Constancy of change

"Contraction changes into expansion, and expansion changes into contraction; physicalization changes into spiritualization and spiritualization to physicalization; movement changes into rest and rest changes into movement; solidification changes into decomposition and decomposition changes into solidification; prosperity ends in poverty and poverty in prosperity; success into failure and failure into success; joy changes to misery and misery to joy; love becomes hate and hate becomes love. Day becomes night, night becomes day; winter turns into summer and summer turns into winter; darkness turns into light and light into darkness, health changes to sickness and sickness changes to health. The rise of civilization brings about it's decline. Difficulties produce strength and happiness. Tears lead to smiles. War results in peace, life turns into death and death turns into life." (Michio Kushi, The Dõ-In Way: Gentle Exercises to Liberate the Body, Mind, and Spirit. Square One Publishers, 2007. 9.)

My friend Elissa McCarthy sent me the above quote. Kushi is an important voice in the macrobiotics for wellness movement, and Elissa has been a student, searching. Are we not all life's students, searching? I am always so thankful for every friend with whom I experience a sharing of the search. Such sharing, it seems to me, leads to that comfort in the deep, inner knowing of continuation.

Yesterday all day and again this morning the skies are gray, the clouds heavy with moisture, light rain falling frequently, rain a persistent possibility. Tuesday morning, though, I noted how mist delineated St. Omer's Creek, and the pond in the meadow, and billowed over Deer Creek where I know it curves out of sight from the house between the hills. The forecast is for the clouds to blow out this afternoon as a cold front comes in. The clouds are heavy now, but the sunshine is coming again.

Okay, I admit it, I'm sick with some sort of sniffly, sneezy, coughy, chills and sweats and achy junk. This too, this too. One real blessing I carry with me from the time illness brought me to a standstill is a sure knowing that I have the ability to notice what doesn't hurt, and what does still work. I have not fallen, I have not been unable to rise and stand and walk, I have not been unable to help myself. So I have noticed, experienced the deep knowing that this is not so bad, I got through worse, and this, too, will pass. There it is, the blessing of the constancy of change. Let me always be one who notices and accepts the life of this hour, to notice it, to experience the gift it carries, to bless the constancy of change.