Yesterday morning was one of those moments where the immediate rush of things to do when you get out of bed and the imminent list of things yet to be done as soon as it is bright enough, is just overwhelming.
Lola is the latest casualty in our hospital ward, with a badly infected foot injury, and the medication process that the vets gave me is just stunning in it’s level of difficulty. There were four medicines and a foot-bathing solution to be given and in truth the main issues are with the antibiotic which she sprays out as soon as I get it in her mouth and the foot-bathing solution.
I mean, how on earth someone thinks it’s reasonable to prescribe a solution that I have to get her to stand in twice a day for ten minutes each? Are they nuts? Victoria came up with the best answer but even that is only giving me about two or three minutes of success each time. And between this and the antibiotic, Lola is seriously pissed at me.
So, by the time all ten others had been taken care of (around 5:30) I decided instead of breakfast and then Lola, I would escape to the lake to try to ease some of the pressure, even if just for a short while.
Even though I knew it was all going to be still waiting for me when I got back, just escaping for a little while was a heart-warming enough thought. So, I grabbed a cup of coffee, asked Kermie if he wanted to come with me (he didn’t say “no”) and drove on down to Lake Parker.
They were just opening the gate to the boating area as I drove by, so I figured that was a sign from the heavens and I u-turned and went back there.
The ranger that had opened the gate was gone when I returned and so I was completely alone (except for the frog) and in the dark. And that was exactly what I needed.
I set up down by the boat launch and got some nice long exposure shots that Miss Piggy will like and for a while, I completely chilled.
I have put some of them here at the end of the blog and the first four are a good example of the camera seeing something that my eyes couldn’t. I was staring into darkness with no view of the horizon, while the camera pulled up those wonderful tones over a 30 second exposure. How cool, huh?
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Around 6:30 it was already getting too close to twilight to pull off a long exposure like that, so I packed up and went home, to once again resume duties and get on with my day.
But as I drove home, I began to think about the value of taking a brief escape like this and how it made things just a tiny bit less overwhelming and quite possibly doable.
And that is how the whole thought of escape from life began to materialize in my head, on a grander scale.
You see, stepping back from the coal-face of issues is well-understood to be the correct way to be able to objectively deal with things. But the stepping away also can allow us to rejuvenate ourselves to where we handle things just a little better and with less stress.
Hitting the pause button for a short while can help us catch our breath and have another run at whatever may be overwhelming to us at any moment in time.
It doesn’t necessarily guarantee us success, but it allows us to give it a shot without the handicap of feeling so bad about it. Because when we are overwhelmed, we tend to feel badly about any task that we have on our plate and this increases the likelihood that we will fail.
I think none of this is news to most of us. We have all done this many times before and likely will again in the future.
But where my mind took the thought yesterday was exploring the concept of escaping from life and the ways that some people manage to do this.
Catastrophic examples of this are the folks who put a gun to their head or those how lose their mind in a one-way visit to insanity. I obviously don’t recommend these as a viable journey.
But methods such as meditation are immensely valuable routes than can be taken with really powerful results. People who meditate reap benefits to their health and well-being on different planes. Some do so on a serious and consistent level, while others do small ad-hoc journeys that give them relief.
Whatever works for your lifestyle, these escapes can place us on a desert island in our mind, where outside influences disappear and somehow seem less threatening when we choose to reemerge from the mental solitude.
Surrounding our island with oceans of nothingness, gives us space to reassess where we are, who we are, and what is important without the interference of issues or people that must be dealt with.
And escape doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be alone on your island. You can bring a Kermie and a coffee too, if you wish. But whoever you bring needs to be not part of the problem from which the escape is taking place.
Kermie gave me promise of finding the rainbow connection, many years ago and so he actually helps me focus on what I am trying to escape to.
Perhaps for others of you, it might be a pet on your lap to where your escape happens to the soothing sound of a purr or soft furry breathing.
I don’t believe that meditation has to take us to a place of empty minded nothingness. I believe it just needs to take us somewhere where we find peace.
So, whether your meditation ends up being a scheduled event or an occasional response to tough times, take it. Give that moment to yourself and escape the feeling of loss and being overwhelmed.
We generally don’t give ourselves many gifts, but this is one that you will be glad you did.
… just a thought.
