The last couple of days I have been busy; yesterday a man stopped by selling pine straw. We struck a deal and he and 2 helpers got it spread around the islands in my yard and it looks nice. It is ironic that in the South we use pine straw for mulch, but there you have it.

Rob did the grocery shopping and we had our own little individual picnics for supper. Then he went for a ride and I watched TV.

It is going to rain today and I have nothing planned. I have started doing my income tax preparations and that always makes me nervous, so I am not gonna do it today.

My fear is that it will get to the point where I cannot type easily; my hands are already trying to run away from the keys. No one would know that I have a tremor because it doesn’t show up unless I want to write, for example. Instead of my hands methodically hitting the keys, they jump away.

I can’t take the medication that is the most helpful, unfortunately. Even if I could, the tremor would still get worse as time goes by.

I look around at this old house and mentally worry about when I need to start seriously downsizing. I have quit driving, which doesn’t bother me a bit.

Spiritual challenges are always changing. Mine are watching my body begin to betray itself in small ways at first, luckily.

I don’t expect life to go easily; instead I start letting go of the things that are the most difficult for me to do.

Here in the States, a great decline is taking place. Indeed, all over the world, cruelty and suffering is being ramped up. Our inner work is of great importance to the whole. Never doubt that.

The circle of life is being squeezed by the boa constrictor of hatred and malice. May God help us all.

Tomorrow I will return to writing on the topic of what else but how bad off my own psyche is. Everyone else’s is beyond my control. Actually, individuals have no real power except to embrace the Tao. That is a worthy purpose for any of us.

Vicki Woodyard