Reflecting on Simplicity
My camera captured this image near Rockland, Maine.
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
~ Lao Tzu
The Need for Simplicity
The word simplicity can have multiple meanings. One way to view simplicity is to equate it with ease. Making a task easier, less challenging, is one way to simplify. Very often, a person suffering from a concussion or other type of brain injury will need to learn to simplify. For example, once I was able to drive again, I had to do so with the radio off, no conversations, no distractions. This basic act of simplifying made it possible for me to drive. I can now drive while listening to music or carrying on conversation if I am on a highway. But if I am driving in the city where more attention is required, I still need to turn off the radio and stop conversing; otherwise my brain gets overloaded and I am unable to focus to drive safely. Simplifying everyday tasks is an important strategy for living with a brain injury.
Simplicity in the Moment
Life can be overwhelming for most of us, but especially for a person with an injured brain. How often do we waste our limited cognitive energy fretting about a future event or something that happened in the past? Living simply by being present in the moment is another helpful (if not necessary) strategy for recovery. Prior to my concussion, I was always planning for the next thing – never stopping to enjoy the moment I was living in. One of the greatest gifts of my injury has been learning to be still and live more in the moment. Truth be told, early in my recovery process, one moment at a time was all I could handle during the marathon of head pressure, pain, and neuro fatigue. Now that I am much further along in the healing process, I no longer live in the moment out of necessity, but because I enjoy the peace I find there. I have found, however, that I must now be intentional about this practice. Meditation, yoga, and tai chi are some of the strategies that work for me. There is a lot of research on the benefits of meditation for the brain, injured or otherwise.
Where is Simplicity?
The peace of mind found in simplicity is not something we find outside ourselves, but something that is within each of us. This is true even when we are experiencing brokenness. Christina Feldman, one of my favorite authors, writes: “Simplicity can be found nowhere else but the life we are in and the path we walk within it. It lives in our hearts and minds, awaiting our commitment and wholehearted attention.” May you find ease and simplicity as you continue your recovery journey.
Peace,
Sharon
