Mindfulness

Potato Vines  

Using my preferred technique of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, I’ve gotten back to my ab workout now that I pulled my lower back while weeding. One would think that by the time one were 70, one would know that to keep one’s back from hurting, one’s abs need continual strength training, but one would be wrong. Two days of drugs and rest got me through the worst part, but not the frustration and embarrassment.

Now, two weeks later, I’m in the habit of daily early morning ab exercise. What has made it easy is RPM, or Rise, Pee, Meditate. A benefit of our continued no-contact world is being able to attend the mindfulness-based stress reduction program presented by a couple from our former congregation. They had offered it previously but my schedule didn’t fit their timetable. Now...my schedule is more flexible. In addition to attending 8 weekly meetings and an all-day workshop, they ask us to meditate daily and listen to their guided body scans. Can do. I wake up about 6:00 AM, go to the bathroom, then meditate. As long as I’m already sitting on the floor, I might as well lie back and start the crunches.

I’ve also begun volunteering at the Nehrling Gardens. Today was my first time, and since I claimed to be a professional potato vine remover, they let me prove it. After an hour in the heat, I was done in, but I’d pulled almost a garbage can of potato vines and filled another one with palm fronds. I’ll go back next week, and unless there is something more pressing, I’ll just keep at the vines. I managed to rid our Fort Lauderdale yard of that invasive plant. I bet I can do it here.

University of Florida was developing a program to release a species of insect that eats just potato vines, and through Patten’s girlfriend, I was able to score a few dozen. They damaged some of the plants but I was still left pulling most by hand. Since the bugs were chosen because of their inability to reproduce in the wild here, the plan would have worked if the UF scientists grew batch after batch of insects. In its infinite wisdom, our state government decided to stop funding the research.  An opportunity lost.

So I’m back to pulling potato vine and maintaining my core. All in a mindful manner.