Full disclosure: I know Kaethe and received these Nine Practices through a mutual friend. Having been through a harrowing 6 weeks of my own with serious health issues and the death of a sibling, I was more than ready to find good advice as to how to get out of my own fatigue and anxiety. I'll respond to the practices that most resonated with me.
Practice One: Is there something I can do now to prepare for the future?
With almost daily tests to determine my own condition, and a brother who was dying on the other side of the country, I felt both sad and helpless. To have made the distinction beween "happening now" and "might happen in the future" would have put me on a much les anxious path. I could not travel until I finished whatever diagnostic tests my doctors were requesting in order to make a diagnosis. I could, and did, connect via Facetime with my brother two days before he died to say "I love you and Goodbye." I couldn't do anything about the pace of testing, or when it would be over. Nothing bad was happening in the present. I should have taken a nap and meditated instead of wringing my hands in anticipation of--what? I couldn't know.
Practice Six: What Are the High Cards in My Deck?
Life can be compared to a deck of 52 cards, the highest being 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. What were MY high cards? I love good food but I didn't feel much like cooking. I have several good friends who are also good cooks. I asked them to bring me a meal. One week I had a Queen, King, and Ace meal.
Not all of my high cards cost money. I love to walk in Tilden Regional Park and, although I didn't have the energy for my usual four mile hikes, there was plenty of beauty on the level trails. Even a 15 minute walk revealed budding leaves on trees, early wildflowers, and frequent benches to enjoy the San Francisco Bay views.
Practice Eight: How Useful is this Story?
We live our lives inside the stories we create. I was living a life that said catastrophe ahead and I'm unprepared! That was not a useful story. What became useful was a story of my usual openness to new situations, curiosity about how to handle them, and acknowledgment that a lot of people loved and admired me. I would get through this period of unknowing with grace, and I have.
