exhale completely
blow out the candle
before the next wish
the next year

this poem
still conceptual
let it go
let it go
 
Exhaling, blowing out a metaphoric candle after a recent birthday, I’m already thinking of the next email, the next thing on the to do list, the next wish, the next year.

It’s EXHAUSTING!

It’s why I love meditation so much, the free gift that no one else can give me, sacred time I give back to myself for all the ways I’ve missed out on my own life.

Exhaling completely, I’m surprised by how much space there is internally, the capacity to hold whatever is next without betraying this moment. For 20-30 minutes a day, I don’t need to be anyone, do anything, go anywhere. It’s a conscious letting go, dying with each outbreath to be reborn again and again with a little less dust in the eyes and a stronger capacity to love.
I still hold on to many things, including these words, still conceptual, like directions to a place I already am.
​
What would it mean to let go, to let life come to me rather than chasing it?

Each day as I leave for work,
Mummy imparts the ancestral
blessing of Jai Shri Krishna
punctuated by Have a nice day.
A nice day is when each patient
is on time, no dirty laundry
hanging outside their neatly packed
suitcase of symptoms I hope will
disappear after the appointment is done.
 
Today, I challenged the notion
of a nice day, invited a few patients
with heavier suitcases to stay awhile,
to unpack their symptoms and the
stories underneath them. I learned
that I don’t have magic medicine
to soothe every ailment or a perfect 
plan to permanently cure disease.
 
What I can offer is a loving look 
that says I see you as more 
than a problem list of diagnoses,
supportive listening presence
that hears the wish for wellbeing,
compassionate hands holding
all the places that feel broken
inside patients, inside myself
trusting something larger than
us both to guide the way.
 
*****
 
What does it mean to wish someone a nice day, a nice weekend, a nice vacation? For me, there is often a mental labeling that is associated with nice. It could mean good, smooth, easy, joyful, happy, no drama, etc.
 
And I know that this perpetual notion of nice goes against the natural rhythms of life. Things are often far from perfect. The seventy something year old patient with a long list of complaints who can’t come in at a later appointment and is trying to fit into a 20-minute slot, now 10 minutes after rooming and me running behind schedule. The driver who weaves in and out of two lanes on community roads as if it were a racetrack. This body that misbehaves physically, emotionally, and spiritually despite my best efforts to heal it (more like control it). A virus that continues to mutate despite advances in science, technology, public health, and so much more.
 
When I challenge the notion of a nice day, perfect life, or anyone, anything that catches me off guard, the attention widens, deepens to notice what else in present. What have I missed? What can I remember? What wholesome heart-mind states will help to hold what is happening with humor, compassion, care, wisdom, patience, trust, beauty, courage, among other things?
 
It takes energy to widen and deepen the attention. I’m not always in the right heart-mind state to do so. It helps to remember that I am not a limitless source of energy, that sometimes it’s best not to confront uncomfortable situations when tired, hungry, sleep deprived, reactive, or any other indication that I am likely to cause more damage than repair. I also need to wisely discern what is in my control, and when I’m trying to drive a car without the right keys.
 
Expending too much energy in multiple directions against the flow of life is useless. I can tell when the body is physically exhausted, the mind agitated and still trying to formulate an alternative plan, the heart whispering to just stop and remember a different way. When I heed the heart’s advice, body and mind slow down. Full exhalations occur before the next inhalation, so there is more space for wholesome qualities to enter.
 
*****
​
As a healer, family and community member, the burden of guilt sometimes outweighs the freedom to travel the path of least resistance. I’m learning that it’s not all up to me or in my hands, AND I still care. In certain situations where I don’t have magic medicine to soothe every ailment or a perfect plan to permanently cure disease, the gift of steady, loving presence is profound. When I trust in the mysterious unfolding of each being’s life (including my own) and apply energy in a manner that supports healing and freedom, there is less ego attachment and more connection to the moment. There is also recognition that things will change, that what’s useful now may need adjustment in a different scenario, trusting something larger ​than the ego self to lead the way.

