seeing the practice.

Like everyone these days, I take a yoga class now and then. It's at yoga that I learned about the idea of practice. Not just the concept of practicing a pose but also as a personal process. My practice. Like blogging, which has become a kind of a practice for me. A touchpoint. A rhythm that weaves through my thoughts and days. I like the idea of practicing the things that bring joy and health to your life. I like the idea that I have some say and control over the tone of my life.

I was thinking about the idea of practice this morning. I had to change out my set and as usual, I pushed it to the very last minute. I've never liked doing it for some reason. I love the freedom from shots, the freedom for 2-3 days of not having to deal with all the stuff associated with the pump. I don't know why but when that warning beep goes off, I feel more burdened, knowing that I have to change my set in the next few hours. Which is kind of silly when I remember that it only takes a few minutes to actually do. Not so hard to do, yes, but unpleasant nonetheless.

This morning as I assembled all the stuff I needed to change the set, I thought about how this routine was, in a sense, another form of practice. Of course it is a routine in dealing with the mechanics of my pump. But it occured to me, as I was filling the cartridge with insulin for the thousandth time, that it is also a practice in caring for myself. Yes, having diabetes is a drag, but regardless, every time I change my pump, it's me making a choice about the way I live with it. It's me making a practice of caring for myself and committing to a technology that delivers the best management of my disease. I don't love the technology but I choose to use it every day, in spite of that. Because I am choosing certain path in my life with diabetes. It occured to me this morning that I could look at this required chore in an alternative light. I could view it as a 5 minute ritual that reminds me of the choice I'm making about my life and personal care. I could look at it as a practice that is life affirming rather than a chore. I could practice at pulling mind away from the chore view and pushing it toward the affirmation view. And even if I don't achieve this state of mind every time, every time I do achieve it, it's one less time it feels like a chore. And that surely will help me feel a little better overall.

Comments

[Scott K. Johnson]

Hmmm - very powerful notion there...

[Minnesota Nice]

Absolutely. Many attitudes can be "reframed" if we have the awareness and then make the choice to do so.

[Jayne]

Full of grace, indeed. A friend said to me long ago, "Perhaps you took the moment to pray each time you had to stop for diabetes care.... how powerful that would be." It's easy to forget in the rush & fray & opportunity for grief. Thank you for the reminder ~ full of grace.