harmony, happiness and health

Things which are put together are both whole and not whole, brought together and taken apart, in harmony and out of harmony; one thing arises from all things, and all things arise from one thing. (Heraclitus)

If you start searching online, there are a lot of meanings for harmony – musical, philosophical, cultural, etc. To me, it ‘simply’ means existing in balance with the world around you. Where something is lacking, you give; where you are lacking, something fills you. Easier said than done, of course, and I suppose the desire to exist in harmony can lead us along many a wandering path.

What I’ve learned of Chinese philosophy (again, from my acupuncture studies), harmony is gained by finding and adhering to your true path in life. What do you do, though, if your true path in life – when you find it – conflicts with the life you’ve been creating up until that point? Do you get a second true path? Do you abandon what you’ve built up until that point? This is a point that worries me, whether we’re talking about Chinese philosophy or Western religion. What if the life you’ve created doesn’t fit the “rules” of the path you believe is the right one for you?

Most days, I feel reasonably harmonious with many aspects of my life – but in all honesty, I rarely feel harmonious on all levels. What does that mean? Do you feel harmonious with all aspects of your life, or do you suspect you may have veered off your true path at some point? Is there some correction possible, or do we just make the best of the situation at hand? Deep thoughts ….

Happiness is an easier concept for me to grasp. Not that I always feel happy, but I have a clearer idea of what happiness is. I feel very fortunate that I’m happy most days … but that hasn’t always been the case, and I’m all too familiar with what it feels like when happiness is as unattainable as capturing stardust or sunbeams. I was first diagnosed with chronic depression when I was 23, and the psychiatrist said I’d likely been suffering from it for most of my life. I’ve tried to accept it as just one more facet of who I am, but a couple of years ago, it got bad enough that I finally consented to take medication for it in addition to therapy. I’ve been off the meds for a little over a year now, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some skirmishes with those dark feelings since then.

Health exists on so many levels. There’s obviously physical health, but there are also emotional health and spiritual health to name two others. I think that health is something we need before we can begin to cultivate harmony and happiness, but I’ve heard of chronically ill people who could debate that assumption. All I can say is that when my health falters, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on anything other than that. I’m very fortunate in that my health issues have been mild ones. I’m also very grateful for the gift of health!

Thanks for reading my ramblings on today’s letter h for harmony, happiness, and health. I wish you an abundance of all three!

Max’s birthday

 We all greatly enjoyed Max’s birthday party – he chose bowling, after the candle-making plans fell through (only four children are allowed to participate in the workshop, and he had a group of five). Naturally, Nicky, Rowen and Arden were present in addition to Max and his friends, so we were a fairly large group. I was amazed by how much older Max’s friends seemed this year in comparison to last year. I was also really proud of Max for choosing such great friends – parents always hope to like their childrens’ friends, but all too often, that isn’t really the case.   In closing, here are a few fun pictures that show what a good time was enjoyed by all.

 stitchy goodness

Look at where Sara is with the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern! Oh my gosh, her needles must be hot to the touch!!

As for me, I haven’t forgotten how to stitch, it’s just been one of those periods where other things have been coming before it.