I see you Mara, conjuring dreams
of no control and not belonging,
replaying old classics in movie mind
as if they are the whole story.

What if I lay on my back, fully
surrendered to what’s playing
without needing to control content,
breathing into the body’s story?

May I trust the heart’s compassion
to support new stories or resilience-
loving presence a cocoon
nurturing metamorphosis within.
​

On the healing journey, the tendency is to resist pain and prefer a cure. I am no different. If there is an antibiotic that can treat an infection, a cast that can mold broken bones, a treatment that can offer relief, then I will vigorously support it.

And there are some things that don’t have immediate answers, remedies that can’t readily alleviate suffering. For sacroiliac and gluteal muscle discomfort, I’ve tried yoga, Qigong, Ayurveda , homeopathy, acupuncture, medication, chiropractic care, physical therapy, nature therapy, meditation, writing, dream interpretation, talk therapy, and mostly recently art therapy.

After typing out this list, whispers of judgment arise. Maybe if you weren’t complacently sitting around and doing more research for the perfect therapy, your ass wouldn’t hurt so much. Or maybe you aren’t spending enough time with one modality, expecting a miracle and instant gratification.

The whispers are met with smiles. Understanding the yearning for relief from suffering, the heart patiently responds. Dear One, you don’t need to try so hard. Surrender the resistance as best as you can. I will never leave you.

Surrender does not mean abandoning the healing modalities that are helping. It means not placing the burden of expectation on any one modality to produce a definitive answer, a cure.

​As a family physician, it’s a privilege to support a patient’s wellbeing. When there is a reliable treatment for dis-ease, we both appreciate the gifts of modern medicine. It’s harder to work with a diagnosis that is uncertain, it’s treatment even more elusive.

As I learn to cultivate loving presence and stay with this body, may it support healing presence with others.

It’s the transitional state that is often overlooked and dismissed.

There is a key that I’ve found through these practices, unlocking mysteries, answering questions I’ve had over lifetimes. I’m so afraid to lose this key, guarding it sometimes to the detriment of my relationships with loved ones. What if I forget? What if I’m not perfect in practices, in life? Will I spiral down into the womb of bloody postpartum darkness where thoughts threaten connection and unwanted emotions signal abandonment? Who will love me then? Will I be strong enough alone? Can I remember these practices without the key?

Menstrual cycles are irregular. Moods shift like unpredictable weather patterns. Gripping the key tightly- identities of a meditator, writer, physician, healer, mother, wife, daughter, family member and friend, I don’t want the life I’ve so carefully constructed over the last fourteen years to change. If it does, I only want it to change for the better (whatever that means).

In meditation this morning, I heard the following words. Awareness that this practice is not about perfection or self-improvement, but trusting the heart without expectation. What if I toss the key into the ocean, allow the waves to swallow this house of sand?

Loving awareness is everywhere. It’s time to let go of the key…

Bubbles and Butterflies by Shirley Reede

I was grateful for some quiet time to unplug from work - sit, walk, read, write, and engage with the Bikkhunis from Aloka Vihara and poems from the Therigatha on a home retreat for a few days.

 
Tissa ~ Third
 
Why stay here
in your little 
dungeon?
 
If you really
want to be free,
make 
every
thought--
a thought of freedom.
 
Break your chains.
Tear down the walls.
 
Then walk the world--
a free woman.
 
 
In the silence, a life pattern I’ve known about for some time resurfaced for contemplation.
 
I rely on specific outcomes, conditions for happiness.
 
Since the pandemic changed our way of life in March, I’m reflecting on identity, what really matters to me, and how I want to contribute to the wellbeing of others based on my own dance with life.
 
I was filled with ideas of healing hope, gift wrapping them faster than others could open and enjoy them. “Would any physician like peer support, mindfulness training? How about compassionate support? Would any patient like a mindfulness consultation, a tailored mindfulness meditation created just for you? Step right up and sign up for a mindfulness for stress shared medical appointment, or an online six-week meditation and reflective journaling class.”
“Take me out of respiratory clinic! That isn’t where my talent is. As every place is being hit hard economically, medicine is no exception. I’d like to make a living (right livelihood) offering mindfulness as medicine in addition to Western medicine.”
 
