omer days 8-10_Text:
Days 8-10 _The week of gevurah: strength, discipline, boundaries, limits. Day 8: loving kindness (chesed) in gevurah, Day 9 gevurah in gevurah. Day 10 tiferet (beauty, harmony balance in gevurah.
It seems strange that the week that is about discipline is the week I start to (apparently) slack off in my omer journal. But actually, it was really a decision based on a loving, strong, harmonious understanding of strength, limits, boundaries and discipline. This weekend I was responsible for the human rights committee conference at UTLA. I was on my feet (a major accomplishment in itself) for the better part of two days. On Thursday I had preparation for the conference, but also knew that I needed to rest in anticipation of everything the conference would require of me. I made it, thanks in no small measure due to living in balance, loving kindness and discipline. What got me through the conference despite my extreme limitations was disciplined rest, yoga, healthy food choices, hot baths, patience, asking for help, letting go of what I could not control as well as what I could not take on, delegating responsibility, zinc (yeah zicam!!!) vitamin C, lots of vitamin C, rest, lots of rest, and the power of community, which was ever present in bringing this conference into fruition.
I will need to be very still the next few days, to regain all my strength, what little that is. The pain and the immobility began to set in before I rose from my bed this morning. I was able to hold it off by sleeping a bit later than those who showed up to set up, arriving at 8:30 instead of 7:30, and spending some time with yoga, meditation and relaxation.
So all this applies to the theme of the week, the discipline in life, the recognition of limits, boundaries, strengths, necessary to carry out a task, a life, a plan with balance, beauty and loving kindness, always mindful of radical self-acceptance and radical self care.
