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Good Times

January 4, 2023 //
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This too shall pass? I know it’s real – I sometimes wish it weren’t.

I’m sipping coffee on a pleasant Wednesday. No stress. Just a “regular work day”… only, like I said, no stress. It’s nice. I’m in the office today, mostly because I’ve got an afternoon appointment at the VA, and it’s more convenient this way. Partly because it’s Wednesday… which has turned out to be a first rate day to come in to the office, then run errands on the way home that would be out of the way under other circumstances (but are quite convenient driving back from this location). The morning unfolds gently. I’m first into the office. I catch up on things, make a pot of coffee for colleagues who will arrive shortly, and pour a cup for myself. The cityscape beyond the window by my desk is just beginning to show hints of daylight – the sky is gray and overcast. One day of many, so far a good one.

…This too shall pass… it sounds ominous on a good day. LOL It’s just as real as pointing it out on a difficult day, though. I let the aphorism remind me to slow down and really savor this pleasant morning. Enjoy the journey. Take time to take time. Breathe, exhale, relax – and let the smile on my face reflect the contentment and joy in my heart.

What the hell, though? What’s with the merriment ‘n shit this morning? No idea. I just feel pretty good. Pain? Sure. Managed. Headache? Yeah, that too, and it was what woke me shortly before my alarm would have gone off. Rough. Still a good morning. Appointment anxiety about the CT scan later? Not much, no, it’s just an appointment to get an image done. There’s nothing much to fuss over, and work is comfortably planned and organized in front of me. That appointment, from this vantage point, is a fairly distant concern of little consequence. So, I sip my coffee with a smile. It’s enough.

Don’t forget to pause and really take note of the good times. Small joys matter, too. Maybe more than our biggest fears and stressful moments. “Filling my tank” on these pleasant experiences allows me to become more resilient in the face of less ideal circumstances. (This has always been true, although there was a time when I did not know it, and missed the opportunity to nurture and support myself from within.)

I load a playlist and begin again.

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Categories Allegories, breathe, Free Will, gratitude, Healthy Living, inspiration, Mindfulness, Moments, Perspective, Practices, The Art of Being

Summer Breeze

July 18, 2021 //
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I’m sipping my morning coffee on a sunny summer Sunday, thinking about Love. I feel relaxed and mellow. Sundays mean housekeeping – and that’s just fine with me. 🙂 I like a tidy living space, and investing the time and effort (as much as I am able), is worth the pay off in improved emotional wellness day-to-day.

The home automation project – which started with the lighting, and grew to a bigger project – is coming along nicely, with some frustrating moments here and there. I’m fortunate that my Traveling Partner has the interest and skills to take on the project. I don’t have to do much besides enjoy the outcome – and help out with testing things now and then. It’s pretty exciting – it’s a lot of work, though. I find myself hoping it’s actually a project he’s enjoying, after one of those previously mentioned “frustrating moments” this morning; I’d never force it on him. It’s likely to be an ongoing thing, as we learn what we like most about it, and change or improve on things over time. That’s already been a thing. lol

I’ll travel for work this week. That feels strange. I’m excited about it, mostly. I like traveling by rail, and that was what I chose this time. (I think my thinking was that it would be more… convenient…?)

…So far a pleasant day, and a joyful weekend…

I spent a few minutes this morning happily working on a project for the distant Yule holiday. I feel settled, here, safe, and contented. I pause on the awareness and sit with that awhile. It feels good, and I don’t want to miss the moment. Moments are what we have. 🙂

…Soon enough, it’s time to begin again, again.

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Categories Allegories, Brain Injury, breathe, Free Will, gratitude, Healthy Living, Love, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Relationships, Summer, The Art of Being

Welcome the Summer

June 21, 2021 //
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The seasons sometimes seem to change so peculiarly. Like, nope, not summer yet… not yet… not yet… NOW! Summer! lol It’s definitely a summer morning, this morning. Warmer than it seems like it should be, shortly before dawn, and a big muggy – I still enjoyed my walk, before work. It’s a nice start to the work day. So far the day is pleasant and mild – I know the afternoon will be a scorcher. It’s been in the news.

I think about ripe summer strawberries fresh from the garden, and cherries on the neighbor’s cherry tree, one temptingly loaded down branch dangles over the fence, beckoning me to turn my attention to the bounty of summer. It’s a work day; it’ll have to wait. 🙂

I sip my coffee, grateful for the pleasant start to the day, grateful to be in minimal pain this morning, grateful for A/C and modern conveniences like refrigeration, potable drinking water, and indoor plumbing. It wasn’t that long ago that sweltering days in the weather forecast would mean days of pure misery, cold showers, and trying to drink enough water or eat enough frozen ice pops of one sort or another to stay “comfortable” (for some versions of comfort – some summers it was enough just to succeed in not falling over from heat stroke). I look out the window, over the fence, beyond the pear trees; the wall of my neighbor’s house is illuminated by the early morning sun as it climbs to it’s preferred summer vantage point. It’s very bright. I smile; I’m grateful to be sufficiently wise to refrain from looking directly at the sun – some people are not similarly fortunate. 🙂

So. Another day. Another week. Another summer. Another moment to reflect with gratitude on how fortunate I really am to have come so far. Another chance to begin again. To reflect. To grow. To do better.

