Wednesday, September 3, 2008

morning tea

I'm still in bed when the phone rings.

Rarely is this a reason to smile.

"Come," Rich says.  "I'm in so much pain."

I start babbling, saying I just woke up, I'll be there as soon as I can, what's going on...but he already is disconnected.

I brush my teeth, quickly wash, put on yesterday's shorts and T-shirt.  Forget the shower.

But I don't forget to open my tea packet, boil water, add milk, and sip my morning mug of english breakfast.

The best antidote to insanity, I think, is to fake normalcy through a daily practice (see Gus' comment).  

And an image used by Thich Nhat Hanh comes to mind.  

Look at a tree, he says.  In the breeze, its leaves and branches swing this way, that way.  These are our emotions, going here, going there, directed by an outer force.  To a tree, this is normal.

Now, look at a mountain.  Solid.  A storm may chip off an edge here or there, but the mountain knows its strength.  To a mountain, this is normal.

Life is more fun as a mountain.  The emotions will pass.  The pain will (it did) pass.

And the tea was good.

Candace




  


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