Slow Down (or, How Chronic Pain Shows Me How to Be More Present)

When I was doing my planning for today, I wrote "slow down." I did that yesterday. I had been feeling the build up of tension over the last few days and knew something needed to shift. Yesterday, I had a migraine that seemed to go away as the day went on, but then it reared up even uglier this morning.

So first, my apologies that folks have been two days without a meditation. I hope that you're still finding time to engage with older meditations.

What I am grateful for on days like these is that opportunity to sloooow down. I'm lucky that I didn't have anything too pressing and that I could cancel my day to stay on the couch with an ice pack on my head. I don't always have that option and I know many people don't. Louise still needed her walk today, though, so we went out this afternoon.

When I have a migraine, I become extremely sensitive to things like temperature, smell, sound, and light. I can't be too hot, things can't be too loud, etc. Lots of things that I don't always pay attention to become front and center.

Louise varies on her desired walk speed, but today she was happy to slow down and get her sniffies in. We took a usual route and it was nice to have a cool breeze on my face and to be able to take some mindful breaths with it. The sun was a bit much, but as you can see in the picture above, we enjoyed some shady spots. As we turned that corner, I gave a sigh of relief.

All of this to say: I rush in so many ways throughout my days and slowing down is possible. Getting outside is usually what reminds me of all the parts of the moment that I miss in that rush: the breeze, the shade, the flowers, the way it feels to move my body. Maybe you rush too?

One of the things I appreciate about meditation and mindfulness is that we can re-wire to be present for more. Slowing down today, letting myself rest, and find the little things about the moment (at least on our walk) was a bit of a relief from what life has felt like recently in some ways, and from the pain of the day. I feel like this year has been a lesson in the slow down and I'm going to keep learning about it until I find the ability to keep that presence and protect my energy and space.

I share all of this because maybe it's relatable? Maybe my story today can remind you to find ways to slow down or to get outside or to just feel the breeze in a moment that you're able to.

I hope tomorrow that I can share a new meditation with you.

Until then, take care.

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