Coexistence

To regroup daily with

routines and practices

when the fridge is quite empty

and it’s too late to buy groceries.

To bounce back into home-life

when ‘bouncing’ needs energy

and the sofa is calling 

out loud for attention.

To pick up loose ends

when the laundry needs doing

can only be done if spaces of time 

exist between running about.

Coexistence is needed

between regrouping and fun 

because ~ just for today ~

being home’s where I’ll play.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

~ Dr. Seuss

Too Rushed or Not Too Rushed

Too Rushed or Not Too Rushed

The last of her dozen eggs boiled and bubbled on the stove. Luckily, tomorrow was grocery day so they would be replenished. 

‘Cassandra, don’t forget to put them in cold water as soon as they’ve cooled. And add ice cubes as well.’

Her mother’s directions came to her every time she boiled eggs, or, for that matter did anything kitchen or housework related. At first it was kind of comforting but then over time her ‘inner teenager’ got just a little bit annoyed. Now, however, that voice sounded more like her own 'mother' voice. Cassandra had learned that, what sounded like her mother nagging, was really just one more life lesson. With some nagging thrown in? This time it was about hard boiled eggs. 

The back door slammed. "Mom! Is there anything to eat? I’m starving and my school lunch wasn’t enough."

Cassandra’s son was home from school. She could almost put money on what Garth would say when he came in the house. That kid was always hungry so Cassandra always tried to have something for him. Today, she hadn’t even had time to make the egg sandwiches he loved. 

"Garth, you’ll have to just eat plain boiled eggs and I’ll make you some toast. There’s cheese in the fridge and you can have a glass of cold milk with it. Are you sure it won’t spoil your supper?"

This was almost the same conversation Cassandra had had with her mother when she was going to school. It had always seemed that she couldn’t eat enough to keep up with school, dancing class, riding lessons and all the other activities she was involved in. Garth was on the football team, the soccer team  and in the winter he played hockey and was an excellent student. Sometimes it all seemed too much. Seldom any downtime at home. Just as Cassandra had learned about how to get along in this world, so was Garth learning the same things. The differences? Gender and Cassandra didn’t remember her own gym bag smelling quite so nasty and rank.

"Hi honey." Cassandra pulled Garth into a big hug. "I'm going to join you and have one of those eggs. I made myself toast too. We can sit down …….. Garth where are you going?” 

"I’ve got an extra hockey practice today. Gotta go mom!"

Just before Garth rushed out the door with his hockey bag over his shoulder and his half eaten toast in his hand, he gave his mom an extra hug and a quick kiss that landed on her ear, almost knocking her glasses off. 

"Love you, mom. ‘Bye."

“No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.”

~ Brad Meltzer, American novelist

Privileged To Be ~ PRIVILEGE ~ Theme for August, 2019

Piles of bricks…...

Reshaping the past……

Inspiration evolves……….

Villages are where…….

Important beliefs……..

Later on, they went……..

Eccentricities become……..

Grand experiments often………

Embedded in all our stories…………

“What am I owed except the responsibility to see life as a gift?”

~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

The Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises - Time Travelling

On this past Sunday I met with a friend for lunch and a trip to the museum following. Recently I purchased a membership to the Royal BC Museum and took advantage of this purchase to see this wonderful exhibit ~ at least part of it. The Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises exhibit opened May 17, 2019 and will continue through December 31, 2019.  Visitors to the exhibit included families, a wide range of ages, little ones in strollers (mostly asleep) and individuals of all levels of ability in wheelchairs. So, for me it was a bit crowded, but then it was a lovely summer Sunday in early tourist season days. 

I was most intrigued by agricultural practices we 

use to this day, water conservation techniques and the literary and artistic legacies of this ancient civilization. This civilization, primarily patriarchal, grew to some 40 cities with some still to be located in the Rainforests of Mesoamerica and primarily located in the tropical lowlands of Guatemala. We were only able to see a small part of this exhibit as we had set ourselves a too short time frame. 

