In the Midst of Chaos, Find Your Calm!

In the Midst of Chaos

Chaos cacophony vortex of dread
Dreadful dreary thoughts pounding in head
Cease and desist Source’s message to me
All Beings are meant to be happy and free
Carefree and loving let heart song take flight
Ease calm and peace cast away daily plight
Morning sun through the window dawns a new day
Angel slides beckoning come out and play
Rejoicing and grateful dear ones I am here
Bird song reminding there is nothing to fear.

Being 66 years old, I have lived through a lot and thought I've seen it all but life can sure be full of surprises. I've been blessed to have many wonderful adventures and surprises that have brought so much joy to my life. I've also known tragedy and heartache that at times brought me to my knees. I was part of the last polio epidemic in the United States in 1959. I contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 after receiving 5 vaccines and was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome at the age of 53 yet at the age of 55 went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. You never know where life is going to take you. In what seems to be the most chaotic and frightening times, it is vital to find our calm.

Tom and I lived through the Blizzard of '78 when there was only eggplant left on the shelves. Fortunately I had a vegetarian cookbook and got very creative with our meals. We tend to not eat much eggplant these days.

After Ruth Anne's OT appointment at Spaulding Rehab last Friday, we decided to get our groceries. There was no way we could have ever been prepared for what we experienced at Star Market. We went first to Trader Joe's where we like to buy certain items. The shelves were bare but Ruth Anne noted, "There's the eggplant!" We aborted the mission and headed to Star Market.

There were no carriages and when we asked one of the managers where we could get a cart, she said, "They are all in use. Just wait until you see what's happening in here!"

They made an announcement for all staff to attend to carriage control and we were assertive without being aggressive to secure our cart. There was plenty of produce except for white potatoes. People were wearing masks and gloves. The fish counter and meat shelves were well stocked but there was not a box of pasta or jar of sauce to be found. People were pushing and shoving and the panic was palpable. Ruth Anne and I stayed focused getting our essentials on what ordinarily would have been a regular grocery shopping outing. Part of Ruth Anne's healing and recovery from PANDAS is to be able to grocery shop. She has gone on a few independent shopping trips but I knew this was not going to be the day to work on those skills.

I was in awe of how we remained calm despite the empty shelves and the energy of the shoppers. We were able to maintain focus and when an item wasn't available we made substitutes or decided to keep it on the list for next week. While I went to get milk and orange juice, Ruth Anne secured our place in the long and winding check out lines.

It wasn't until Friday evening that the trauma of that trip hit us. Fortunately Tom gave us a loving ear and we gave Ruth Anne extra support as her anxiety took her to a place she hadn't been since last August.

Yesterday morning she was back to her old self and we went on a run (more on that in my next blog post).

These times of uncertainty challenge us to remain calm in the midst of chaos.

We have been meditating for years. It was a practice I turned to after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome. There are short and long meditations and meditations that send out healing to the world. There are YouTube videos with meditations, websites with free downloads and websites with downloads that charge but we have found them to be well worth it to have a variety of meditations on hand for whatever the need is to remain calm and focused. These websites have excellent information and resources for health, wellness and the power of the mind/body connection.

Here are my favorites:
Dr. Joe Dispenza and Blessing of the Energy Centers
Bernie Siegel and on YouTube
Dr. David Hamilton I highly recommend his Cleansing Visualization; a free download
Sharon Salzberg Loving kindness meditations available on YouTube
Heal Documentary A phenomenal documentary about healing and a companion book. We use the soundtrack for meditation.

Tom and Ruth Anne took a Brookline Center for Adult Education gardening class. We are finding our calm by connecting with nature and planning our garden:


I am finding my calm with writing poetry.

Last night we revisited finding our calm with adult coloring books and Ruth Anne did a water color painting and we have plenty of board games on hand that provide fun, connection, cognitive stimulation

We find our calm with our beloved four foot Jamie who is a wonderful teacher about keeping calm in the midst of chaos:


Even before this recent crisis, for the past several years, I have been one to skim the news, not watch TV, hide posts on Facebook that agitate me and connect with like hearted people to nourish myself mind, body and soul.

While it is easy to get pulled into the vortex of panic and fear, my hope is that I have inspired you to find your calm in the midst of chaos.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon