For Today

Mile Marker 187:

I am wearing a belt today.

Probably not the smartest thing to do on Thanksgiving.

But I've decided to be content, just for today.

It turns out that yoga class has been centering more than just my body.  Last night we talked about contentment and disattachment, two tenets of yoga practice.

I am grateful for so many things this year.  But for me, contentment lies ONE STEP beyond gratitude.

With gratitude, there's a wonderment at all I've been given.   With contentment, there’s acceptance.

Today I’ve decided not to worry about how my socket fits.  I’ve decided to take a walk without thinking about how far I’ve gone.  And despite the bumpy belly leftover from my abdominal scars, I’ve decided to WEAR A BELT.

Green Bean Casserole --
What's not to be HAPPY about??

It helps that my cousin is visiting.  Contentment lives INSIDE TRACY.

Tracy arrived last night in her new Toyota Corolla after a quick 10-hour road trip from Lexington, Kentucky.  While most of us would have been grumpy and tired (as I was at 10:30 last night!), Tray popped open a year-old beer from my fridge and pulled up a corner of my bed to watch Action News with me.

This morning, she was still smiling.  Then she went out for a run, of course.  Exercise is Tray’s M.O.  Her endorphins run constantly.  Maybe that’s the recipe for happiness.

But moving or not, Tray also lives in the NOW.  And that’s the second piece we discussed at yoga class – disattachment.

Letting go of yesterday and tomorrow, and shifting our focus to TODAY.  To this moment.

It doesn’t come easy to me.  The minute I get on the treadmill at PT, I make up my mind about how long I’ll walk, at what speed, and how far.  My goal of 1000 miles has me aiming for 2 ½ miles per day.  That’s a lot for me and my Genuim – it’s a goal I don’t meet most days.

So today we’re going to go for a walk, Tracy and I.  And instead of thinking about how far we’re going, I’m going to think about the sunshine.  I am going to enjoy Mile 187!

It’s not that I don’t think about the past.  I’m SO VERY THANKFUL for the people who’ve carried me to this point – my family, friends, doctors, nurses, prosthetists, and therapists.   To say I’m grateful is an understatement really – their support is the glue that holds me together every day.

But in thanksgiving, there’s also GIVING.

So my thank-you gift to them, and to myself today, is to be content with the way things are. 

I know it won’t last long.  But with Tracy by my side, I think I can do it.

Plus, I'm wearing my belt.  

JUST FOR TODAY.

(Or at least until dessert...)

Wishing all of you a day of thankfulness, contentment, and lots of fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!