I understand this is a trying time for everyone. COVID-19 is disrupting the lives of people all over the world. People told to shelter in place are experiencing the effects of isolation. As people living with chronic pain and chronic illness, we know what that means. We know the experiences associated with having our lives disrupted every day. We can help.
It makes us feel good to share helpful measures with our fellow warriors, and today that includes the world. What can you contribute? Following are excerpts from old blogs
that everyone might find helpful during these times.
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I find great strength, comfort, and
diversion through poetry and photography, and I am thankful that I have found
ways to fill up my thought spaces by writing for others who share this journey
with me.
…Hobbies give us reason to relax and take a break. They are our weapon against boredom and idle hands. They create the presence of desire in our lives and keep our mind open to opportunities for exploring our creativity. Learn to make jewelry, read palms, fish, line dance, take photos, make birdhouses, collect antique watches, start a joke book, crochet, or hand glide. Take up scrapbooking, wood-burning, or calligraphy; it's totally up to you… [Excerpt, day 69, Spring Devotions in the Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain series.]
***Presently, I am working on a jigsaw
puzzle I bought a couple of years ago. I had forgotten how much I loved to do
them. But, like so many of us, I have to be careful not to sit with my neck
bent for too long. The good news is that I don’t need to worry about it being
on the table for as long as it takes. We won’t be having company.
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In my blog, The Setting, the Shutter, and the Power of
Resolution, I talked about my 2015 New Year’s resolution -
"Learning to use the manual settings on my new digital SLR camera". I
think of that blog as a metaphor for transforming adversity into opportunity.
***Photographs speak a universal language. Whether you are taking pictures or going through old albums, we can become mindful and create feelings that soothe us, especially during trying times.
***Photographs speak a universal language. Whether you are taking pictures or going through old albums, we can become mindful and create feelings that soothe us, especially during trying times.
For me, writing poetry
heightens my senses and provides an alternative path that promotes mindfulness. The words I chose give my thoughts texture, making them palpable,
at least to me. Writing poetry provides a beautiful detour because unlike
physical pain and illness there are no boundaries, no limitations. We have
unabashed freedom to explore and express ourselves using colors, shapes, and
concepts we might not otherwise.
I am in awe of the power
of randomly chosen words and their ability to bring me peace. Whether I am
working through a difficult situation or embracing the wonders of the
world, I know when I'm done I have formed a connection to my inner being I only
know through poetry.
"Poetry is writing about yourself waiting
to see what will show up, the words are the finger points of your soul.”
~Sandford Lyne, author of Writing Poetry from
the Inside Out
*** Like photography, poetry is a
creative way of chronicling our life’s events and provides a conduit to express
our feelings. You may have one you would like to share, maybe one you wrote after
you read my blog on how
to write “I am” poem. It’s time for all of us to be creative in our own
midst ─ to share with others things we never thought we would.
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As a once board-certified emergency
nurse, I know the risk to our people on the front lines of this virus. I am pleading with people to follow the CDC guidelines.
This pandemic is serious. We must take personal responsibility for protecting others
and ourselves.
BE THE LIGHT
In healing,
Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate
Think adversity?-See opportunity!
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
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