Standing still slowly..#2

Riding a flat bottomed boat,

I keep a clear space

around me.

Steering a steady course on the broad blue river,

dark rich silt, fertilized by ancestors, settles to the bottom. 

Limitations bestowed on me by Epilepsy 

merely create structure, like low tree covered shores, 

shaping the course of the broad river carrying me.

Ancient trees stand silently lining the shores

with no thought to the river flowing steadily past 

Has soil around their roots been worn away 

by years of life's eroding river?

or strengthened by the steady flow?

Has either happened?

The river and trees know not of each other

but their roots support one another ~

A relationship of chance.

The relationship I have with epilepsy has taught me much.

No matter how deep and strong the currents

of family, friends, career or community run,

I must develop and maintain a healthy relationship with this Elephant in the room.

If mistakes and missteps I've made in this life

have sadly affected that relationship

I pay the price, and one or more of you does as well.

If my wants and desires pushed me

beyond my limits, you and I pay the price.

As this Epilepsy Awareness month began with Gratitude

So it will end with Gratitude.

Gratitude for all of you 

who have roused me from my seizures,

mending my soul and my body,

caring for me and accepting me 

as I carry this unusual gift of Epilepsy.

Thank you to all.

“Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal 

to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, 

there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.”

- J. Robert Moskin

Edited Nov. 12, 2023