Every Day Zen
"Good work,” my neurologist said, adding, “easy for me to say.” We were discussing my relapsing-remitting cervical myelopathy. “It's pretty much a full-time job," was my response which did not surprise him but did me. In over 40+ years of chronic auto immune disease, I refused to see it as my full-time anything. Just the... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView, “All Right Will Never Be the Same,” is a drive through Georgia, one that I take frequently, but not usually in the way I did in this post. It does involve the medical profession and the unexpected. I hope you enjoy the post. As always, I provide the swinging bench. Aim for Even... Continue Reading →
Ah, up to my neck in alligators. The morning's first meditative thought, familiar and friendly. Tricky though--thoughts--learning to look and not touch or risk getting swept up in ego’s infinite loop. Awareness can be exhausting, and when I feel the alligators, I know I must sit with my energy. I’ve separated my yin from yang. Being... Continue Reading →
I am in search of sentences. Have been for days, weeks actually. I gather words but they are more a jumble than not. As witless as my words are, my hands and arms feel as if they belong to someone else. I’m in another major flare-up, a conflation of autoimmune and spinal cord disease. With... Continue Reading →
Some time ago, I wrote that the #DailyDose—of energy--does not necessarily mean a daily post. It is the vibration of chronic illness that determines whether writing happens or not. I aim to meet the daily rhythm of the energy; that is the heart of Aim for Even. For nearly two weeks, there has been no... Continue Reading →
Monica de la Torre says, “The sky’s changeups are reminders that this will not drag on forever.” I never thought of the sky as an ongoing image of impermanence but, of course, it is. All I need to do is look up. It’s rather like binge watching The Man in the High Castle or The... Continue Reading →
No matter the purpose of my appointment with the neurosurgeon, the conversation always comes down to autoimmune disease. Today’s visit was no different. This is the same neurosurgeon’s office that--a few weeks ago--rescheduled my appointment without telling me. Beyond that, there was an additional conversation about another scheduling error. However, we all showed up today... Continue Reading →
Often, I write of looking through the life lens of chronic illness. It is the experience I have, the reality I know. Sometimes, it breaks me open, and that is not a bad thing. Letting go of what is already slipping away is how we actually enjoy our life Lewis Richmond “Enjoying life” may not... Continue Reading →
It is a crisp, North Florida morning, a sunshine bright 33°, although the day may warm to the high 60s. What warms the heart will eventually warm the body is my energy mantra. I dress in layers for this is not a day that favors autoimmune disease, anemia, or arthritis. It is a day for... Continue Reading →
Physically, this is a perfect storm day for me. My spinal cord and autoimmune disease are merging into my version of a category one hurricane. I predict it will not become a category five. After 40 years, my forecasts are fairly reliable. How I engage this powerful energy determines the life of the storm. There... Continue Reading →
Aim For Even: The Daily Dose 