It Must Be Tuesday
Tuesdays have always seemed a bit strange to me. Everyone else dreaded Monday, but when I was still working, Tuesdays were the barren wasteland left over from Monday. Since I’m not working anymore due to my health, I haven’t thought about this as much. Today, however, I read a gracious response to one of my stories on Medium which stated that observing ordinary things that happen and writing to describe the event and how it affected me. That simple statement made me want to do exactly that.
Like most other days, life is very predictable here. I woke up and stretched to feel better. Then I loved The Stooges because they always accompany me when I wake up.
By then, I’d already started my nearly subconscious meditation, which helps me through the day. I call it almost subconscious because I can’t stay still and meditate. I get uncomfortable too quickly.
My favorite meditation is about light and darkness. It is a simple story that is easy to visualize and experience.
Imagine walking down a lonely road, and a terrible storm is going on. You see the trees bending in the strong wind, and you feel the rain hitting your skin. You are on a journey to a quiet place on a mountain. You reach that place while the storm rages, and you find shelter in a cave. You can finally relax, and you start to think about being on an airplane, going to some faraway destination. Your plane takes off from an airport dealing with the same storm as you are, but the aircraft climbs and climbs until it breaks through the clouds into the sun.
The lesson from that meditation is that no matter how dark things seem, the light is always there. The sun will shine again.
It doesn’t sound very easy, but I’ve learned that scenario so well that it is almost on a continuous loop in my mind. I also try to start my day by showing Kindness to Hal and greeting him.
I don’t watch much tv at all anymore. I hobble to and from my recliner, where I write and listen to music. Several days a week, I spend time in the kitchen cooking, which has always been a favorite hobby of mine. I love trying new recipes in the Instant Pot or the Ninja Foodie Grill. In the past week, I’ve made spaghetti in the Instant Pot and grilled chicken in the Ninja. Tomorrow I plan to thaw out pork chops to cook in the Instant Pot with egg noodles and cream of mushroom soup.
Occasionally, some news item does draw my attention. The developing tragedy of the submersible that vanished near the Titanic shipwreck is distressing. I won’t rip on the people who might already be dead because they had extra money to spend. They are human beings, and they and their families deserve Kindness at a time like this.
The harsh and tasteless reactions from so many people illustrate the world’s problems today, and that is not enough Kindness toward each other.
As helpful as the internet is, too many people delight in revealing their shocking and disturbed viewpoints to the rest of the world. I don’t want to add to the unpleasant atmosphere. I hope for some miraculous recovery where everyone is alright, but I know that is extremely unlikely.
Kindness is such a wonderful thing, it is even better when shown to others. Smiles and laughter are contagious and harmless. The world needs Kindness very badly.
I just got a new subscriber to my website. I am grateful to him for showing Kindness to me. Life gets better every day when we practice Kindness.