New Parts, Old Parts

A new hip.  It matters more than I anticipated and in ways that surprise me.

I can stand tall.  And the freedom of this new part reverberates in my whole self -- body, heart and soul.  Old parts, old perspectives, old points of view break open as I stand straight and tall.  For instance,  I am surprised by how much I do.  As I notice my frustration with the gradual progress of healing and physical therapy, I see with fresh eyes the part of me that is constantly striving, determined, ambitious.

With meditation, sitting, breathing, study, prayer -- I have been cultivating the growth of a quieter side of my Self.  A calmer part, a gentle part, a simple part.

Both matter, of course.  The striving Self and the sitting Self.

And in the freedom that comes with standing straight and standing tall, there is renewed room for all my parts.