Signs

What’s your sign? Do you believe in signs? Me, well, I’m a Gemini who 100% believes in signs. I can’t help it. They appear when I need them and recently I’ve needed a whole lot of them. I’m starting the new year by reflecting on the last months of 2022 while connecting the dots that have gotten me to this point. So wonder along with me and together we’ll see how I ended up in a New Year’s Day yoga class.

For those of you who aren’t part of my inner circle, you may not know that November was a bit stressful for me. Even those closest to me probably don’t know that my fretting started in October. Most of my worry was contained within my brain and some of it leaked out into my body. The plantar fasciitis that plagued me throughout the summer was joined by patellar tendinitis in the opposite leg. So since mid-October, I had been limping around. I could have chalked my lameness up to getting older or seen it as a sign. If you know me then you know I won’t ever use age as an excuse so I decided to take a deeper dive into the cause of my lower extremity pain and figured out that my root chakra had a major block.

Click on the photo to learn more at Academy of the Obvious

Now, I know a few of you might be nodding in agreement while others are shaking their heads in disbelief. To the nay-sayers, I will tell you that I think there is something to this complex and ancient energy system. The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and when it’s in alignment and open, you will feel both physically and emotionally grounded and secure. When it is blocked, you may feel overwhelmed and insecure while the imbalances manifest as pain or injury in the low back, legs, knees, and feet or disease in the colon and bladder, Ding ding ding! October found me feeling very overwhelmed with a serious side of insecurity and an unlimited supply of knee and foot pain. Maybe even some IBS. The cause of all this distress - my son. Well, not Logan so much as the worry over his November 10th surgery. He decided back in May that he was ready for his pectus excavatum repair and after months of tests and scans, we were finally able to get it scheduled in early October. We had 5 weeks to prepare for weeks of pain and months of recovery.

So as October progressed so did my agony. I thought how nice it would be to have my Mom to talk to. Ginger had been through it all with her six kids and if anyone could put my mind at ease it would be her. But I could only ask myself WWGD and I know she would quietly figure everything out while carrying on as if nothing was wrong. So that’s what I did and I just now realize that Mom had a lot of knee pain. Hmmm… Then as the 19th anniversary of her death arrived on the 21st of the month, I got my next sign. In the mailbox was a copy of the November 2022 Better Homes & Gardens magazine with a special $10 subscription offer for Ginger. I couldn’t help but laugh and when I saw the date on the renewal form I knew that Ginger was watching. If I wanted to enjoy this low rate then I would have to reply by November 10, 2022 - Logan’s surgery date. I got out my checkbook and a stamp. My Mom’s favorite periodical will once again be the mail I most look forward to receiving.

My surprise issue of BH&G

November 10th arrived and Logan went into surgery. My husband stayed at the hospital with him while I did the hour drive to and from. One of us had to still be around to parent Hannah and tend to the animals. It was an exhausting few days, but the real fun started when Logan came home after only 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital. My 6’3” teen was as helpless as a newborn. We were woken up in the middle of the night to help him sit up and take his pain meds. He needed me to change his shirt, wash his face, and even put a bib on him when he ate. After a few days of this, we decided that Logan would benefit from having a power recliner. That made all the difference in his recovery. He was able to sleep in it and get himself up. Plus it has a USB port for his lifeline to all his friends aka his iPhone. For nearly four weeks Logan had to stay home from school and recover. Every day he got stronger and less uncomfortable. On November 28th at his post-op check-up, he was given the all-clear to return to school on Monday, December 5th. His first week was an exhausting one. By Wednesday, he text me saying he was in a lot of pain and wanted to come home. I told him to go to the nurse to have her call me so I could come to pick him up. The next text I got from him was about the nurse telling him to leave his backpack in her office so he wouldn’t have to carry it. Logan finished out the day, came home, and went to sleep. I was angry. Did she not realize that the kid had a metal bar put into his chest and still had two incisions that were healing? I decided that he would stay home the following day.

