My stomach’s been off lately. I’m not sure if it’s IBS, or the BS of politics. I suppose doctors will probe me and figure out if I’m dying or not. I’m not in pain, just sluggish, with indigestion. I’ve so far had great luck with shifting my beliefs and getting well again. As a result, I usually think we can change our lives and our politics with new thoughts and actions.
I do find understanding the diagnosis matters first. I have to be honest, I’m definitely feeling some powerlessness. Whether housing or healthcare, the systems aren’t easy to move through these days. It’s a gut punch to have to wait two months to see a doctor, then being on hold for another two months, waiting for whatever has to be done. It’s a circle game – “and the seasons they go round and round…” Joni wrote it well. We need a new government that actually spends money on housing and health, not on ballrooms and billions on war.
I ask myself, what is my dis-ease? Reality is definitely hard to digest these days. What’s in our air and water, let alone food? With these wacky doctors hired by you-know-who at the White House, who knows what will we be inhaling next? Microbiome products are flying off the shelves, probiotics are big business, Metamucil must be a soaring stock, everyone’s talking about gluten intolerance. But, hey, no potato chips or cookies, ever? I mean, is life really worth living that way?
If there’s a correlation between illness and feelings, maybe I’ll just spill my guts here, release my inner emotional hairball. I’m tired of injustice, bullying and the harm being done to life and climate, the killing by strangers in our towns, threatening us with masks on. What’s my lesson to learn here? It’s also important to rest, to renew hope and to join others in making a difference. I am writing this right before the march on Saturday, but I trust there will be many people there and more of them to come. No matter what you believe, we have to make this world livable for the next generation.
One of my yoga teachers suggested that we just try spending a few extra moments in awe of something wonderful around us. Gratitude is also good. So, I spotted a big robin on the back fence today. She looked pregnant, with a lovely, round, protruding belly. I remembered to just stand there and linger, gawking at this miracle of life. I imagined being able to fly through the sky and sit on top of a tree like she can. It was a glorious moment of hope. I am also reading about creating change on many levels. Mike Dooley’s “Infinite Possibilities” is intriguing. He writes, “The next time you visualize, include the Universe and its magic. Imagine fantastic coincidences and wonderful accidents happening in your dreamed-of circle of events that boost you further than you’d previously thought possible.” I’m ready, I’m ready for a new narrative, a new vision, a life of liberty, protection and kindness for all.
I also know it takes guts to stand up for what’s moral. So many people, like Liam, the little darling five-year-old child in the blue hat, have been ripped from their homes. Liam was suddenly transported with his backpack and his dad to a Texas detention center. And who knows what really goes on in there? It’s gut wrenching. Can you imagine your child being grabbed by masked men and swept to someplace strange? It’s harrowing far beyond words. It deserves howling wolves all over the land until the powers that be hear us – we, the people.
Oh how the belly can ache, complain and register itself to our attention. Your time distance to professional consultation makes room for non-professional do it yourself means. I’ve always liked and looked for those ways that both make sense technically and provide comfort in multiple ways addressing both body and mind.. In a quart sized jar add 2-3 TBS of raw chamomile flowers and fill to the top with hot water as if you were making a strong tea. Leave the herbs inside the jar, cover the top leaving looseness to the closing so as not to create suction as the brew cools in the frig. When the mixture is now cold pour off the liquid and discard the solids. Use 1/2 cup of the strong cold liquid tea 4x/day not immediately with food but possiblly 30-45 minutes later but otherwise anytime the spirit moves you. Plan on doing this for at least a week and probably longer.
Right with a meal itself there are other options. “Quiet Digestion” by a company called Health Concerns is one. Another is “Curing Pills” Kang Ning Wan is an over the counter option. Please understand and accept this is not a professional referral and all consequences are your own. I hope you’ll find some comfort however it comes.