...this, too, shall pass

Hello My People ~

Today seems a good day to speak a bit about endurance.

By definition, the word "endurance" means:

1. The fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.

I speak of this now because if you are a Human you will, no doubt, have moments (or days or weeks...) when you think you simply aren't going to make it. Something of such great force is going to test you to your very limits. You may experience these moments in the form of heartbreak or grief or intense and unyielding pain, in doses so huge that it will shake you to your very core.

I know this because I have.

Yesterday was one such day.

When I woke up from a not-so-restful slumber, my entire body was at DefCon TEN. That is to say, I could NOT move. Literally. It was so intense that all I could do was lie there and try my very best to BREATHE until I was able to move. I called to my puppy so she'd come lie next to me. I find great comfort in her close to me. Also, she always knows when I'm in distress. She lies there next to me, giving me the occasional kisses, and simply BE with me.

It helps.

It took nearly an hour before I could get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. The only word that can describe what it may have looked like is "frozen". As if my entire body was made of shards of ice. And trying to walk was like having those shards cut me into a million pieces with each step.

NOT fun.

As I made my way to the bathroom, I asked any and every Entity that might be lookin' out for me to PLEASE stay close. PLEASE don't let me fall or crash to the floor. PLEASE, for ALLTHATISGOOD, HELP ME.

They must've been listening. I made it to the bathroom, and back to my bed where I spent the ENTIRE day. The only time I got up was to let the Puppy out/in, feed her, and pour myself more water. Eating was out of the question. So was our daily walk.

Like I said: NOT fun.

Strangely enough, though, I didn't panic. Somewhere inside me I knew that this, too, would pass. I would be able to resume some semblance of normalcy if I could just stay calm and let my body do whatever it was trying to do. I have no idea what that was. But I trusted it and kept breathing deeply all through the day, into the evening, right into sleep again.

I slept much better last night and when I awoke this morning I knew the moment had passed. I knew I'd be able to get up and not have to endure that ungodly pain. I knew I had "made it".

Now, just to clarify here, I'm not sharing these unhappy moments with you so that you'll feel badly for me or about any of this. Rather, I'm sharing because I know I'm not the only one who deals with such things. I KNOW there are millions of people on this Planet who must also endure their own kinds of pain. And I know that many of those people may not be equipped to deal.

So it is for YOU, my Fellow Humans, I share this story so that you might remember that, no matter WHAT you're going through...no matter how horrible or excruciating or utterly defeated you may be feeling,

THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS.

You will rise up again, like the proverbial Phoenix, and get to start anew.
You will find Joy again.
You will find Ease again.
You will get on with your beautiful Life again, all the stronger for having endured your challenges.

You can count on it.

And yes, I still believe...

Joy is a CHOICE.

{"In the Arms of Love", Mixed media art by C.Olivia Strate}

...REAL Courage...

Today, as I stand to face the unyielding pain that seems to wish me undone, I am again reminded that one must dig deep to find REAL courage. Because no matter what "they" may say or how "they" insist that there is "nothing we can do", in my own heart I know that none of this is my Truth. I do not believe, for one second, that I was made this way so that I would succumb to such nonsense. Being stubborn and tenacious and utterly immovable in my belief, I will not abide their hopeless predictions. I will stand and face this Thing, whatever it may be, and hear Its message. I will hold fast to my Courage and trust that there is a reason. For all of it. And so, as much for myself as for those who may need it, here is a reminder of what REAL Courage IS:

"You risked your life, but what else have you ever risked?
Have you ever risked disapproval?
Have you ever risked a belief?
There is nothing particularly courageous in risking one's life.
So you lose it...you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey til the end of time, right?
You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences.
That's not courage.
Real courage is risking something you have to keep on living with.
Real courage s risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts
and suffer change
and stretch consciousness.
Real courage is risking one's
Cliches."

{from the novel "Another Roadside Attraction" by Tom Robbins}

when we were kids

Nothin' says 'happy' like kids playing. Romping about with nary a care in the world. In pajamas.

Big kids too. When we're wearing pajamas, something inside us kicks in and the child we are seems to bubble up and help us relax. As if just by wearing those cozy garments, we can shed the masks we wear by day...and just BE.

{Aside: I tried to find a video for "big kids pajama party" and was hit with a barrage of clips just this side of porn. So sad.}

But this isn't about pajamas. Or goats. Or the lack of big kids' pajama parties on YouTube.

{Aside #2: If you're somebody who's looking for YouTube fame, here's your chance.}

What it is about is how Big Kids have forgotten how easily they can engage their imaginations to ease themselves out of stress and back into Flow. Because if I've learned anything in the last ten years, it's this:

One can NOT find Flow when one is wrought with Stress.
It just ain't gonna happen.
It is an actual impossibility.
Your brain won't let you, no matter how hard you try.
This I know for sure.

Short of getting into some long-winded missive on all this, knowing what I know about attention spans these days, I'm simply going to leave you with this:

What IF, rather than wallowing in whatever it is that's troubling you, you go put on your coziest pajamas and have a pillow fight. Or make some S'mores. Or erect a make-shift tent from sheets and blankets right there in your living room and read something fun by the light of a candle.

{Aside #3: just PLEASE don't burn the house down!}

Engage your imagination and PLAY. Play yourself into a giggle-fit. Laugh until the tears roll down your face and you're snortin' through your nose. Have some hot chocolate with gobs of whipped cream. Dunk some Oreos.
And for Pete's sake...turn off your phone, computer, and any semblance of "news"!

Play.
Laugh.
Engage your IMAGINATION.

{Last Aside: Let me know how you sleep tonight.}

If it ain't broke...

Says it all, don't you think?