When I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, he put me on the blood pressure lowering medication HCTZ. It basically is a diuretic, so it pulls water out of my body in effort for me to not absorb too much salt and that brings down my blood pressure. The result is, I am thirsty and have to run to the potty all the time. It is just lovely the things medications do, isn't it? The truth is, I'm embarrassed to be on this medication; it feels like a punishment for all the bad choices I've made the past few years. All the trips to the local pizza buffet, the ooey-gooey German chocolate brownies from Ingles that I sneak out and buy from time to time, the evenings I chose to stay home and sit on the couch instead of taking a walk -- but today, all I really want is water.
The past two times I've gone out walking, the second half of my walks have been done in the rain. Just when I started to get tired and obsessively look at the clock on my phone, it started to rain, bringing refreshment to me. The rain added another dimension to my walk today. I chose to try the "blue" path on the Mountains to Sea trail at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center. Finally, I found a perfect trail near my house! It is challenging, but doable and surrounded by beautiful natural scenery. The beauty captures my attention long enough for me to finish my walk without too much dread or internal whining that I have to exercise. When the rain started, it was just another element of interest. It felt creative. I was in the middle of a work of art. The art was composed of the interesting winding line of the path under my feet, the roots, leaves, and logs added texture, the trees all around stood in places of visual strength. The sky above added color and height, the squirrels and the huge hawk that flew close by me added movement and life. And then, the rain.... the rain added musical rhythm to the whole picture.
As I journeyed along the path, I felt like I was being watered with the sprinkles of raindrops. If I am to see myself as a living work of art, then I need water to thrive. Maybe that is one reason I have fallen in love with watercolors in my artwork. Water sustains life, and I love painting pictures filled with thriving life. It takes a generous amount of water to make the paint flow appropriately on paper. The rain that fell on me this evening really ministered to my soul by bringing refreshment and peace. At the end of the trail, I stood still, letting my breathing slow down, and I closed my eyes and focused on the rain falling on me for a few moments. I let the sense of peace and confidence be stirred up in my soul, and when I was ready, I proceeded to walk to my car. A bottle of water was waiting for me in the cup holder, so I re-hydrated myself with the bottle of water after being hydrated in my soul by the beautiful rain.
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