First hint of light. Still. Dry, comfortably
cool.
Mother-in-law sits, waiting for monk.
Waning gibbous Moon, just past Full, going down in West.
Busy birds make a racket everywhere.
Physically, I explore all the stiff and sore spots in this
old aching body.
Mentally, I float.
-Zenwind.
.
I am still accompanying Mother-in-law
out to give alms to the monks at dawn. She
had an episode recently of dizziness when standing up to put food into a monk's
begging bowl, falling back into her chair.
So, I've been taking her out in a wheelchair to the corner.
The same monk has been coming by
every morning, but last weekend a second monk came with him. When they chanted their sutta together in
Pali, they did it in a beautifully complex baritone harmony. It was wonderful to hear.
We have just had a few days of the
coldest weather so far this winter.
Temps at night got down to 65*F – as cold as it gets where we live – and
daytime highs only in the 70s. The wind
from the North was chilly in the morning, making us put on more clothing than
normal (e.g., long pants and an extra shirt).
The dewpoints are as low and dry as they ever are, and I rarely sweat. Sweet comfort! But we will soon get normal highs in the 90s
along with increasing humidity heading into the Hot Season by March.
We do have uncommonly clear skies,
and my new routine of getting up before dawn makes me appreciate this season
even more. I have been showing Tuk the
Moon's phases in the mornings and evenings, as it cycles through the month. And, we are watching Venus, the present
Morning Star, slowly shift position in the East, observing it every morning at
the exact same time from the same spot.
The long New Year's weekend starts
tomorrow, so our neighborhood will be deserted and quiet for a while.
-Zenwind.
.
I re-injured my lower back
again. Three weeks ago, I was careless
when sorting books and cleaning, bending and lifting. I should have worn my lumbar-sacrum elastic back
brace while doing it, but I had been feeling so fit for so long that I thought
I was invincible. My ruptured lumbar
disc pinches the sciatic nerve, and the pain in my hips and legs makes it almost
impossible to walk. Bummer!
I now have a newer back brace,
longer, a better fit. It helps during
this period of healing, preventing further injury. I wear it when active during the day. I have been limited to very short walks
(hobbles) to local grocery stores, and I take taxis to and from the train
station rather than walking the mile distance.
I need to slowly build up my back muscles again.
I had not been smoking any THC cannabis
since the injury, since I didn't think exercising would be a good idea while
initially healing. Until a few days ago,
when I took a two-toke micro-dose of C. sativa, and, without wearing my back
brace, I did some carefully mindful Tai Chi.
It made me so incredibly aware of my body, my muscles, joints, sore
spots, etc., and I very gently worked out a few kinks and stretched and
explored my flexibility. I felt much
better for the rest of the day.
But my back is still fragile, and I
must not be careless and overdo activities until I'm healed and slowly build up
muscle again.
-Zenwind.
.