I also took a lot of time to read all the posted information, watch a video of what Mayan life would look like and take my time viewing the various exhibits. The Royal BC Museum allows pictures to be taken and certain replicated artifacts touched. The children are treated to some participatory activities. One game is a series of rotating blocks that show the progress of cocoa leaves into a cocoa beverage. Eavesdropping on a discussion between siblings is quite enlightening! So another trip is in the offing. What I’ve included in this post is a very tiny drop in the bucket of the history of the ancient Maya civilization.

**From the Royal BC Museum website: “This exhibition coincides with UNESCO’s year of Indigenous Languages and highlights the 30 Maya languages that are still spoken today by almost half the population of Guatemala.”

“Don’t go to a museum with a destination. 

Museums are wormholes to other worlds.”

~ Jerry Saltz, Art Critic

Silent Running

Abilities change over

years of practice not

perfection coming

in currents and waves

adjusting to emotional

surfing through

calm seas or stormy

while our courageous souls,

whispering silently, 

can steer us from

great depths of authenticity.

“Boredom is the conviction that you can’t change...

..the shriek of unused capacities.”

~ Saul Bellow, the Adventures of Augie March

A New World Order

The biggest day has arrived. At midnight I slip into Official Retiredom. Before falling asleep, I will be myself. Waking in the morning, I will still be myself with a great difference that only I can feel. Others that have retired have navigated the same slip stream. A part of my life will change, and has begun to change in the past few weeks. Hopefully, on the outside, others may see changes. Will I will look rested and calmer? Maybe smiling more easily? It is any changes on the inside that trouble and, at the same time, excite me. Finding a toehold in fresh new confidence in this unfamiliar way of living. Oh yes, I’ve had lovely stretches of days off in my previous career. Practice runs at this new world order. In the next few days, my ‘practice runs’ should extend into a life that is satisfying and rewarding. Service to the care of others can extend outward through the written word and volunteering. I’ll continue the writing I’ve been doing in my journal and on this blog. I plan to expand on other writing projects. Volunteering will come later. For that I have some ideas, but will give my mind, heart and body a rest first so I enjoy this new beginning.

“I was numb, but it was from not knowing 

just what this new life would hold for me.”

~ Jamaica Kincaid, Lucy

A Curiosity Satisfied

A Curiosity Satisfied 

The books were stacked haphazardly or put away neatly in bookshelves. They were all full of so much wisdom and experience. It sometimes seemed that the novels, completely fiction, had more depth and wisdom than the books of academia. The stories that authors wove from history or from imaginations were amazing. Cordelia had just finished reading such a novel. She had, for the first time, used the little Post-It notes as she read. It was quite normal for her to use the little sticky notes in her university texts. She had seen members of her book club using them for the novels they brought for discussion. At first she was rather cynical about how analytical it had seemed. After a while she was just curious about how anyone could stop reading long enough to write a little note, or mark the page. But this book, found at a second-hand book store, had intrigued her when she read the first page. Curious, she paid for it and took it home to see how the story had been told. She had had some Post-It’s on the table beside her reading chair. A particular expression caught her attention and, without thinking, she had picked up the bright pink sticky notes, scribbled the couple of words on it and marked her page. Now that the book had come to an end, there were several little pink flags on the pages. Reading had taken on a different hue. She read the words all the same, but understood and appreciated the depth of the story differently. That’s all it had taken for her to change and develop a new practice. The example of her group and her own curiosity about ‘why’.

“The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, 

even but a millimeter the way people look at reality, then you can change it.”

~ James Baldwin

Following My Feet

“Stay where your feet are”
Four words recommended
Grounding for worries and anxieties

‘Practice what you preach’
Four more words recommended
Action for integrity and ethics

I followed my feet today. From the time I stepped on the carpet in the morning til now when they are up on a pillow. My actions became more thoughtful, my steps paced more calmly and I felt the earth solid beneath my feet. Although my feet carry me into thousands of situations filled with possibilities, my words and deeds set the scene. Whatever tasks are asked of our feet, whether they have shoes or not, whether they are cared for or not, our feet continue to carry us through each day.

