Spent the morning working on the cabin. Then we got a life changing phone call: bad news. Very bad news. Another life altering change is coming down the pike.
Disoriented and broken hearted, I hopped in the car and drove to the Napa Valley (have to work the Fourth). There, I took my walk. I make my living as a psychiatric RN; been doing this for 16 years. Through out that time I've been through a couple of my own personal crises. It is during times of personal crises that you have to learn to "walk your walk". I find that my compassion increases.
Suffering should increase your own compassion. Suffering and Compassion lead to Wisdom.
All psychiatric nurses have their own standard lines and material in how to deal with a specific patient with a specific problem. I find that humor works. Along with a few pithy gems, said with love and compassion, that make a difference.
One of these is the one that goes like this--when talking to a patient having a difficulty adjusting to a new situation: "You know, in Chinese, disaster and opportunity have the same symbol". I've said that a thousand times in my career. I don't even know if it is true.
I also encourage depressed patients to walk. Getting a vegetative person moving seems to move them out of their own negativity. Gets them out of themselves.
And so I walked in a busy St. Helena that was having a festival. Disoriented. Sad. I lost my car keys on the walk--and later found them. Perhaps that is a metaphor for our current situation?
2 comments:
Thinking about you, Allan and family. Tough go.
I did the meditation block today -- the long way both there and back. And stopped to visit with Marc and Skye on the way back.
Started to calibrate my odometer. It was .04 miles off per mile. We'll see next ride if I made it better or worse.
12.21 miles
1:07:38
10.83 mph average
43.36 mph max
Allan, I am so sorry to learn of your distress. My thoughts and prayers are with you. And you are right. Sometimes the only way through a bad situation is to put one foot in front of the other and just go on. Our destinations have not been revealed to us. Peace be with you. And your family.
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