The older I get the more I look through a single lens of simplicity to make sense of my life. I just wrote a series of posts about my celebration of wellness. Nature is a common theme I use to describe the healing that has occurred for me in the last several months.  As I begin to reflect on the illness that has crippled me since my teen years; images and themes from nature give a perspective that seems true to the bone. My thoughts are for the most part clear and my mind is calm. My feelings are available to me and I can access them to connect with my thoughts for a more cohesive picture of daily life. It is like my mind is working with the rest of my “self” for the first time in many years. I hope my stories convey some of the lessons I am learning from the Creator and all that is in nature. As so many of you say, we need to share our experiences with each other to advance healing and wellness.

                             The Gift of Eagles Wings

 The steep rolling hills to my home place are like a bipolar roller coaster. There are nine hills and hollows to get to my home. At the base of each hill there is that instant when I worry about the danger just over the crest of the hill. I dare not speed or swerve for fear that the passing vehicle will not be as cautious. It reminds that my wellness is fragile and requires understanding and mindfulness to keep the illness at arms length.

 Every day that I travel these hills I am given a gift and a lesson. Two months ago I hit the crest of the seventh hill to see two eagles soaring high and swooping down in front of me. Eagles inspire me to look beyond their flight and beyond the horizon. I would have loved to have stopped my car and to have watched them in flight but I would be putting myself at risk to pause on the roadside. For me, eagles represent a practical kind of spiritually. They call for a demonstrative spirituality that asks me to look deep in side and to come from a place of kindness in my actions.

 Each trip to town I anticipate the gift of eagle’s wings and welcome the lessons that they teach. Quite often they do return and at other times the lesson is in the wind or sun. It is a time that challenges my quest for balance. I look as closely as I can to follow the eagle in flight while keeping one eye on the road. I embrace the gift, study the lessons and commit myself to the challenge of the roller coaster.