Musings
State of Emergency and Grace
A few days ago, due to some complications with Upayadhi's recovery from abdominal surgery, we had to spend most of the day in the ER of Mount Sinai Hospital, arriving in the early hours after a difficult night. The room was enormous and beds lined up some 5-10 inches apart, barely enough space for a nurse or doctor to fit between. "Privacy" was provided by flimsy curtains. The cacophony of sound was so loud that all we could do for the many long hours that followed was sound meditation. Talking was too challenging. When we first walked in, Upayadhi described it as walking into a loud disco. The energy at 6am was high, with night staff looking forward to ending their shifts, and morning teams coming in "pumped" and ready for what was, arguably, something of a warzone.
The Heart Suture
In January of this year, I had open heart surgery to repair or replace my aortic valve. The surgery went very well, and my recovery, now more than a month in, has been relatively easeful. I will have a beautiful scar down my chest and titanium bands inside me that hold the sternum together as it heals. Even when the sternum is fully healed, the bands will remain.
Would my practice make a difference to my recovery process? I had good reason to assume so, but the truth is, I had no idea how things would play out.