May 7--Painting Emotions

I flow with what life offers me today.  --Mary Davis

    I have the option to flow or resist. Resistance takes much more energy, so right now, I'm choosing to flow. I may have to remind myself of that choice many times throughout the day!

    I have returned to painting. I was not able during the worst of the sciatica to will myself to sit and paint. Anxiety was overwhelming my creativity. Yesterday in a session with my spiritual coach, I came up with an idea for an "anger" painting. Being in extreme pain stirred up and moved a huge amount of anger through me, and now I am ready to paint it. It will be done only with fingers--no brushes or other utensils. This is likely one I will keep to myself. We shall see...

        Leta

Leta's fun with paints, several years ago

May 6--An Assortment

Listen to the heart. It always knows.  --Mary Davis

    Until I come up with another source, I will be using Mary Davis quotes from her excellent "daybook" titled "Every Day Spirit." Her daily wisdom is a bright spot in my morning spiritual practice. 

    Her May 4 writing is titled "Friends Are Diamonds." It lists the many wonderful qualities and practices of good friends. I took a photo of the page and sent it to several friends. I encourage you today to let at least one friend know how important she/he is to you.  

    Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, and nearly a dozen of us used that as an excuse to party on a Monday night. We gathered on a Mexican restaurant's patio enjoying a glorious evening of good food and silliness. This group is made up of really fine folks with whom I feel very comfortable. I am blessed to be included in the fun!

    Also yesterday I had my first application of dry needling at PT to help my sciatica situation. I consider dry needling to be the medical-insurance-approved name for acupuncture, but I know the therapist would disagree. In any case, it massively helped the "concrete" knot in my left butt cheek, that troublesome piriformis muscle. Mercifully, it did not hurt at all, unlike when I had it on my left shoulder and pectoral muscle a couple of years ago.  

    Onward, another day of healing,

        Leta

May 5--Weird Wonder

Speak low if you speak love.  --William Shakespeare

    Because having dirt under my fingernails is so good for my soul, today's topic is gardening. In a hopeful-I'll-get-over-this move, I purchased three flats of flowers--that's 108 plants. Yesterday I planted two of the flats, mostly going into pots, the rest going into our front bed. I was able to sit to plant all of it, and though I'm a bit sore this morning, I'm pleased with the efforts. I could not have done it without my husband's help as he had prepped the pots for me, then moved them to their destinations. As a reward, he now has a useful herb pot on the deck to flavor his excellent cooking. 

    There is a spot in the garden where a weird alien something has sprouted. It's sorta tough to see in the photo, but they are about 2" tall, cream-color, with a pink curved part at the top. They break off when touched and the flies LOVE them. Nothing is planted in this area. Googling suggests that they may be some kind of mushroom. Even though they creep me out, I also find them a source of wonder because in my 45+ years of gardening, I have never seen such a thing. 

    Nature is full of surprises, if only we pay attention.

        Leta

May 4--An "ah-ha" Moment

Love has nothing to do with good reasons.  --Henry James

    "May the fourth be with you." Eye-roll...

    As we move through life, we have the occasional "ah-ha" moment. One person's "ah-ha" moment can be a "duh!" to others. I had one such moment recently. One of the things I attempted to let go in our releasing ceremony in Bali was fear of aging poorly. I had a really hard time with turning 60. I suspect this is because my mother died just after turning 61. As earth rotations are zooming me toward 70, aging is more front-and-center for me, exacerbated by this lengthy sciatica recovery. 

    Back to the "ah-ha" moment... I noted that when I was in my 30s, 40s, 50s, I did not sit around pondering my demise. I just assumed that I would be around for a long time, and went upon my merry way in life. As I near 70, however, I realize that my end is much closer than it was two, three or four decades ago. However, in order to not bring doom upon myself, I need to return to operating on the assumption that I'm going to be around for a while, whatever "a while" may be. "I'm going to be here a while" is much more comforting than "my end is near." 

    What we focus on matters, and it takes constant vigilance.

        Leta

The pot of kitchen herbs 
I planted yesterday

May 3--A New Adventure

To love and be loved is the most empowering and exhilarating of all human emotions.  --Jane Goodall

    I had a new experience yesterday, a session in the Harmonic Egg. The description of this technology:

The Harmonic Egg® is a resonance chamber that uses light, color, music, and frequency to activate the body’s natural ability to balance and restore itself. The therapy is precisely controlled, consistent, and repeatable. It is non-invasive, completely natural, and safe for all ages, including babies and pregnant women.

    Before going there, I filled out a questionnaire that asks "whole person" questions about physical, emotional and spiritual health. One of the questions is "List past traumas." I answered, "I could write a book." When I was listing such in a pre-sesssion talk with Carol, the owner, so many came spilling out. Clearly I am in need of cellular-level cleansing help, so this was the perfect place to be. 

    She opened the EGG, a very large chamber with an incredibly comfortable recliner in the center. I settled in with a blanket, blue light and music for 40 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of silence. It was nap time, so of course, I fell asleep. It doesn't matter--it works awake or asleep, eyes open or closed. it just works. The goals of my first session were to relax and know what I need to do to release the sciatica issue from my body. 

    I certainly did a good job of relaxing. I don't know the answer to the second goal, but I can say that yesterday was the best day physically that I have had since this whole mess started. I actually slept in bed comfortably last night, all night long! 

    I'm signing up for a membership at Harmonic Wellness.

    Hopeful,

        Leta

From the website

May 2--Balance Must Be Restored

Because love is the meeting point between truth and magic.  --Julian Barnes

    Before this sciatica episode, I was able to stand on one leg for a full minute on each side. Now on my left side, I can't even make five seconds. I would offer this list of things not to take for granted:

• Good balance
• Sleeping comfortably in your bed
• Moving without pain
• Doing your favorite hobbies (mine: pickleball, golf, gardening, swimming, painting)
• Walking the dog
• Going out with friends
• Easily completing daily chores
• Parking far away and enjoying the extra steps
• Feeling good about your body
• Living without pain meds and sleep aids
• Soaking in a hot bath

One hour at a time,

        Leta

Our luxurious bathroom in Ubud, Bali--
a lovely tub to soak in!

May 1--Huge Help

I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.  --Vincent Van Gogh

    It did my spirit and soul great good yesterday when my dear friend and travel bud Lanie came over and helped to clean up my weed-infested garden. When she offered to help, she had no idea how big my garden is. She tackled the weeds enthusiastically nevertheless, and in less than two hours, we got most of the cleanup done. I was able to weed by sitting on my little garden stool. Lanie covered a lot more ground than I did, but it felt so good to be out there and get my hands dirty on a beautiful afternoon. Now I can look upon my lovely garden with joy rather than feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.  

    Then as a reward for our efforts, we went out for Mexican food and margaritas, woohoo!

        Leta

One of the lovely peonies currently 
showing off in my garden