The last two weeks have flown by. The weather here has been hot and muggy. Last weekend and most of this week we’ve had flash flood warnings. Earlier this week there was standing water on the road, including the freeway, on my morning commute. I appreciated the change from the normal arid climate. The change in weather caused me to change the way I drove. It made me slow down, give more space, leave earlier to arrive on time, rather than panicked or not at all.
While noticing and appreciating the weather change I also had the experience of appreciating that most of the time I live pain-free. Yes, I do have the normal aches and pains that come with aging, but for the most part it’s a rare day when I need to take ibuprofen or other OTC pain killers. For a few days this week I’ve hobbled along due to inflammation in my big toe. I don’t remember bumping the toe, or dropping anything (Inattentive ADHD person here) but it sure felt uncomfortable to walk or even put on socks and shoes. After a few days I realized I had changed my walk. I had compensated for the pain by putting my weight on the outer arch of the foot as I walked, which brought discomfort up my calf to my knee. When I noticed this imbalance I readjusted to my old walk, and when I got home I elevated and iced my toe for a few nights. It’s not feeling completely better, it’s so much better than the way it felt days ago.
Little adjustments can create big ripples, and have large impacts, which can be positive or negative, depending on conscious observation and action. Being conscious requires a lot of energy, at least for me, I can’t speak for others. In the past the word lazy was linked to negative emotions for me. However, there is nothing wrong with having lazy afternoons, or down time. Just like everyone needs sleep, everyone needs time to themselves, whether they can get carve out that time or not. I’m grateful I have a life that allows me to recuperate some energy and be present most of the time.