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Time to Turn Around

When I think
my direction is true,
a shift in focus
shifts direction 
forever circular
‘doing things over and over
expecting a different result’
'til eyes open confidence 

in a grand direction
has been forced, false and uncertain
confidence in ability and practice
hidden, ghostlike, but sure ~
time to turn around and refocus.

“Study the past if you would define the future.”

~ Confucius

Proving Up Education

Proof of education ~
scrolled graduation date from
an ordinary or prestigious school, framed neatly and hung prominently for all to see.

Proof of education ~
walks out of the frame into 

trade, profession or calling
to fit into the frame of organization

Proof of education ~
stays away from the frame
belief in heartfelt ethical practice blossoms, shaping education 

and employment to fit one another.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

~ Aristotle

Research vs Daily Practice

Epilepsy is not at the top of the list for research dollars. Scrolling through the internet, there is research being done, mostly about neurobiology - the brain and it’s workings - and the genetics of epilepsy. I’m not certain of the specifics regarding the effects of active epilepsy on health care dollars, employment costs, the education system and in general someone’s home life. These issues would include the effects on the caregiver, if that is required, and details like care giver burnout, daycare, and respite beds. Then, there are dietary and medication requirements to be factored in to all these details.  

Home life can become extremely compromised, depending on the severity of the epilepsy, if there is more than one family member with this condition, how treatable are the conditions and the age of the individual with epilepsy. The two demographics that show the highest rates of epilepsy are children, and further, a significant amount (at least 14%) of people over age sixty five.

I have never been very interested in doing research, but interested in the results of research especially when it pertains to myself. I have benefited from the research that developed Phenytoin (Dilantin), phenobarbitol, ElectroEncephalograms (EEG) and the medical education my physicians have obtained. My form of epilepsy, idiopathic and temporal lobe, is pretty basic and I live a pretty good life - independently.

The more complex any health care condition is, the more complex the research must be. Increased complexity of this neurological condition means that there is more labour intensive daily care required at home,  at school, and in the community.

Another question that I raise is - Which must come first? Where should the dollars be spent? Which health condition needs to be addressed first. Epilepsy, this hidden disease with it’s attendant stigma, is just not at the front of the line and may even get pushed back occasionally.

Another issue that relates to research, and yes I am grateful for what I have, is that research results do not trickle down very quickly - if at all - to the individuals and families that require the knowledge to care for themselves or their loved ones.

We each must take care of our epilepsy on a daily basis, regardless of all the issues I have just raised.  And many times individuals and families do it based on limited knowledge, the knowledge of physicians and plain old fashioned common sense.

Addendum: August, 2024 - An added problem has arisen since 2013 - It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain a family physician, a neurologist, and/or an epileptoligist depending on one's location in the country of residence.

“Science is simply common sense at it’s best, that is

rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.”

~ Thomas Henry Huxley

Author's note:

Contact the BC Epilepsy Society on line for contact information, provincially and locally.

This information still accurate:

Canadian resources: canadianepilepsyalliance.org

                                 https://www.epilepsy.ca

United States resource: www.epilepsyfoundation.org

This information, links and phone numbers no longer valid.

Resource (practical) here in Victoria

Victoria Epilepsy & Parkinson’s Centre

813 Darwin Avenue

Victoria BC V8X 2X7

Phone:  250-475-6677

Fax:  250-475-6619

Email:  help@vepc.bc.ca

Web:  www.vepc.bc.ca

Grounded in Family

Early each morning

my family grounds me in 

communication - electronic these days

memories - china, photos on walls, in albums

practices - grace at breakfast, daily readings 

because I know that

from birth to death

our families - biological or not - 

are the soil supporting our being.     

Each cell of our body, a

development of biology.

Innate intelligence

expanded by lessons learned

informal, and formal.

Behaviours, responses so like

a close or distant relative

Is it nature or is it nurture?

Spiritual practices 

beckon the soul within,

no need for the dogma of religion.

Early each morning

all of my family grounds me.

“Other things may change us, but

we start and end with the family.”

~  Anthony Brandt