From the window

 At the Rehab gym at Mission Cardiac Center...third floor. I've been working out there for 3 months now, doing first cardio rehab for 9 weeks, and now my 8 weeks of pulmonary rehab is almost over.

This view is noteworthy, that the mountains in the distance actually include Mt. Mitchell. That's the highest mountain in the eastern US...though of course my little phone camera doesn't indicate which one it is. Probably a bit of zoom might help...

The mountain with a big radio tower on it is right next to Mt. Mitchell, and some with very good eyes can see that. I just only "kinda" saw it.

The last time I had my photo taken 2018...at Mt. Mitchell. And you can see some of the weight I've happily lost! Down 25 pounds from there!

I'm going to be joining a YMCA here in Black Mountain in order to keep exercising during the winter months. I do feel better, and have lost some of the extra weight my bad eating habits helped put on. Now I eat low-fat plant based foods. And meditate daily again. And make efforts to stay in touch with friends so we can support one another with fun and shoulders to cry on as needed.

Hope you have a good day.  Yesterday the rain from Hurricane Zeta arrived before dawn...though we won't feel as much of the storm as those on the Gulf coast will. 

Today's Quote:

The irony of hiding the dark side of our humanness is that our
secret is not really a secret at all.  How can it be when we're all
safeguarding the very same story?  That's why Rumi calls it an
Open Secret.  It's almost a joke - a laughable admission that each
one of us has a shadow self - a bumbling, bad-tempered twin.

Big surprise!  Just like you, I can be a jerk sometimes.  I do unkind,
cowardly things, harbor unmerciful thoughts, and mope around
when I should be doing something constructive.  Just like you,
I wonder if life has meaning;  I worry and fret over things that I
can't control; and I often feel overcome with a longing for
something that I cannot even name.  For all of my strengths and

gifts, I am also a vulnerable and insecure person, in need of
connection and reassurance.  This is the secret I try to keep from
you, and you from me, and in doing so, we do each other a grave
disservice.

Rumi tells us that the moment we accept what troubles we've been
given, the door will open.  Sounds easy, sounds attractive, but it is
difficult, and most of us pound on the door to freedom and happiness
with every manipulative ploy save the one that actually works.  If

you're interested in the door to the heavens opening, start with the
door to your own secret self.  See what happens when you offer to
another a glimpse of who you really are.  Start slowly.  Without
getting dramatic, share the simple dignity of yourself in each moment -
your triumphs and your failures, your satisfaction and your sorrow.

Face your embarrassment at being human, and you'll uncover a deep
well of passion and compassion.  It's a great power, your Open Secret.

When you heart is undefended you make it safe for whomever you
meet to put down his/her burden of hiding, and then you both can
walk through the open door.

Elizabeth Lesser
from: Broken Open