[“Wellness Ambassador,” RiteAid pharmacy]
Having just finished Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, heartily recommended, I’ve been giving that “what matters” some thought.
It’s been an excellent week to be asking this question: I’ve been out of town a lot lately so am looking at my home and my life with the eye of the returning traveler. And it’s one of those crunch times when too many important things must happen within a couple of days of one another. And I’ve been both sick and a little jet-lagged so am not really bringing my A game to my extra-long-because I’ve-been-out-out-town To Do list. So need to cull, prioritize. And, of course, the earthquake in Nepal and the headlines re Baltimore—and the headlines about those headlines—both weight heavy on my heart and ask me to look at my life, my choices from a larger, tragic perspective.
What matters? (And will be accessible as I age.) Here are my Top 4:
1. Silent worship/opening myself to Spirit. Dare I confess that only because I’d agreed to meet someone after mid-week worship at my Quaker meeting yesterday morning* did I find myself sitting in silence with handful of people? (I guess I do.) After about ten minutes I was asking myself, “How come I don’t come here every week?”
2. Spending dedicated, unobstructed, no-distractions time with the people I love. Duh.
3. Nature–even the urban version I see and hear through my kitchen window. The wind through my wind chimes, watching clouds or a sparrow at my bird feeder matter. They feed me.
4. Writing. If I am not working on/mulling/stewing over a writing project I get very, very crabby. (And, strangely, anxious, too. Not sure why that is). Good to know, right?
What would be Your Top 4?
* Don’t get the wrong idea; we did not discuss spiritual matters. But rather how to self-promote now that I’ve just finished a book. Hmmm.
Dear Patricia,
Hello, there, my so, so very dearly special and precious white sisterfriend who you are For Always so, so very much, Patricia! I just so, so love very much this grand title to this astoundingly inspirational blog post article of your, and the entire blog post article itself! As the title so aptly say, “Quality Quality of Life,” our very lives must very much indeed have a quality, quality kind of life in which we are connected to our Good God in our very spiritual essence, and loving our Good God with all that we have in our very human beings, and also for sure For Always loving our dearest and darling sisters and brothers who are very much indeed children of our Good God.
You are so right on, my white sister, when you say that silent worship.opening ourselves to Spirit is of such great importance. It is so, so very vitally necessary and important to do so on an individual level one-on-one with Spirit, and also with our sisters and brothers in worship, too. You ate so right that spending quality, quality of life time with our loved ones is of such paramount importance! I know that my very heart, you, Patricia, and my other white sisterfriends, and the other white persons in my life, are very much indeed my family of choice and my friendsfamily who I love so, so very much, and For Always cherish!!!!!! I so love all the marvelous white persons in my life, and the very many, many white persons at my blessedly pure in heart church which I have joyfully been a member of for decades, my white sisterfriend!!!!!! Enjoying nature is very much indeed a way to connect to the inner human core of our soul-spirits, and writing is such a healing tool in which we can seek and gain clarity in our lives, and enhance our spirituality.
Sister, I am so, so very thrilled and excited that your spectacular and cool book, Welling Up, has come out!!!!!! I have been waiting for it to come out with such strongly eager anticipation!!!!! I will have to buy this, and also request that my local libraries order it so that many others in my city and community can read this great work of composition in the written word!!!!!! I just am so excited about your new book, Patricia!!!!!
Sisterfriend, please have a superbly super Saturday, and a wondrously wonderful weekend, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, Patricia!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, with Peace and Love To You For Always my white sisterfriend, Patricia, with Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always my white sister,
Your Christian lesbian black sisterfriend For Always in solidarity, Sherry Gordon
Always lovely hearing from you, Sherry.
Need to correct a misunderstanding, though: Welling Up may be finished but it isn’t published, yet.
That finding an agent or publishing company process I call The Slog. And The Slog continues.