rage, alienate myself from every reasonable person I know, or cry myself to sleep.  It was a quiet evening, spent gently.

The basics matter.

The basics matter.

I woke this morning in a very different place: calm, content, mostly pain-free, relaxed, and well-rested.  The world looks very different than it did through hormone colored lens. I’m glad I’m not there, today.

Today is a new day, and so far a lovely one. My coffee is hot, and black, and somehow ‘just right’. I feel content and I feel the tug of a smile at the corners of my lips; a nice start to the day.  I feel alert and eager to take on the day, to commit to the moment, to take on new projects… I feel inspired.  Today is a good day to be the best of who I am, unconcerned that a moment of humanity may reveal me, flawed, vulnerable.  Today is a good day to pursue dreams and share conversations with strangers. Today is a good day to say ‘yes’ to life and love. Today is a good day to be kind. Today is a good day to change the world.

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Categories Brain Injury, grief, Healthy Living, Hormone Hell, Menopause, Metaphors, Mindfulness, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, The Big 5, women, Words

Let the Buyer Beware

June 23, 2014 //
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I woke with a headache, and although I am in a decently pleasant mood, the headache definitely colors my experience.  I’m also stiff.  No big surprise there; the hike yesterday was at the limits of what my current fitness and skill level permit. So worth it. I mean…seriously?

A lovely way to 'take care of me'.

A lovely way to ‘take care of me’.

This morning, my coffee tastes strong and no-nonsense; this is a Monday morning that isn’t fucking about or dragging its feet. There’s work to be done, and an entire new week in which to do it.  The headache just reminds me to take care of me, and to treat myself well, and gently, and with compassion.

I woke from an odd moment in The Nightmare City, well before my alarm went off.  What woke me was the sudden realization that an interestingly fundamental slogan in our culture is also exceedingly negative, defensive, and carries an implicitly confrontational subtext – and I’d never noticed before that as ‘cultural platforms’ go, it’s not a pretty picture of who we are. Ready for it? “Let the buyer beware.” (You knew that was coming, right? From the title of the post?)

Let the buyer beware.  Think that over for a moment. Maybe I’m completely off the mark; the teachings of The Nightmare City are not always obvious, and not always what they seem initially to be.

Let the buyer beware. Sure, okay. As a cautionary statement, it does make sense to ‘take care of me’ and give due consideration to something I may purchase – or ‘buy into’. I entirely agree, too, that an informed and savvy consumer doesn’t eschew the opportunity to examine their decision and make every attempt to ensure that an item, event, or ideology is as represented before making a purchase; it matters to be informed, and to make careful choices that meet needs over time. Still… think about that sentence. Let the buyer beware.

Is it just me, or does the sentence ‘Let the buyer beware’ tend to imply that it is expected, understood, and accepted that the sellers of goods, services, or ideologies will indeed use any and all means necessary to make the sale – without regard to value, fit, or desirability – resulting in the necessity of every potential consumer to defend him/herself from fraud or wasteful spending (of money, of time, of interest), and to be alert to being cheated? Wow. So… instead of reinforcing great ethics, and values, we earnestly remind each other, and ourselves, to prepare to be cheated, because we know how likely it is.  Practical, sure, but… wow.

Is this who we are? Defensive, negative, prone to treating each other badly, exploiting others to get ahead, willing to defraud, to cheat, to deceive… Honest is easier, open is far less complicated to sustain, fair and compassionate is a much prettier picture of who we are – or who we can be.  What subtle ripples does ‘let the buyer beware’ cause in our entire culture, in our shared experience, and our shared understanding of who we are as individuals, as a society?  More questions. More steps along a journey.

Today is a good day to reconsider assumptions. Today is a good day to change the world.

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Categories Brain Injury, Free Will, Healthy Living, Logic & Reason, Metaphors, Mindfulness, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Summer, The Big 5, Words
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