Whew whew whew. That is so much to absorb. Sending love to your mom. I've (weirdly) had three friends in the past three years that have had benign, slow-growing tumors removed from their brains. All were successful, all have recovered well, prayers that it will be the same for your mom. Thank you for "Dance Church"! And what do I do?
Whew. Well usually I go outside for a walk and try to feel my feet as they contact they Earth. If I can't do that (like last week when I found myself in a hospital room tethtered to an IV so I couldn't even go further than the door of the room) then I do a lot of breathing into parts of my body, especially my feet and legs. I sometimes use body scan meditations (all of my meditation apps have them - here's a free one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTmGtznab4) because I find those calming. Actually I found the meditation app so so so helpful last week because just having someone else guide things is good when I'm reeling. And last year I learned the basics of Jin Shin so I will do different Jin Shin holds and breathe into them. This too was complicated by the whole IV thing, but I could at least do finger holds - which is as simple as it sounds. Literally just gently hold one finger at a time until you start to feel a regular, rhythmic pulsing in that finger, then move on to the next finger. (Alexis has lots of free videos on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheArtofJinShin.)
I ended up listening to this podcast today (https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/maya-shankar-466). About 40 minutes or so in she talks about things that can help when we are going through change - which I think also applies to distress. One of the things she talked about was having a small ritual we can do every day (in her case it was making a specific cup of tea). I have heard this so many times, that having a small ritual you do all the time is something you can lean on in difficult times and I have found that too.
I love incorporating little rituals. I've been trying to change some of mine recently with not great success yet. But the intention is there! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. It's funny with the breath stuff — having written so many body scans for various mental wellness companies, now I mainly turn to Kundalini which remains a mystery to me. I think that's why I find it so revelatory. As always, appreciate you and your wisdom.
All the best to you in your trying situation. Perfect post for it! That's how you tend to business and be good to yourself at the same time. We may utterly disagree with the covers on your playlist but "whatever gets you through the night..."
Kelton, so sorry to hear about your mom’s health scare, but happy to hear it’s benign and she can take the trip :)
Thank you for sharing Dance Church! I LOVE dancing for my workout, I’m definitely going to try, it looks so fun! I usually do choreographed videos but I’ll do this to change it up a little 😋
Ugh - so sorry to hear about the scare but glad to hear it's benign.
I too have problems with going long stretches of time without just sitting down to read from a book. I'm doing that today. Went to a coffee shop, ordered a chai latte and going to read a book I picked up in Bisbee called The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide.
Jul 3, 2022·edited Jul 3, 2022Liked by Kelton Wright
Kelton, so sorry to hear of your mother’s tumor. 3 years ago my wife had a TBI and they didn’t know if she would live/speak/walk, and she fully recovered (and got her pink hair to give the finger to her injury). During that time many of my friends “loaned me their hope” and it helped me to have hope. So, if you need some, I’ll loan you my hope for your mother’s full recovery.
My wife’s journey through her injury to recovery changed me dramatically (for the better I hope). It made me realize that the human condition is a place we can all help carry one another’s burdens. That my convictions (not to be confused with arrogant self righteousness) should never stand in the way of my compassion for my fellow humans.
Lastly, I see a silver lining in the return of power to the states, in that local people will have more say in the things that happen to them, well, in their own locale. I just wanted to share that perspective, respectfully. Perhaps in the days ahead, those who live nowhere near you, i.e. Washington DC, will have less “authority” regarding the land/natural resources/way of life enjoyed by your community, and those who live close by can decide what’s best for those to whom they live the closest. I only offer this opinion if it helps you, if my different perspective adds to your frustration, please disregard it.
Over coffee, not the web, the nuance of conversation and compassionate disagreement is better served.
To brighter days ahead for you…. Looking forward to next weeks entry from you…
Oh yeah, yard work, dirt under my nails is my distraction😉
And no frustration added. I couldn't be more delighted to see this community be one of respect and care, even when we disagree on things. Appreciate you being here!
thank you for the beautiful gift of take care! i recently lost myself in pursuit of a job in my volatile industry, and then the job was scrapped, and i felt really fucking heartbroken and stupid for wanting it so much. i wrote in my journal this morning about tying up my identity in that job, and now i'm having to remind myself of all the things i loved to do. so thank you. i'm sorry you're going through so much. sending virtual hugs and a million checks on the take care list for you this month. i appreciate you sharing while you are hurting.
