A MEDITATION

     Tina says focus on everyday life, on the next year, a couple of years.  Repeat “you’ll feel better in a few hours.”  All passes.  You wish you could carry her in your pocket, your suitcase.  You wish she were always available to remind you of the best way to proceed, to act, the best answer to give, the better replies.  You wish she were inside your ear like those tiny earphones police detectives wear on tv shows to listen to their superiors when they’re undercover or on a sting.  An earphone/microphone that allowed you to ask her what to do next would surely bring calm to your mind, not to mention your breathing, your heart, your legs. 

     Legs?

     Yes, legs. They get jell-oy when you’re anxious.

     An earphone plus microphone can be an asset for anyone who suffers through the small (and not so small) indignities of modern life.  Lose the anxiety tell yourself.  Talk while you walk and scold yourself for the uneasiness, the panic, the worry.  Stop it!  say out loud when there is no one around.  Stop it and live every day joyfully and fearlessly.  Stop the fretting, the heart racing, the headache.  Live every day.  Live the moment.

     You can’t do anything about most of your worries.  Smile when you walk. Turn your eyes to the shining sun and be grateful for its warmth.  I know: life sucks sometimes.  But you have to get past the suckiness. Get past the immeasurable loss, the sorrow it brings.  Pass the threshold of sadness and walk into the air, the sun, freedom, beauty, the house of joy and creativity.  Walk out and breathe deeply, grateful that you’re still here.  Get past the pain and its helplessness.  Smile. Look up.  Kiss the sky like Jimmy Hendrix sang.