on voting and meditation…

Voting is one of those activities I did not expect my POTS to affect. It only takes a few moments and I am still capable of filling in little bubbles with black or blue ink. In fact, after going to school for 20 years, I could win the Olympics in filling in little bubbles.

However, voting can also involve long lines at polling places and serious, complex issues that don’t mix well with brain fog or fatigue. Yet I still like to do my civic duty. One day, not even 100 years ago, women couldn’t vote, and some were ready to give their lives for that right.

Not voting isn’t an option.

Enter the mail-in ballot. The beautiful mail-in ballot with its step by step instructions in large print and the summary booklet that arrived shortly after describing each proposition in detail and the affects of a yes or no vote.  The mail-in ballot that can be completed from bed, in my jammies, after waking up from nap #1 and before preparing for nap #2. Brilliant.

With tomorrow being Election Day here in the United States, I thought I’d share with you a story about how your vote CAN count, especially since you all played a role in this story.

You may remember back when I started this blog one of my very first posts discussed the difficulty in finding books about POTS or dysautonomia. In this post, I told you all that I had researched the local libraries here for such a book and my search had not turned up a single result. There were many books for other illnesses, even illnesses similar to POTS, such as CFS/ME, but nothing on dysautonomia. So, I submitted a recommendation to the local library to add to its catalog a book about POTS by Jodi Epstein Rhum. This book:

On a recent visit to the San Diego public library website (I visit often – nerd!), I decided to search again and see if the SDPL had made any measurable strides since that blog post in June. Guess what? They accepted my recommendation and now have the above book in their catalog. See for yourself.

Thank you to those of you who visited the San Diego library website, or your local library website, and recommended a book, ANY book, about POTS and/or dysautonomia. Many people all over the world are diagnosed with dysautonomia everyday. With resources about their illness available at a local library, the newly diagnosed may be able to understand and cope with their condition better. While we may not have moved mountains, maybe we made one person’s day a little easier. I am so very grateful for all your help.

On a totally unrelated note, I recently enrolled in a meditation class and will post more about that as it progresses, but in the meantime I wanted to let those of you interested in learning more about meditation that the Chopra Center is offering a 21 day meditation challenge free of charge. It’s all done online, so it doesn’t matter where in the world you are located. The challenge started today, so visit this website soon and sign up!

“I may disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire

Stay tuned.
– L