Sometimes We Must Stop Everything to Care for Ourselves

I disappeared from here for over a month. No it does not mean I stopped with anything ADF.  I have happily continued my meditation and trance work on a nearly daily basis.  I have continued to read and study. Each time I sit down with a book I enjoy it more. I have even made the decision to continue on until I become ordained clergy.  So, if I love the ADF and its studies so much, where did I go? Simple. My hands didn't want me to type.

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows I have health issues.  It is very frustrating to me, but I have come to terms with it.  Sometimes my hands swell so much or are in so much pain that typing is a nightmare.  I have had a lot of difficulty resting as much as needed.  I tend to push through the issues and try to ignore them. Of course, I always pay for it.

We live in a society that tells us to pretend we feel great and nothing is wrong.  Chronic illness is a weird little dirty secret.  I refuse to live like that.  I admit to my needs. People know what is up.  Of course I hear plenty that I am "trying to get attention." Ummm... no.  Speaking up for my needs is taking care of myself.  Needing a comfortable chair or something to drink when it's time for my meds has nothing to do with attention.  Yet that's how it is viewed.

I'm trying to take care of myself, so I willing say  --

Sorry I've been gone. I simply couldn't type.  I made the choice to take care of myself instead and now I feel much better BECAUSE of it.  I did what was right for me. I'm not telling people to go around being selfish, but ignore this awful stance in society. Take care of yourselves instead. Remember - we only have so many spoons to go around each day.

Virtues -- Wisdom

My definition of Wisdom is a combination of that from the ADF and the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  I see it as not only “good judgment”, but also knowledge gained by experience and an understanding of things that others do not have. There are many in our lives we can consider wise, but we must remember that there are many types of wisdom. My grandparents are wise in that they understand the secrets of the land.  I had a wise professor in college who taught us that no one is insignificant.  Everyone has a gift and they all have an important part in the world.  

I also find wisdom in our stories, such as the story of Fionn who gained great wisdom from tasting the Salmon of Knowledge. I see this as a reminder that wisdom can be found in any age, and can come from many sources or experiences. We can also look at Odin hanging from Yggdrasil from nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of the runes. In this case, we are shown that we must sacrifice in order to learn. Wisdom is not just given to us. We must fight for it and be willing to give up some part of our selves in order to gain it.  

Wisdom is perhaps the most important of the nine virtues. As I reviewed the virtues, I took a deep look at wisdom and realized that each of the others require wisdom in order to properly fulfill them. It is the foundation of the virtues, on which all other must stand. As for the triad, living a life with Wisdom allows us to better observe proper Piety and see with true Vision. These three form the internal aspects of ourselves and Wisdom binds them together.

I do my best to live my life with wisdom to make good choices.  Of course, like everyone else I have made bad choices in my life. The key is to acknowledge I did so, then spend serious time reflecting to see what I can learn from this bad choice. No matter how awful something is, there is always good that can come from it. We must look into them and learn, finding the wisdom in the moment.