I think it’s been two years since my last post.  Not a whole lot has changed on the outside, but a lot on the inside.

Since my hysterectomy three years ago, I’ve put on 25 pounds, lost a tooth and started taking high blood pressure pills.  The weight gain was expected and a direct result of the hormones I lost from the surgery – information I could have used had my doctor accurately prepared me.  The tooth loss was a misnomer other than the actual surgery which was the worst experience of my entire life in many ways.  And the blood pressure was just a “fact of age,” I’m told by my doctor of record.  But complications from the two surgeries were determining factors that brought the issue to the forefront.

However, I do not want to be one of those people who spend all their conversations talking about their health and tribulations related to their health.  So I want to share with you the good news.  My two young granddaughters moved down the street last year and I am loving every minute of their presence in my life.  It has been a learning experience for us all as they get to know their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins which they have never been around on a regular basis.  All this while their mother learns to be a single mom and they go back and forth every other weekend to be with their dad who lives about two hours away.  Everyone is working kindly to make the change a smooth one.

I’ve been focusing on mindfulness and really enjoying Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “living Buddha, living Christ.” His approach to mindfulness is simple and empowering at the same time, with tips on how to be mindful when brushing your teeth to walking on the earth to preparing a meal and so on.  

The best part is that I’m finally beginning to become mindful without trying!

Now that our backyard garden is producing, I am eating healthy foods and picking them and then eating them immediately which is an amazing experience.  But when done so mindfully, it becomes a spiritual experience.

Like the other day:

I decided to make a squash casserole to contribute to a family dinner to celebrate my great-niece’s first birthday.  I needed at least three pounds of squash and so went out to the garden and picked some.  Inside I gently cleaned the squash and then began to peel them.  As I held the squash in my hands I felt the warmth of the sun and the squash became alive in my hands.  Tears began to run down my cheeks as I blessed the squash for providing the nourishment we were about to receive. It didn’t take long for me to become aware of the beautiful casserole I was preparing nor did it take long for the guests to taste and appreciate the dish I prepared.

Being mindful, reminds me that I am part of a whole and that whole is Life.