Disciplined: Managing Pain

Judging mind
And having so much pain,
How they go together?
I can’t figure out.

Lying on the bed
And howling anyway,
Writhing like a snake
And moaning like a cow.

Ah! That feels better,
At least for a while
But soon I’ve got to go to work,
So then, what now?

Tried slowing breathing
To a crawl,
Heard that’s an old yogi trick,
Thought I’d give it a try,

Breathing in slowly
And holding it for a while,
Breathing out fully
And letting it rest,

In, out,
At a gradual pace,
Muscles relaxing
And rising ease and peace;

Still extra analgesics
Were needed to function,
Drat this wonky weather
It’s shaking this body up.

Now, up and get dressed
And ready to go,
Put the boots on
And out into the cold.

Discipline: Getting the Job Done

Grocery shopping weather,
Sunny, cool and clear
But fatigue has set in
And irritation is here,

Still the buggy is rolled out
And the shopping list made,
The trip smooth and swift
And the cart easily loaded,

The line was long
But the people were friendly,
Smiling and chatting
While waiting for the cashier;

No mistakes on the bill
Made the check out easy,
And as for the return journey
That was quick and pleasing;

Now stowing the load
That was a bit tricky,
As the fridge is small
And the produce bulky

But eventually somehow
It all fits in,
Then on to the pantry
To finish the unpacking;

Afterwards, on to relax
And brew a cup of tea
Before cooking supper
And doing dishes mindfully,

Happy to unwind
Using simple chores as mindfulness practice
Before heading off to work
For another kind of practice.

Discharge: Volcanic Event

Thursday, already, oh!
What a frustrating week,
Having trouble getting going
Due to plunging energy;

If only the weather would co-operate
And settle down a little,
Maybe the headaches would stop,
The pain skid addle

And the mood swings as well,
Recurrent blistering anger,
Incessant rumination
And loss of temper;

Meditation practice
Consisting mostly of metta,
Trying to bring kindness
To the palaver,

Slow breathing and stretching,
Bringing body and mind together,
Exercising and resting
And patience applying;

Faster than expected
Evening arrived,
Working into the night
Attempting to catch up,

Ate so late
Was almost Friday,
Only a light meal
As little time for otherwise,

And when bedtime at last,
‘Twas well into the wee hours,
Too soon comes the dawn,
And tasks undone still without number.