That night, December 7th, was the last full moon of 2022. I walked outside to observe the Cold Moon as it emerged from behind the clouds. The significance of this astrological event wasn’t lost on me. This full moon was in Gemini and I was feeling all sorts of things. Between having to walk off my daily pain and worrying about Logan’s, I was beginning to feel miserable. Then I realized that he was fine. He was off all his pain management, he was sleeping and eating fine, and he was back to being his normal self. He just couldn’t lift anything over ten pounds. I decided it was time to turn the focus back onto myself for a while because I knew that if I kept on doing what I was doing then I would be useless to everyone and everything around me.

Photo of December’s Cold Moon taken from the horse pasture

The next day I sought some help from my deck of Victorian Fairy tarot cards to tap into my intuition. I pulled a single card and was face to face with the Queen of Winter (Swords). When I looked at the artwork of this fairy queen all I could see was my mother. She is sitting on her throne looking off to the side as if deep in thought. I couldn’t help but think that this lady understands the importance of silence and knows when to speak her thoughts and when to keep them to herself. She is a woman who has known loss and suffering and has gained inner strength and wisdom from her experiences. Ginger was that kind of woman and as it turns out, so am I. So when I learned that the card can represent open-mindedness and self-reliance, I realized that I pulled exactly the right card for me. It was up to me to be my mother and help myself overcome what was ailing me.

Isn’t she lovely?

The following week I had the opportunity to make a wish on a shooting star. It was the Geminids meteor shower and I was fortunate to see a few of the meteors shoot across the sky. I didn’t make a wish but I did find myself thinking positively. I whispered, “Hi Dad” as I remembered something I once read about the ancient Greeks believing that shooting stars are the souls of our deceased loved ones. They are a sign that although our beloveds have departed our physical world, they are still connected to us through the spiritual world. That week marked four years since Dad’s passing. He always told me that I should take it easy so I decided to do just that.

The Geminids in the night sky over Myanmar.Credit...Ye Aung Thu/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Taking it easy isn’t easy for me. However, I will gladly find the time to enjoy some quality time with my friends. That is why I did not hesitate to sign up for the Solstice Sound Immersion being held at the local yoga studio. The funny thing is, the gathering was supposed to be held the week prior but was canceled due to the weather. That I will say is a coincidence and a happy one at that. So on December 18th, for an hour and a half, my dear friend and I along with a dozen other people rested while we were bathed in the healing sounds of crystal singing bowls. The stillness was magical and restorative and what came afterward was just as delightful. When we were finished and our mats were put away, everyone gathered for tea and cupcakes. It was easy to tell that every spirit was lifted. That’s when my non-bendy friend said she wanted to try yoga.

Crystal singing bowls. Click the photo to learn more about the amazing Annie Palmer.

Thanks to the power of social media both of us saw that a New Year’s Day yoga class was scheduled. We decided to meet for the 11 AM class and start 2023 with some gentle movement and deep breathing. I was excited to be part of my friend’s new experience and the class did not disappoint. Inside the studio were at least fifteen women of all shapes, sizes, and ages ready to begin the new year with a positive mindset. Then afterward we gathered for mimosas and biscotti. Again, the collective energy was high. I left that day feeling like I need more of that in my life. Once upon a time, I made time to take classes and I always loved how I felt afterward. I still practice at home, but there is something about being in a space with others who are there for the same reasons - unplugging from life and connecting with ourselves. I have a feeling I’m going to become a regular.

This is one sign I love to see outside Grassroots Yoga in Wurtsboro, NY

Are you wondering how I did yoga with a bad knee and plantar fasciitis? Well, they weren’t a problem because both issues are gone without any medical help. All I needed was a little mothering from the only mother I have access to - ME. I scheduled time to stretch every day and rested when I needed to. I stopped worrying about Logan because he is a strong healthy teen and he doesn’t need his mother as much as she thinks he needs her. Then one day I woke up and nothing hurt. Maybe my root chakra is balanced now or maybe my injuries finally healed. Either way, I’m happy. I’m just so grateful that each sign acted as more of a guidepost pointing me in the direction of myself.

Thank you for continuing to wonder along with me. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and wonder-filled 2023. Since I know that there is no such thing as a perfect year, I leave you with this poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. “This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”

Photo by Jens Johnsson

If you believe in signs and have a tale you would like to share, please leave a comment or send me a message through the contact page, Instagram, or Facebook.