Tether to Self - Survival Tip for Mental Health
Tether Use and Awareness – Survival Tip for Mental Health
There was a time when farmers in the Midwest would attach a tether from their homes to their barns. There were many stories about farmers who after caring for their livestock, could not find the way to their own homes due to blizzards. Farmers have been known to wander off lost in their own backyards, confused by whiteouts and howling winds. The tether provided a sure connection to kitchen, to home and to warmth.
Blizzards can be defined in other terms. Although we are welcoming spring, a different kind of blizzard permeates my daily life. Stories of economic injustice, global warming, senator selection hearings, layoffs, slashed school budgets, and horrific stories of war, famine and personal agony fill the news. My blizzard includes dozens of flyers encouraging me to purchase stuff that is REALLY on sale. I have friends who are struggling with chemotherapy treatments, discourteous adult children and poorly functioning appliances. As I drive the expressway, drivers who appear to have lost their way in their own blizzards frighten me. They drive without an awareness of speed limits, other vehicles or rules of the road. They are clearly confused in some whiteout. Bank presidents, corporate executives, politicians, athletes and even some people in my neighborhood appear confused, lost and in need of a tether.
Leonard Cohen said it best. “The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it has overturned the order of the soul.”
I realized last Sunday that my tether to the inner me is found by running. Neighbors have often asked how I was doing. I recall answering, “ I will be better in a few more miles.” There is truth to that. Running helps me remind me who I am. I also remember who I want to be. Recently daily tether runs are required. As I lope quietly listening to my shoes hit the path, listening to my breath, I know I am hanging on to the tether that connects me to my soul. It is a quiet, safe place just like the farmers kitchen hearth.
There was a time when farmers in the Midwest would attach a tether from their homes to their barns. There were many stories about farmers who after caring for their livestock, could not find the way to their own homes due to blizzards. Farmers have been known to wander off lost in their own backyards, confused by whiteouts and howling winds. The tether provided a sure connection to kitchen, to home and to warmth.
Blizzards can be defined in other terms. Although we are welcoming spring, a different kind of blizzard permeates my daily life. Stories of economic injustice, global warming, senator selection hearings, layoffs, slashed school budgets, and horrific stories of war, famine and personal agony fill the news. My blizzard includes dozens of flyers encouraging me to purchase stuff that is REALLY on sale. I have friends who are struggling with chemotherapy treatments, discourteous adult children and poorly functioning appliances. As I drive the expressway, drivers who appear to have lost their way in their own blizzards frighten me. They drive without an awareness of speed limits, other vehicles or rules of the road. They are clearly confused in some whiteout. Bank presidents, corporate executives, politicians, athletes and even some people in my neighborhood appear confused, lost and in need of a tether.
Leonard Cohen said it best. “The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it has overturned the order of the soul.”
I realized last Sunday that my tether to the inner me is found by running. Neighbors have often asked how I was doing. I recall answering, “ I will be better in a few more miles.” There is truth to that. Running helps me remind me who I am. I also remember who I want to be. Recently daily tether runs are required. As I lope quietly listening to my shoes hit the path, listening to my breath, I know I am hanging on to the tether that connects me to my soul. It is a quiet, safe place just like the farmers kitchen hearth.
Labels: inner calm, mental health, running, tether
posted by Ada at
4:11 PM
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