Just typing all this out and reading it aloud makes me realize how much energy I’ve directed into willing a certain outcome.  I’ve also strategically tried to plan trips when other vacation plans were cancelled for safety reasons, and constantly check my phone to see if I’m receiving emails or texts that align with my ideal future. What have I missed along the way?
 
There is so much compassion for this heart-mind that dearly loves mindfulness, not just for stress reduction, but for the deep and profound ways the teachings have changed and healed my life. Of course I am passionate about this! I just need to remember that is not the medicine for everyone. Or, the package it comes in, the way that it’s offered may not work for everyone.
 
As much as I enjoy and am committed to Western medicine for its miracles and healing opportunities, it does not always integrate body, mind and spirit the way meditation and writing do. I understand why it feels like a part of my healing energy, my creative spirit stagnates when it doesn’t flow the way I envisioned it would.
 
Life is asking me to be on the lookout for joy and wonder like a toddler delighting in summer bubbles and butterflies. Life is also asking me to get curious, to be patient, to delight in the care received from others and be on the lookout for opportunities to extend care to others. 
 
Having a distinct vision for joy, wonder, and care is not wrong. It’s the attachment for things to be a certain way that causes suffering. It’s the limiting beliefs that cause distress. Anything short or different from The Vision is a failure, not good enough, all my fault.
 
 
Letting Go (inspired by Tissa ~ Third)
 
Why stay here
in your little 
world?
 
If you really
want to be happy,
make 
every
moment,
a moment of care.
 
Open your mind.
Let go of limiting thoughts.
 
Then meet each moment
with curiosity and wonder.
 
 
May we all let go of life patterns that cause suffering. May we let go into life’s mysterious unfolding.
May we be on the lookout for joy, wonder and care in each moment.
 
(Please share information about this class with anyone interested. As I am learning to let go, I can still advertise😉!)

​Dear Healthcare Workers,

Change is inevitable. With the current pandemic, change at work (and elsewhere) is likely faster than you ever expected. How can you meet these moment to moment changes, acknowledging the thoughts and true feelings underneath them? How can you remember the body that is holding so much right now? Who or what can you count on in challenging times? What does connection, collaboration, and self-care mean to care for others?

If these questions resonate, then perhaps you will find this guided mindfulness meditation for healthcare workers useful.

Thank you for caring!
​

As a front-line family physician, I’m used to offering compassionate care to patients, and listening to the care team at work. I’m used to holding space for meditation and reflective journaling classes, supporting family and friends in ways that feel wholesome.

And sometimes it’s overwhelming. With the recent pandemic, the constant barrage of news, work email updates, protocols constantly changing, and questions, there has been little time to contemplate what’s happening within.

This body is also in greater pain than normal. After several months of physical wellbeing with PT and engaging in movement practices I love (yoga, hiking, walking, Qigong), the body has decided to speak (scream at times). I’m sure it’s contributing to the overwhelm with fear eclipsing the things I usually see and remember.

Over the years, I’ve cultivated a strong lovingkindness and compassion practice to face challenges. But somewhere along the way, I’ve forgotten to pause for fifteen seconds six times a day to really let joy’s sunlight reach all the dark places within me. To help me remember, I joined an Awakening Joy course.

For a few days I was diligent with the practice, opening like a sunflower to moments of gratitude throughout the day. The pain in the sacroiliac joints and gluteal muscles was improving. Yeah, I thought. I’m on the right path!
Then the body screamed. I’m doing the PT daily. I’m trying to take it easy physically. Where am I going wrong??? In a state of despair and overflowing tears, I reached out to people who could help me remember what I was forgetting. The incoming texts/emails of care and support definitely helped me to remember a few things.

1.) I must put my own oxygen mask on first before I can take on the suffering of others. This means meeting my own suffering with compassionate care and asking, What’s needed now? I’m not always in a quite space to listen, so it’s important to take this time when possible, pencil in an appointment for myself, like I did this morning. 

