The Upside

Two weeks into a tender case of tendinopathy in my Achilles that my PT insisted I rest, I’m experiencing an unexpected upside: I have more time. Not taking long walks every day means I can do other things instead. At first, I was worried about not walking – gaining weight and all that silliness, but walking’s also when I quiet my busy mind, let go of all the crap that rattles around in there. I’ve needed to do that a lot recently.

One of the exercises the PT has me doing involves standing on my tip toes one foot at a time, stretching upward for forty seconds on each foot, resting, then doing both feet again four more times. It’s incredibly boring. But. If I breathe slowly – in on 4 beats, and out on 6 – it becomes a meditation, so much so that by the end of five rounds my body’s calm and my mind is clear, at least for a while.

I’ve also got more time to play. I’m in my studio more, cutting paper for collage, I’ve picked up my guitar again, and I’m finally working on a song I’ve had in the back of my mind for thirty years. My friend Abby wrote a blog this week that reminded me of myself and songs that take so long to come through. This one I’m playing with now is poised to reveal itself. All it needs is a little more of my time. And I have that now.

Three Cranes and a Full Moon in the Trees. Collage. Very fun and a good use of time.

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