Week 4: The Art of Adaptability

I wasn’t thrilled with last week’s column and told myself that I’d do better this week. That I’d start earlier, think it through more fully, give ‘more’ into the effort.
Here I am on Friday morning, and I haven’t written a thing. After a momentary panic and wondering if I should abandon this project altogether, I decided to sit down at the keyboard and see what developed.

I looked at the prompts I outlined, and this week was ‘Stillness’. That’s a good one, but it’s not been my reality. I’m having surgery in early December, so this week has been a flurry of tests, medical appointments and making plans, all hard on my dodgy hip (which is the reason for the surgery). While it doesn’t feel like I’m leaning into the still and quiet time of the year, I am making the necessary preparations so that I can embrace the slowness of my recovery and allow my body to transition into a fully healed and stronger version. This will align with the winding down of the year as we move closer towards the winter solstice. The universe knows.

This week, and the weeks to follow, will require me to practice adaptability. My recovery will require the art of Wu Wei, which means by doing nothing, everything is done. I won’t exactly be doing nothing – I’ll have to move as much as I’m able, but not too much. That will require adaptability and the challenge of thinking about my body in a different way. As in more capable, fragile, but growing stronger.

The results of my tests were good overall, save for a few minor areas that could use improvement. I’m a positive person by nature, so the increase in hope and optimism for the future has come as an unexpected surprise. I only need to get through the next few weeks. I’m a little apprehensive about the surgery, but it’s an excellent time to practice adaptability, and Wu Wei, as well as feel excitement as I think about what I’ll be capable of in the coming months.

Mantra: The only constant is change. We don’t always have control over the things that happen to us, but we have complete control over how we handle those things.
This isn’t an original quote, and I’m struggling with the notion of control. I’m a firm believer that we can prevent a lot of our own challenging situations, but also accept that stuff happens. Sometimes, we just can’t fix it, but we can reframe it. It happened, so… what now?

Meditation exercise: Draw a random card from a tarot deck you know well. Considering either the assigned meaning, or the image on the card, think about how you can flip the message to one that benefits something you’re dealing with right now. I drew the Ten of Wands (again – making note of this repetition), which is exactly how I feel. I have no choice but to see this through to the end, and right now I'm intentionally not looking at what awaits me there. I don’t have to, I already know. I’ll get there soon enough and meet that challenge when I do.

I'll add that I REALLY wanted to draw another card, since this one just came up in Week 2, but we both know that's not how it works! This is my message - I obviously didn't 'get it' the first time.

Comfortably seated with your feet on the floor, take a few rounds of four-square breathing, paying attention to how this exercise feels differently than in the previous weeks. Maybe you’re getting more proficient at regulating your nervous system. Maybe you’re a bit more stressed about the pressures of work and family, given the impending chaos of the upcoming holiday season. Use this as an opportunity to examine where you might need to adapt, to maintain your connection to the slowing pace of nature. This process isn’t linear. You may need to pick up your pace to meet a deadline or engage in some fun and that’s fine. Just remember to carve out a few moments of quiet every day to keep yourself from running empty.

Until next week,
Mary