Greetings from My Mountain Cabin,
The late Christopher Reeve, marvelous character actor in the Superman film series, spent his last years confined to a wheelchair as the result of paralysis incurred during an equestrian accident. He was dependent upon others for all of his activities of daily living—feeding, elimination, grooming, hygiene—even dressing.
The thought of not having the physical capacity to brush a mosquito off of my nose or hug a dear one staggers my imagination. Yet, this was Mr. Reeve's reality.
How easy it would be for a lesser person to slip into the depths of despair. Yet, friends of Mr. Reeve said his sparkling, optimistic personality changed little after his injury. He had many things in his life that he found fulfilling—his work, his family, his charitable efforts. He dictated an autobiography near the end of his days entitled, quite symbolically, Still Me.
And author-psychiatrist Viktor Frankl tells us there were people who, during the holocaust, somehow were able to rise above the terror and retained an inner glow—a foundation of peace and tranquility that the death camps could not extinguish. For some, death was apparently an experience to be celebrated and not feared. True, but hard to believe as Dr. Frankl suggests, there were people in Auschwitz and Buchenwald who were actually happy.
Over my years as a therapist I have encountered patients suffering from a catastrophic illness who nonetheless seemed to lighten a room when they entered and created a vacuum when they left. Smiles that would illuminate the darkest setting. Such was the manner in which the broadcast of their living energy and vitality were received.
Curing implies fixing something that is broken or restoring something that is not working properly. Ultimately, all curing is doomed to failure, since the flesh space suit we are currently renting has a limited useful life. Someday, you are going to die! (I hope that observation does not ruin your day.) The outcome is inevitable. Efforts to extend life, no matter how successful, are ultimately self-limiting.
Healing suggests a different paradigm. Did you know the word healing is actually a derivation of the word wholing—"to make complete or whole"—which is, in turn based on the word holy, which means "associated with the Divine"?
Wholing means fully embracing the human experience with grace and dignity. It is the quality of life in the now that matters more than focusing on forestalling its extinguishing.
So, I invite you to take a few moments today to celebrate simply being. In this vastly complex universe, you are an important singularity. Allow yourself to wrap your mind and spirit around all that is well in your life and that which is not. Allow yourself to be wholly human, warts and all.
Thanks, Superman. Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning.
Be well, do good work, keep in touch,
Ed
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