I’m so sorry about what you’ve been dealing with. When I’m overwhelmed, I take care of the horses. It’s more soothing than going for a run, because vigorous activity like running feels too depleting during times of stress. Grooming a horse, filling a wheelbarrow with manure, and going for a ride feels restorative and calming.
Oh my god, that glorious spreadsheet!! I love it. Thank you for sharing such wonderful recommendations even when things are so heavy. Sending you and your mom lots of love.
First, I am so sorry about your mom, but I'm really glad she found out it was benign.
Second, that spreadsheet is perfection! I love checking off things that make me feel like I accomplished something in the midst of busyness or stress.
Third, a friend of mine and I have been comparing notes recently about how much of a shit show 2022 has been. She's got aging parents + other things, I've got family illness, bats in my house, + other things. It just seems like 2022 is dealing out really bad hands to a lot of people I know.
Thanks for the advice on distractions! I've been needing some.
I loved number 4. I'm in bed fighting some malady contemplating life and post menopause at the moment - the cover tunes are distracting me from nausea and a splitting headache (day 2).
I'm an Aquarius so spread sheets aren't my thing, but writing on calendars helps me keep things in perspective.
Happy to know your mother's tumor is benign.
As for what I normally do when distressed I swim laps and go into zen breathing, focusing on the black line at the bottom of the pool and the soothing embryonic state the water give me. Or, if I can manage to focus on anything but the ceiling (mine is boring, you gave me a great idea - maybe I'll put up a mural) I read.
First off, so happy your mom's tumor is benign. I wish we could say the same of the tumor that our Supreme Court has become. As for when I'm overwhelmed, I simply go outside wherever we happen to be living at the moment, and walk around taking pictures until I feel better...
Just heard a cover of Na-na-na. Na-na-na-Na-na by Kylie Minnow maybe. No idea what it’s called and don’t care how her name is spelled. Was that really necessary??
Whew whew whew. That is so much to absorb. Sending love to your mom. I've (weirdly) had three friends in the past three years that have had benign, slow-growing tumors removed from their brains. All were successful, all have recovered well, prayers that it will be the same for your mom. Thank you for "Dance Church"! And what do I do?
Whew. Well usually I go outside for a walk and try to feel my feet as they contact they Earth. If I can't do that (like last week when I found myself in a hospital room tethtered to an IV so I couldn't even go further than the door of the room) then I do a lot of breathing into parts of my body, especially my feet and legs. I sometimes use body scan meditations (all of my meditation apps have them - here's a free one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTmGtznab4) because I find those calming. Actually I found the meditation app so so so helpful last week because just having someone else guide things is good when I'm reeling. And last year I learned the basics of Jin Shin so I will do different Jin Shin holds and breathe into them. This too was complicated by the whole IV thing, but I could at least do finger holds - which is as simple as it sounds. Literally just gently hold one finger at a time until you start to feel a regular, rhythmic pulsing in that finger, then move on to the next finger. (Alexis has lots of free videos on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheArtofJinShin.)
I ended up listening to this podcast today (https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/maya-shankar-466). About 40 minutes or so in she talks about things that can help when we are going through change - which I think also applies to distress. One of the things she talked about was having a small ritual we can do every day (in her case it was making a specific cup of tea). I have heard this so many times, that having a small ritual you do all the time is something you can lean on in difficult times and I have found that too.
I love incorporating little rituals. I've been trying to change some of mine recently with not great success yet. But the intention is there! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. It's funny with the breath stuff — having written so many body scans for various mental wellness companies, now I mainly turn to Kundalini which remains a mystery to me. I think that's why I find it so revelatory. As always, appreciate you and your wisdom.
All the best to you in your trying situation. Perfect post for it! That's how you tend to business and be good to yourself at the same time. We may utterly disagree with the covers on your playlist but "whatever gets you through the night..."
Hahahaha, well I didn't say all of them were good! That's one rule of the Covers playlist: even if we hate it, we add it.
Kelton, so sorry to hear about your mom’s health scare, but happy to hear it’s benign and she can take the trip :)
Thank you for sharing Dance Church! I LOVE dancing for my workout, I’m definitely going to try, it looks so fun! I usually do choreographed videos but I’ll do this to change it up a little 😋
Please report back! I recommend so voraciously and I am worried no one loves it as much as I do haha.
Ugh - so sorry to hear about the scare but glad to hear it's benign.
I too have problems with going long stretches of time without just sitting down to read from a book. I'm doing that today. Went to a coffee shop, ordered a chai latte and going to read a book I picked up in Bisbee called The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide.
here's to taking a breath from the overwhelm
Ugh, I love a good field guide. This sounds dreamy, and appropriately inspiring to do it myself as well.