2.) S.O.S.  I heard this acronym through a prerecorded webinar my work offered titled “Managing the Unknown”. When you notice that you are on information overload, and the brain, body and heart cannot take any more, STOP what you are doing. Stop clicking on more news links online, more email. Stop engaging in conversation that is echoing doomsday. Stop immersing yourself in more secondary trauma. OBSERVE the thoughts and feelings within with kindness. If that’s hard, imagine a kind, supportive being/presence with you. Stay here as long as you need to really listen internally. SWITCH to something that is positive and nourishing – a cup of tea, a conversation with a friend, music, a walk, journaling, humor, etc. (I’ve also heard this as  S.T.O.P.: Stop. Take a breath.  Observe thoughts and feelings. Proceed with something nourishing. 

3.) Stay informed so that you have the latest information from the CDC, WHO, your local state, county, and health care professionals AND ask yourself what else you need to hear so that the scales are balanced. It’s easy to listen to statistics, worsening conditions, and conversations around you that accentuate the negative. What do you need to hear that’s positive? Where can you find this? It might be an inspiring quote, book, movie, song, story, prayer, etc. If you are having a hard time looking, ask others! Try this one on:

"My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.”  
-Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Jungian psychoanalyst, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves. 

4.) Which brings me to my next point. Be a calm presence where you can be. Today I had the opportunity to speak with a relative overseas, a local business owner, and a stranger while shopping for groceries. The questions that used to sound like massive missiles attacking were surprisingly welcome. The conversations included some of what I am sharing here. If staying calm is not possible (it’s not expected, even for me), then can you be generous in other ways? Can you call someone who is currently quarantined, or check on them in other ways that do not place yourself at risk? Do you have an extra toilet roll, hand sanitizer, can of food that you’re saving for The Apocalypse? Do you know of neighbor you can share this with, someone who is restricted financially, physically, or by some other means?  Generosity cultivates abundance of heart and mind, widens survival of the fittest perspective into one of interdependence. Just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and don’t share if you’re sick.

5.) Impermanent/Imperfect/Impersonal. Physical pain and global pandemics can feel permanent, imperfect, and personal. It sure feels perpetual, messy, and personal to me right now. But if I take a closer look, there are moments when the body isn’t raging, even parts that feel neutral or pleasant. There are times when corona virus is not the main news infecting body, mind, heart, and spirit. It was not the main news when I dropped my daughter off or picked her up from school, on a mini retreat this morning in sitting and walking meditation, while brushing my teeth or taking a shower. 

It can also help to remember that others are affected by what’s happening, just as you are. Knowing that so many lives have been affected, what can you keep doing regularly to maintain some sense of normalcy? (If you or someone you know has been significantly harmed physically, emotionally, financially, etc. please grieve the way that you need to. ‘Normalcy’ may be the last thing you need to hear/read.) Maybe it’s the way you comb your hair, brush your teeth, sip morning coffee or tea, go for a walk/run, meditate, eat, work, hug/kiss healthy family members, sing, dance, or any number of things you normally do (and are still doing:) Though change is inevitable, it’s healthy to maintain contact with who/what is familiar. It can nurture a sense of safety in times like this.
 
 
 
surrender
to a beating heart
an unsettled belly
a hand on each one
just sensing
just breathing
prana providing companionship
through every future unknown
 
 
This post is not written to negate the true feelings that are here: fear, anger, loneliness, despair, etc. It isn’t a spiritual bypass to a happier place untouched by illness or suffering. (If you know of such a place, let me know!). I needed to sit with all the paralyzing thoughts, feelings, and physical manifestations of them. I will likely be sitting with them for some time. Surrendering to a beating heart and unsettled belly, I placed a hand on each one, just sensing, just breathing, prana providing the companionship that was so desperately needed. I know that this simple act is not enough to heal the world, but it is certainly “mending the part of the world that is within my reach” through every future unknown.
 
May these reflections be of benefit to all beings everywhere without exception.