King's Delight, Day 15
This is another list that, initially, you might look at and think, "That's a delight?" But in context, they are. The Buddha said suffering comes from basically two things: resisting things you don't want and holding on to things you do. Therefore, peace or delight comes from accepting things you don't want (but can't avoid) and letting go of things you do—enjoy them while they're here, but don't grasp.
According to legend, King Solomon had a ring inscribed with the ultimate wisdom: "This, too, shall pass." That's also the heart of peace.
So when you see something below that is basically a relief from pain, recognize that, too, is a sort of delight.
1. Ankle brace advice
I have bones disintegrating in my right ankle. I have an appointment next week to get fitted for a brace that should help, but a) that's a week away, and b) even after the fitting and molding, it's going to take some time to get the actual brace. In the meantime, I have to keep walking around, slowly aggravating the condition.
We tried to get an ankle brace at a local sporting goods store, but they didn't have a size that would fit me.
Though I didn't have the time, we took the time anyway and drove to the nearby bigger city to a medical equipment specialty store. Not only did we get an ankle brace that fits properly and supports my ankle, but we had the help of someone in the store with expertise in braces, and it cost the same as the ones at the sporting good store. That means we got expert help and made sure of the right fit without it costing a dime! That's worth two delights. This one is about the advice and the kindness of the sales consultant.
2. Ankle brace efficacy
This delight is about the fact that the brace works! It's not going to be the long-term solution, but it is obviously contributing to my well-being until we can get the long-term solution in place.
3. Bonus delight: a knee brace for my wife
My wife has knee problems. While we had the advantage of expert advice, we also picked up a knee brace for her that is making movement less painful for her. This is a delight for me as well as her!
4. Evil Bone Water
That sounds like some kind of voodoo, doesn't it? Technically, this wasn't yesterday's delight because it happened the day before, but yesterday I was still feeling its benefit. Evil Bone Water is a kind of Chinese herbal liniment (more properly called Zheng Xie Gu Shui). My acupuncturist knows about my ankle problems. After my acupuncture treatment (itself a delight, but I could write about it every week, so I'm leaving it out) she sprayed some of this stuff on the affected joint.
I don't know whether the relative freedom from pain comes from the acupuncture, the Evil Bone Water, or my favoring the ankle and mostly staying off it. I don't think it was the latter, though, because I had been trying to stay off it, and it still hurt like a broken heart. If I were being scientific, I would separate the use of the Evil Bone Water from the acupuncture to see which had more effect—but frankly, I'm not interested in science regarding this. I just care that something worked. Put it together with the new ankle brace, and today has been the best relatively painless day in months.
When you reach my age, that's delight enough.
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