Better Health for a Change...
After having a few rather lousy days, I am finally having a fairly productive morning for a change. I have already been outside for an hour or more working in the yard.
Last night was quite miserable... some gastrointestinal problems, weak, dizzy and vision so blurry that I could not see a thing... no reading... no computers or media... even watching television was difficult.
I suppose I could have just sat around with headphones listening to music but, I must admit, although I am a musician, I quickly get bored with that. It's sort of a "been there, done that" kind of thing. Maybe it is just boredom... after doing absolutely nothing for days (and the better part of this year so far), I need more to satisfy me... I need "information"... I need "learning"... I need stimulation.
Many musicians would say that music is stimulation... many musicians would say that playing music relaxes them... etc. Over the course of four decades, I have played in many different types of bands, ie, jazz, concert, blues, rock, pop, soul, as well as being a classically trained pianist, but I have always needed to be relaxed before I sit at the piano. I must meditate before performing to get into the right frame of mind. (Truth be told, since high school I have always meditated before all activities, including sports.) If I am not relaxed and in the right frame of mind, I only get more frustrated while at the piano.
Incidentally, this meditation I have been doing since high school has helped me immeasurably throughout my entire life, especially for my debilitating and excruciatingly painful spinal injuries. Without effective meditation, I could not accomplish a thing... ever. It helps block out pain. Meditation is a very effective tool in pain management. I do not believe in the use of any "painkiller drugs" (read narcotics, not anti-inflammatory drugs) for any chronic pain. Meditation combined with appropriate exercise is the way to go and the only way to live, especially when faced with constant debilitating pain!
I first started practicing meditation before basketball games in high school. This was so effective that I started meditating before my hockey games too. I used meditation for relaxing before sleep. Before long, it became a habit... meditating before everything I do which requires focus.
Back to last night's health problems... I suppose if my piano was in working order (more on that another time) I would not have minded sitting at the piano, wearing headphones, and just playing until my spine was screaming for relief. Of course, that is assuming my hands were cooperating with my brain last night. Quite often, when I am feeling lousy, I get tremors in my hands and my hands will not cooperate with my brain making any time at the piano very frustrating, if not almost impossible.
Anyway, this morning is finally a 'good' morning. I am still feeling only mediocre, but I am having a productive morning for a change!
Last night was quite miserable... some gastrointestinal problems, weak, dizzy and vision so blurry that I could not see a thing... no reading... no computers or media... even watching television was difficult.
I suppose I could have just sat around with headphones listening to music but, I must admit, although I am a musician, I quickly get bored with that. It's sort of a "been there, done that" kind of thing. Maybe it is just boredom... after doing absolutely nothing for days (and the better part of this year so far), I need more to satisfy me... I need "information"... I need "learning"... I need stimulation.
Many musicians would say that music is stimulation... many musicians would say that playing music relaxes them... etc. Over the course of four decades, I have played in many different types of bands, ie, jazz, concert, blues, rock, pop, soul, as well as being a classically trained pianist, but I have always needed to be relaxed before I sit at the piano. I must meditate before performing to get into the right frame of mind. (Truth be told, since high school I have always meditated before all activities, including sports.) If I am not relaxed and in the right frame of mind, I only get more frustrated while at the piano.
Incidentally, this meditation I have been doing since high school has helped me immeasurably throughout my entire life, especially for my debilitating and excruciatingly painful spinal injuries. Without effective meditation, I could not accomplish a thing... ever. It helps block out pain. Meditation is a very effective tool in pain management. I do not believe in the use of any "painkiller drugs" (read narcotics, not anti-inflammatory drugs) for any chronic pain. Meditation combined with appropriate exercise is the way to go and the only way to live, especially when faced with constant debilitating pain!
I first started practicing meditation before basketball games in high school. This was so effective that I started meditating before my hockey games too. I used meditation for relaxing before sleep. Before long, it became a habit... meditating before everything I do which requires focus.
Back to last night's health problems... I suppose if my piano was in working order (more on that another time) I would not have minded sitting at the piano, wearing headphones, and just playing until my spine was screaming for relief. Of course, that is assuming my hands were cooperating with my brain last night. Quite often, when I am feeling lousy, I get tremors in my hands and my hands will not cooperate with my brain making any time at the piano very frustrating, if not almost impossible.
Anyway, this morning is finally a 'good' morning. I am still feeling only mediocre, but I am having a productive morning for a change!
Comments
Post a Comment