Category Archives: health

health, meditation

The Tenth Day of Christmas: Ten Lords a-Leaping

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I could talk again about the wonderful party I imagined as a child the lords and ladies, pipers and drummers were having over the last few days of Christmas. But there is no need to talk about healthy movement just a day later. So instead of thinking of ballet dancers and exercise, I am thinking of what we often think of when we think of leaping. Taking a chance.

I thought about comfort zones with the Five Golden Rings. They can be a very nice place to be, but it is rare to flourish there. A few days ago I was thinking about not being afraid of making mistakes. Now, I am thinking about taking chances. And taking chances is scary. And that means risking failing. And that is scary.

But it’s worth it. Even if you fail horribly, it’s worth it to take the chance and try. As much as all the motivational posters and quips are full of pithy sayings, it is true. You ‘miss’ every shot you don’t take, you can’t win if you don’t try, faint hearts don’t win hot studs. You can spectate all you want, and even find other spectators to talk about the ‘right’ way to do it on Monday morning, but unless you are willing to make that leap and take that chance, all you will ever be is a spectator.

But trying is hard. It takes effort to give something that’s risky a chance, and it takes effort to pick yourself up and try again. But really, it’s all we can do. As Beckett said,

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

So, when I hear the Lords leaping, I won’t think of physical activity or men dancing, but I will examine my life and make sure I am trying, and that I am prepared to fail.
And that I am prepared to maybe, just maybe, *win*.

Back to introduction.
Forward to Eleven.

 

health, meditation

The Ninth Day of Christmas: Nine Ladies Dancing

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When I was little, my mind always pictured the last four gifts being more of a party than individual gifts. The maids-a-milking were the only humans who weren’t acceptable at a ball. I did, however, always wonder why there were more musicians than there were dancers.

Anyway, it’s not much of a stretch to think that the nine ladies dancing is a reminder to have healthy movement. And it’s not to hard to realize that we pretty much all need more healthy movement in our lives. It’s one thing to know that, and another to actually do it. Personally, I can find 15 minutes to check facebook or play a game on a device, but 15 minutes to stretch or exercise? That’s so much hard to do.

But one thing I do find easy to do is to move to music. Possibly not ‘dancing’, but when a good song with a good beat comes on I find it hard to keep still.
And that is healthy movement. Even for 3 minutes. Even if it’s just moving to a song while doing dishes. Exercise doesn’t have to be something to prepare for or something to plan. It can be as simple as a polka in the kitchen.

With bonus points if there is someone or something else to polka with.

So, when I hear about the nine ladies dancing, I will try not to think of the odd numbers or the formal dance, and instead be reminded that any little bit of movement is an improvement.

Back to introduction.
Forward to Ten.

 

health, meditation

The Eighth Day of Christmas: Eight Maids a-Milking

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Milk maids have been a motif in art for centuries, reaching a status normally reserved for unicorns and other mythical beings. They were used to show health and beauty and wholesomeness, which is probably why they are the first human in the song. Some people theorize that it’s a transference of the purity of the milk onto the gatherer. Others argue that it’s because milk maids weren’t ravaged by the pox diseases that afflicted the rest of the population, a feat almost magical when observed at the time, but has since revolutionized our world.

Everyone who worked closely with cows understood that if they had caught the mild cow pox, they would not need to fear small pox outbreaks. Eventually, Western doctors caught on as well, and vaccines became available (vaccine after the Latin for cow).

On the sixth day, I thought about defenses and how they can hurt us instead of helping us. Today, I am thinking of inoculations against bad habits and that old saw ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’.

It’s easy to put things off until they become urgent, or a ‘fire’ that needs immediate attention. It’s easy to see a rotting porch stair and use it daily thinking ‘that’s going to need to be replaced’ and not actually do anything until it finally breaks and you have no choice but to fix it right away. Or to ignore a car trouble because you don’t have the time or money at the moment, so you end up stranded with more time and money issues than if you had scheduled an appointment. We can ‘vaccinate’ against these issues by recognizing them and doing the small thing we want to avoid now when we can  to avoid being forced to do the large thing at it’s chosen time later.

So, when I think of milk maids milking, I will think of those annoying things I could put off until I have no choice, and see if I can stop avoiding them and fit them in now.

 

 

 

Back to introduction.
Forward to Nine.

Note Bene: The Chinese have a published report from 1549 mentioning that they had discovered a small pox vaccination. It was common practice in the Middle East as well. Neither mentions milk maids.