I’ve been having a bout with the old carpal tunnel syndrome, so have been re-posting writing that I did in 1997 to keep the typing and mousing to a minimum.  I am glad I never had the surgery, and found there are fairly easy ways to keep the carpal tunnel under control without surgery or medication.  I see Dr. David Rindge, my acupuncture physician, for laser therapy when it acts up every few years, and it was his initial treatment after a car accident in 2000 that made me decide to not go the surgery route.  Several months of twice weekly treatments and I felt good as new.  Now, when I overuse them, I know to put my wrist splints on and get off the keyboard.  I don’t grip or hold anything I don’t have to.  I don’t lift anything heavier than a glass of water and I ice my wrists down a few times a day.  The splints stay on all day and all night.  A week or two of this and I’m good as new again.  I also have a violet ray enhancer that I use on it, and it helps free the blocked chi right up.  When this bout is over, I believe my new practice will be to wear the splints every time I am at the keyboard (since I do so many hours of it), and at night as well. I am used to them and they are comfortable enough to ignore.  I also do regular arm and hand exercises, and some light (3 and 8 pounds) hand weight work to stay strong.  No hand weights during the rehab/resting period!

Since I have spent this week away from not only the keyboard, but away from household chores, yard care and hobbies, I’ve had time to just sit and be. I lamented to a friend years ago that I’d like to go somewhere and not feel I had to take notes about what I was doing so I could share it with Horizons readers. I’d like to be able to have a few thoughts and not feel I have to write them down. I’d like to go to a conference and just listen, and not have to take notes to transcribe later.  After making that statement, there was the Universe, as always hearing and answering my every prayer, and giving me the chance to do just what I asked for. To sit and BE and be hands-free.  Thus I attracted the car accident in September 2000. I wrote in February 2001, five months after the accident when I was getting back to normal:

Our minds can truly help us or hinder us, and when my hands temporarily go down, the more I appreciate having the create-tive power of my mind still available to me. I remember that I don’t have to catch every cold that comes along, although everyone else in the office may be sniffling and sneezing. I know that if I can keep my attention on what is going right in my life, the more harmonious my life is. I know if I can keep my attention on all the things I CAN do despite my temporary disability as I mend, the better I’m able to cope and find alternative ways of doing what needs to be done.

That was an a-ha for me. Realizing that if I needed to get something done, hands or no hands, I could always find a way to do it. I took a break from recreational hand activities like drawing, painting and drumming, saving my paws for the essentials.  If I needed another person, invariably a friend or delivery driver would ring my bell at just the right moment and give me that helping hand. It never failed. It never failed. And I don’t expect it to. I always expect that, just as has always happened in the past, I will feel watched over and cared for, protected and blessed, no matter what is going on in my life. I will always have the help I need at the exact moment of my need.

Ma Yoga Shakti reminds: Whatever circumstances we are in, they are divine. If we remember the grace of God, everything becomes very light and we get intuitive knowledge.

Rev. Tom Sannar: maintain a positive attitude regardless of what is occurring in your life.

Colin Tipping: expressing even an infinitesimal amount of willingness to see the perfection in any situation enables us to remember at a very deep level who we really are.

I know it is an important part of the process to raise my personal vibration to a high enough level that I am enjoying life, so that I can attract enjoyable people and events into my experience. I must take responsibility for how I perceive my life and how I react to it.

I’ve read that Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

I really believe that.  And I’m having a rocking good life

Dr. David Rindge does laser needle acupuncture on me
Pain control and dumbing down the consciousness
You can eat an elephant one bite at a time