I'm Coasting

There hasn't been a blog entry in a while, because there is not a lot to report. I am finally getting to "coast." I need a long stretch with some spacious time to myself to just be in my internal unfolding healing process.

I feel awkward saying that, because I have just announced that I'm teaching in April, not exactly a quiet, internal activity. This is a course I have taught about 15 times. In some ways it will be relatively easy (and inspirational) to teach because the material is part of the fabric of who I am. My ability to do hands-on work with peole may be limited right now, causing my identity as a practicing Osteopath to be in limbo, but I am still able to express my creativity through my identity as a teacher. I have all the notes and slides and written materials prepared already. I was ready to go teach last November and again this April in Belgium, Holland, Germany, and France when I was forced to cancel everything. I have 4 prepared courses that I never got to teach. My teaching is a very internal process, as is the work people do when they attend my courses, so I am looking forward to using the time as a catalyst for a deeper dive into my experience of Health. Taking a long lunch break so that I can nap will help! And then. . . I am taking a long break from teaching. I am not scheduling anything new for a while.

I did get accepted into The Cancer Help Program retreat at Commonweal for this April. I already feel the program "working me" as I percolate into deeper layers of meaning in living with cancer. If you are curious, you can check it out at:
http://commonweal.org/programs/cancer-help.html

I've been blessed with some beloved company. I had friends from Germany visit this week, on their way to the American Academy of Osteopathy's yearly convocation at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. I will miss being there this year. It's one of the best "schmooze-fests" to connect with my extended Osteopathic family. It's also the only place Steve and I have ever stayed that has a room with a 7 foot bathtub in which Steve can stretch out! And of course, there is always something to learn while we're there.

This weekend I have my dear old friend Debra, who I met in 10th grade (in Miami) visiting from New Jersey. She is the only person with whom I'm in contact, besides my brother, who knew both of my parents. She has a fabulous laugh and I feel positively 16 when I'm with her.

I keep listing all the things I'm doing and people who are visiting after I told you that I need a long stretch with some spacious time to myself. Somewhere there is a balance of free time and the presence of supportive people in my life. Even with all this activity, I am finding the time to rest and reflect and care for myself.

I have continued to do a lot of writing, but most of it is personal and not bound for blog entries. As I coast and feel somewhat better, I will be making fewer entries. Please don't stop visiting my blog, but you might not find new entries as frequently as in the past few months.

Several people have asked me about what I'm reading. Although I might blog on some of these books in the future, I thought I'd give you the current list of books on my pile and in my Kindle:
Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
Cancer As A Turning Point by Lawrence LeShan
Saved By A Poem by Kim Rosen
Just Kids by Patti Smith
The Courage To Teach by Parker Palmer
Coming To Our Senses by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Kabbalah of Stone by Irene Reti

I hope all of you are caring for yourselves and finding the place in your life where you can coast. Remember, coasting is moving without the use of effort or power. Where in your life do you have the momentum to carry you so that you can let go and enjoy the ride?