When the Student is Ready

...the Teacher will appear. How often have I heard and seen that old proverb? And yet in my experience truer words were never spoken. Here's the more interesting question. How does one know when it is time to put in an appearance as a teacher? Or is this likewise just part of the on-going, disciplined learning process, in that I always tend to learn far more from those I teach than I feel I impart to them myself.

I'm still pretty much on the steep slope of the learning curve when it comes to being a cancer patient/survivor, and so far I've enjoyed the benefit of a lot of different teachers. But there's a price to be paid for every lesson learned as well, often accompanied by physical pain. Like a lot of "healthy" Americans, I had been in the habit of "multi-tasking" -- which is basically a tired euphemism for trying to do more than one thing at once in the attempt to crowd too much activity into too little time. And what I am discovering is that this is rarely a good idea -- especially when it comes to living with a serious illness -- even though it may seem like you would want to try to crowd as much as you can into whatever time you have left. But even the natural, subconscious reaction of getting up a running start before hitting a bump in the road typically hurts a lot more than it is worth. Much better simply to slow down, take a good look at the situation, and then cross over the obstacle as gently and smoothly as possible...at least if you're the one in the wheelchair!

So now I'm trying to learn how to take that lesson to heart...and how to teach it to those around me. I need to figure out how to live a more "spiritual" lifestyle focused on feeling "centered" rather than accomplishing a lot of "tasks" -- a lifestyle that is at once less hectic and yet ultimately more productive, and which includes plenty of time for activities like reading, writing, meditation and contemplative reflection, as well as opportunities for exercise, physical therapy, and the like. A long nap in the middle of the afternoon? Why not? Especially since not taking the nap means paying the price of that overindulgence later.

In any event, Worship Committee meeting tonight; thank God they have all agreed to come here. I really am proud of my people. I'm trying to keep up. Or at least to keep my eyes open until 9 pm.....