Saturday, September 03, 2005

The Lesson of the Non-headache

Feeling much better now, having fended off a bout with a migraine this morning. This was unexpected as they typically occur in the evening, usually right after work, or right after I go to bed. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and got prescription meds for such occurrences, which seem to work in relatively quick order. The real trick is going to be remembering to bring the pills with me when I'm out and about.....just in case. The silver linging to this issue is that the headaches seems to be tapering off in frequency, so perhaps the series of attacks is coming to a welcome end.

The recent bout of headaches has brought to mind one of the earliest lessons I learned when I began my study/practice of Buddhism seven or so years ago. This is the peace and happiness that can be obtained by living in the present moment and the awareness of such contributing factors as, say, the "non-headache." When we have a headache, or a toothache, or some other physical ill, we focus on that and only at that time do we realize just how wonderful it is not to have that particular malady. But how often in our day to day lives are we truly aware of such a thing as the "non-headache?" We get so busy with living in the past, the future, or involved with other distractions that we lose sight of the reality of where life truly is: the here and the now. We shouldn't have to wait until we're ill to realize just how wonderful not having a headache is.

In my sitting meditations of the last week I've tried to focus on the idea of the "non-headache." It's an elegantly simple practice to keep one consciously focused on the present moment and aware of just how much peace and happiness can be derived from seemingly small things like the "non-headache." With such an awareness everything falls into a proper perspective and there much is joy in this realization.

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