…I’ll get right on that, as soon as I finish my coffee. 🙂

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Categories Allegories, Brain Injury, breathe, Free Will, gratitude, Healthy Living, inspiration, Love, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Summer, The Art of Being

No Words

June 19, 2021 //
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I’m sipping my morning coffee on a sunny summery Saturday. No firm plans, no clear expectations; just me, this coffee, and this morning moment with my thoughts.

It’s expected to be a hot day. I won’t want to go for a walk in the heat of the afternoon. I think over where I might like to walk this morning… my thoughts are still fuzzy with “just woke up” fog and imprecision. Right now? Walking doesn’t even sound pleasant; my knee aches, my ankle aches, and my back hurts.

…Oh hey – no headache (right now)! Win!

My tomato plants are growing tall, and strong, and they are blooming plentifully. My Traveling Partner suggested yesterday that they be moved a bit further apart (realistic potential because they are planted in garden bags with handles, and can be moved with care). Maybe I’ll do that today… before it gets too hot…?

I picked strawberries from the garden on Thursday. So yummy! Fully ripe. Fresh. Delicious little bites of summer. There are a few left, and there are more on the plants, ripening in the sun. It’s a small plot of strawberries, and likely will be finished for the year before July ends. I think about putting a narrow raised bed along the opposite side of the step-stone walkway along which the strawberries are planted, into which I could plant more… maybe next year?

There is so much potential in this one human lifetime. So many choices. So many paths on which to travel into an unknown future… I don’t have much more going on than these musings this morning. It’s enough. 🙂 There’s this whole sunny day ahead, and so much potential…

…Time for a second coffee, and a new beginning. 🙂

Fresh. Out of so many, how do I choose? 🙂
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Categories Allegories, Brain Injury, breathe, Free Will, gardening, gratitude, Healthy Living, inspiration, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Relationships, Spring, Summer

Celebrating Moments

May 3, 2021 //
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My Traveling Partner and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend. 11 years as lovers, 10 years married. We didn’t do much about it, aside from noting the moment together, enjoying each other’s cooking, hanging out, and spending precious moments together. It was a very human experience; we also took turns dealing with our own, and each other’s, physical pain, and occasional off notes in love’s symphony. lol So human. We enjoyed good conversation, a deep connection, abiding affecting for each other, and some great music. Again, nothing particularly fancy or extraordinary, and with the pandemic being what it is, we spent our time together at home. 🙂 It is enough.

On one of my walks, I noticed the wild roses preparing to bloom. So soon?

It was a lovely weekend, and that’s how I remember it when I look back, in spite of being also aware that there were some moments I could have handled better (and some that perhaps he could have handled better). Yesterday I was in so much pain, generally, that by day’s end I’d maxed out on OTC and Rx pain relief, and still hurt enough to just call it a day quite early, thinking I’d just read quietly until whenever I felt sleepy… I don’t think I ever even picked up a book (or my Kindle).

I woke ahead of the alarm, with that painful day quite behind me, and an entirely new day ahead of me. I got up. Dressed. Went for my walk. Returned. Showered. Made coffee. Greeted my partner as he started his day. Now… here I am. 🙂 Sipping my coffee. Writing. Simple verbs. An ordinary morning.

Which moments are worth celebrating? Milestones like anniversaries seem an obvious choice. Perhaps it is less obvious to celebrate a routine pleasant Monday morning and a good cup of coffee? There are so many moments of suffering in a human life… I find value in celebrating even the small successes, and easy wins. Doesn’t seem to do me any harm to do so, and it tends to fill my day-to-day experience with small celebrations, which, generally, is quite pleasant. So… I do. 🙂

“The Alchymist” finally has a proper home in my garden. 🙂 Worth a moment to celebrate a very long journey to “home”.

A neighbor gave me a hand digging the hole for my only full-size potted rose, yesterday. I didn’t expect it, and was astonished that it was done so quickly. It was splendid to successfully replant The Alchymist into the garden from the big nursery pot it has endured for so long. 6 years? 7? (Could be going on 10…) I smile thinking of the remaining 3 roses that will go into the ground this Spring. I’m delighted that I have, thus far, managed each replanting without killing new growth, tearing off or breaking new shoots, or knocking off buds. 🙂

I was surprised how many buds there were on the long graceful canes of The Alchymist, already. Last year it only had one flower. LOL

…Small celebrations…

I remind myself to take a moment for life’s goodness, however humble, and to celebrate successes, however small. These moments are worthy of taking note, of savoring, of really enjoying – however brief they may seem, however modest in scale. An amazing, beautiful life can be built on small moments. 🙂

…And already it is time to begin again. 🙂 What are you celebrating, today?

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Categories Allegories, Brain Injury, breathe, Free Will, gardening, gratitude, Healthy Living, inspiration, Love, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Relationships, Spring, The Art of Being
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