Check In - Week 69

I remember once reading a passage written by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh where he talks about the earthly life as a tumultuous sea. We're on a rocky ocean and meditation and reflection allow us to calm the waters. When we're able to quiet the frothy sea, it becomes glassy and clear. Then, you can see what lies beneath the surface. And sometimes what lies below is not a coral reef or a calm swaying forest of seaweed but a shipwreck.

This week has given me the gift of quiet time. The stormy sea is settling and I can now peer into the scene below preserved by saltwater. I'm seeing the 300 pound woman that I was suspended in the depths. I'm seeing Charlie's once healthy and in-tact brain water-logged and tied to the wreckage.  Achieving clarity is tough.

But then, I draw my gaze from the sea below and look around the deck of the ship and realize that everything worth saving is above water.  We're all here, breathing free air, lighter, fresher and more connected than we've ever been. Some of the life I'm leading is here by divine grace and some of it is here because I dragged it out of the wreckage, towed it to the surface and hauled it's dead weight onto the decks. Today I'm grateful for what remains.

The "I Did It" List

I attended 3 boot camp classes at PFLH

I've been seeing a chiropractor to assist with my bent-out-of-shape body
I bought my first pair of jeans in over a year!

Jack and I went on a double date with some neighbors

I went out with some friends for a drink - all of whom have kiddos with special needs

I painted

...and I opened a shop to sell my paintings (see it HERE)