af·ter·math
- 1.the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event.
af·ter·math
Ugh for the messy middle. I'm feeling it keenly today for some reason. This very untidy space of loose ends, unfinished things, raw emotions, more questions than answers, tension, unknown outcomes... all the messiness of life here and now. The question looms, "How to live well in the messy middle?" And it's a tough one. Here are my thoughts. Surrender, rest, breathe out and learn to live with tension. I have no idea what the outcome of MANY things/situations in my life might be. I'm honestly shocked (for some reason) at how much surrender this life requires. The illusion of control has got to be one of the most toxic and addictive aspects of human existence. I crave it. I do not have it and I cannot get it. The temptation is to try to control everything that is feasible. I can definitely get stuck in this space. Practicing opening my hand with even the little things is something I have to keep tabs on, keep exercising surrender, keep letting go.
Rest. So hard, so necessary. Rest, in my experience, comes from dumping all of my messy middle things at God's feet. Blah. There you go God! I'm sick of carrying all this crazy tension and messiness around! You can have it! What's the worst that can happen? _______________, so if that happens I know God is still here, still loves me, still holds all my atoms together. He is unchanging.
So here I am in this tense pregnant moment. 11 days til another defining PET scan for Alex. And how many days until I'm not measuring time in PET scans? No idea. At the moment I'm keenly aware of how fraught life is. The tension of this life eases at points, but it never truly abates. So living in the tense pregnant moment bends me to a posture of surrender, prayer, hope, longing and supplication.
Welcome to the messy middle.
It's been a hot minute since I've written a blog post. I think I've needed a tiny hiatus. Life has been blessedly even for the past 2 months (well, sorta even anyway). The danger is that it feels like we've all moved on from cancer when cancer hasn't actually moved on yet. Maybe it's in the process of packing its bags and vacating Alex's lymphatic system, we don't know. Or it could be plotting a coup and fortifying it's positions, we don't know. Which leads me to thinking about how very little we know in general. We humans bluster about with great authority and confidence, making plans, sometimes even executing plans. But the reality is that we are all a hairs breath from life changing news, the upending of all things planned and the unknown all the time. In some ways it's almost a comfort to be in the upending, it makes me feel like I'm already in this trench, so whatever is gonna fly I'm ready. Of course on the flip side I'm hoping nothing else flies at my head in this moment. I am at maximum capacity for upending circumstances! Oh dichotomy!
Ok. Well, that's all I wanted to say. For now.
Oh blissful edge of darkest sea
all tumult, foam and fury
Where do thoughts endless go
to meet their death?
Blackest thoughts of rot, decay
down to the depths are cast,
a ferment for future growth.
Rest. Your time is not now.
Today I read an article on the neuroplasticity of the brain.
"Your brain is an instrument of limitless potential in constant flux. Research across the fields of neuroscience, neuroimmunology, neurometabolism, psychology, behavioral science, neurology, and psychiatry all point to the same conclusion: You have the tremendous opportunity to change yourself for the better when you take agency over neuroplasticity and chart your brain’s future." --By Dr. Austin Perlmutter
And I couldn't help but chew on how whatever I'm ruminating on shapes my brain. Philippians 4:8 anyone?
"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." (The Message)
Crazy how science and God line up eh?
Right now I'm in a fight to fill my mind with truth and beauty when in life I'm feeling all things January. I'm trying to thread the needle of looking at the real hard things with clear eyes while still holding on to hope, joy, peace and yes, beauty. This is not easy. Cancer is ugly. It wants to take up all the oxygen in the room, all the space in the brain. Every minute of every day I'm fighting back against this. I'm releasing my grip and allowing God to do the heavy lifting, breathing in the oxygen of His word, his lightness of being to replace the heaviness and the dark. (Also, how cool to be worked into God's most excellent harmonies! Yes please.)
Did I mention this isn't as easy as it sounds? I did? Ok, well, back to work then.