Kelton, so sorry to hear of your mother’s tumor. 3 years ago my wife had a TBI and they didn’t know if she would live/speak/walk, and she fully recovered (and got her pink hair to give the finger to her injury). During that time many of my friends “loaned me their hope” and it helped me to have hope. So, if you need some, I’ll loan you my hope for your mother’s full recovery.
My wife’s journey through her injury to recovery changed me dramatically (for the better I hope). It made me realize that the human condition is a place we can all help carry one another’s burdens. That my convictions (not to be confused with arrogant self righteousness) should never stand in the way of my compassion for my fellow humans.
Lastly, I see a silver lining in the return of power to the states, in that local people will have more say in the things that happen to them, well, in their own locale. I just wanted to share that perspective, respectfully. Perhaps in the days ahead, those who live nowhere near you, i.e. Washington DC, will have less “authority” regarding the land/natural resources/way of life enjoyed by your community, and those who live close by can decide what’s best for those to whom they live the closest. I only offer this opinion if it helps you, if my different perspective adds to your frustration, please disregard it.
Over coffee, not the web, the nuance of conversation and compassionate disagreement is better served.
To brighter days ahead for you…. Looking forward to next weeks entry from you…
Oh yeah, yard work, dirt under my nails is my distraction😉
The pink hair! I love that!
And no frustration added. I couldn't be more delighted to see this community be one of respect and care, even when we disagree on things. Appreciate you being here!
thank you for the beautiful gift of take care! i recently lost myself in pursuit of a job in my volatile industry, and then the job was scrapped, and i felt really fucking heartbroken and stupid for wanting it so much. i wrote in my journal this morning about tying up my identity in that job, and now i'm having to remind myself of all the things i loved to do. so thank you. i'm sorry you're going through so much. sending virtual hugs and a million checks on the take care list for you this month. i appreciate you sharing while you are hurting.
"stupid for wanting it" - yes. That's exactly it. Woof, I relate so deeply. Sending virtual hugs right back!
I’m so sorry about what you’ve been dealing with. When I’m overwhelmed, I take care of the horses. It’s more soothing than going for a run, because vigorous activity like running feels too depleting during times of stress. Grooming a horse, filling a wheelbarrow with manure, and going for a ride feels restorative and calming.
Ah, you're so right. I can think of few things that compare to the quiet peace of grooming a horse you love.
Oh my god, that glorious spreadsheet!! I love it. Thank you for sharing such wonderful recommendations even when things are so heavy. Sending you and your mom lots of love.
"What happens when we pause" was just what I needed <3 Hope it's a restorative break!
Get outside!
100% agree with this and boy did I
Jeepers creepers what a week for you. Thanks for the recommendations! Hope things improve!!
Thank you! Slowly but surely!
First, I am so sorry about your mom, but I'm really glad she found out it was benign.
Second, that spreadsheet is perfection! I love checking off things that make me feel like I accomplished something in the midst of busyness or stress.
Third, a friend of mine and I have been comparing notes recently about how much of a shit show 2022 has been. She's got aging parents + other things, I've got family illness, bats in my house, + other things. It just seems like 2022 is dealing out really bad hands to a lot of people I know.
Thanks for the advice on distractions! I've been needing some.
Bats in the House sounds like an album I would love to rage to. Feels like that's where a lot of us are <3
Haha!! Right??!
I loved number 4. I'm in bed fighting some malady contemplating life and post menopause at the moment - the cover tunes are distracting me from nausea and a splitting headache (day 2).
I'm an Aquarius so spread sheets aren't my thing, but writing on calendars helps me keep things in perspective.
Happy to know your mother's tumor is benign.
As for what I normally do when distressed I swim laps and go into zen breathing, focusing on the black line at the bottom of the pool and the soothing embryonic state the water give me. Or, if I can manage to focus on anything but the ceiling (mine is boring, you gave me a great idea - maybe I'll put up a mural) I read.
This really made me wish there was a pool here.
First off, so happy your mom's tumor is benign. I wish we could say the same of the tumor that our Supreme Court has become. As for when I'm overwhelmed, I simply go outside wherever we happen to be living at the moment, and walk around taking pictures until I feel better...
The nature they want to destroy for profit continues to be the salve for the rest of us 🙏
Just heard a cover of Na-na-na. Na-na-na-Na-na by Kylie Minnow maybe. No idea what it’s called and don’t care how her name is spelled. Was that really necessary??
Just for this comment, it was lol