Healing

It seemed we were stuck in a sort of perpetual sunset tonight, a bland white light that refused to deepen or color up. It rained most of the day under low white clouds, a September sort of rain with warm air and a wind that went one step beyond requiring a jacket but wasn't quite cold enough to make one reach for a coat. The men's rugby team, which played in the field directly across from my apartment, looked miserable in their short shorts and long-sleeved t-shirts. Their wives and girlfriends made a go of it, but most wound up sitting in their cars watching the match from the side of the street. The day seemed eternally long and I found myself wishing, more than once, for the other shoe to drop and finally dump the snow they've threatened us with all week. It never happened and merely drizzled most of the afternoon.

Duncan and I ventured out during the long sunset. The eastern sky was dark but westward, behind the mountains, it looked as though someone had turned on an enormous florescent lamp, igniting the sky in unnatural white while blackening this side of the mountains. Duncan tromped through the puddles and I bundled up in my jacket and scarf and while the rain misted my face it settled on his red coat, balling up and rolling away, except behind his ears, which seem to suck up all moisture in the vicinity.

I felt good today for the first time in quite a while. After my fall last week I called my friend Dale, who's currently in massage therapy school, and arranged to get a nice long massage. Dale is one of the most amazing people I know, big of heart, generous with his time and patience, strong of faith and kind kind kind. It had been awhile since I'd spent time with him and while the massage was wonderful beyond words, it was his company that brought me contentment. My neck was finally bendable and my back didn't ache quite as much, but more than anything my spirits were lifted by his good nature.

I was thinking of healing all day. I've come a long way since that horrible period three years ago, and while it would be easy to credit the drugs, I know my health was improved by other factors, such as Duncan and the almost magical way he worked with me and tended to my needs during the worst of it. There were my closest friends and my family, and people like Dale, who doesn't really know how rejuvenating his mere presence can be. Healing comes in many different forms, most of which do not require a perscription, only the love of a faithful companion and the blessings of good people.