Holidays, henna and poetry

 Last week, TD and I were discussing some of our favourite sayings and/or quotes. One of mine is the first line of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins : " The world is charged with grandeur of God."  I love the energy and responsibility that single word, "charge" gives.  We have just returned from a 5 day break in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Sedgefield is a sleepy village along the East coast of South Africa, and has been a second home to my family for all of my life.  I think Manley's poetry is fitting for such a splendid place.

Sedgefield reflections

As children, my siblings and I would stroll down to the lagoon, fetch firewood from the surrounding wooded areas to makes fires, pump our own water out of the ground, and read by paraffin lights once the sun had gone down.  These were simple holidays, where the important stuff was the rhythm of light and darkness, high and low tide, and using resources with care.  All of this has been replaced, many years ago, with municipal services of electricity and water, shopping centres and huge expansion.  Beautiful places attract crowds.  And yet, for me, the delight of Sedgefield is the nostalgia of a different, alternative type of life.

This short holiday was even more meaningful, as R is here for a few weeks from the UK.  The four of us have not all been at Sedgefield together for a very long time.  We spent many hours on the stoep, playing variants on the game Bananagram, eating simple, delicious food, reading and chatting.  We went to the beach and swam in the sea water gently rolling into the lagoon. We shopped at the farmers' market and walked every day.  It is a poetic sort of place.

Andrew got poetic too, in the form of henna art on TD's arm.  Henna is a perfect medium for trying out body art, as it fades and disappears within two weeks, leaving space for new ideas or back to school regulation art-free arms.

Andrew is very good at this sort of thing and asked TD what she would like have drawn on her this holiday. She chose a full arm design to feature her CGM.  Technology can be body art too, and TD wanted to embrace her uniqueness.  So the centre of a flower is her CGM censor, with petals radiating out from it.  That is sort of how diabetes management works - the glucose number is at the centre of everything, and all other treatments and management radiate from that number.

Too high? - add more insulin.  Too low? - give more glucose.  Too stressed? - work on calmness.  Too tired? - sleep. This was the holiday of LO appearing on the sensor reader - TD went so low several times it didn't register on her CGM at all. This means her glucose number was below 2.2. This is not safe.   The rest of TD's arm has other important information about her in henna: where she lives, her name in code, a "this way up" arrow and other such vital details.  For good measure, Andrew added a traditional anchor and a "I love Mom." and of course, it goes without saying, a dragon. 

Instead of hiding the CGM, TD decided to celebrate it.  Diabetes (or any illness) does not need to be covered up.  The pancreas is not going to heal itself, so she might as well deal with the fact that she will forever need to monitor her glucose and celebrate that technology can help her.

TD's quote last week was "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  This was written by A.A. Milne and said by Winnie the Pooh.  It is smart choice of wisdom for a 16 year old to cherish.  I think that is how we all felt when we left Sedgefield on Monday to come home to do the Christmas preparations.

It's a nostalgic time of year for me, and as we round the corner into the last week of 2019, I intend looking for poetry in every undusted corner of my thoughts, every smile, and in all the kindness that is dispensed at this time of year, so that 2020 starts with a sense of gratitude. And may we all be charged with the grandeur that is around us.

Mens sana in Corpore sano

There is no denying it - exercise can be the elixir of health and well being.  If only it wasn't also such hard work.  TD has been doing 5km Park Runs for the past 5 weeks, and I joined in for the first time last Saturday.  The good bits were a sense of accomplishment, seeing a huge snake watching us from the long grass next to the path, and starting the weekend on an endorphin high.  The other bits include being amused at the fast runners who eclipsed me before I had rounded the second corner, and the feeling of old age that hit my leg muscles several hours later.  I celebrated with a long afternoon snooze.

All the research points to the same thing:  Exercise is as good for the mind as it is for the body.  Whilst running round the common is an unusual activity for me, I am known to take gentler strolls around my neighborhood on a more regular basis.  I like looking at the gardens, and planning the week or just zoning out completely.

A beautiful setting for a Park run/walk

Sport is compulsory at TD's school, and for good reason.  Not only does sport encourage teamwork and camaraderie, but it also balances out the long hours of desk sitting and information intake.  TD is required to participate two afternoons a week.  She also does archery every Friday, which, although offered by the school, is unfortunately not recognised by the school as an official sport.  I mention this because TD's weeks are very full, and she needs to cut back on some commitments to lower the stress levels.
 
A lot of time is devoted to music - orchestra, senior strings, choir and double bass lessons are all extra mural activities.  There is no day that she has a free afternoon after school. The trouble is, she loves all of these extras and is going to be heartsore to cull one or two.  But it must be done.  Inbetween all of these activities, she needs time to devote to studies and homework.

So this is what I am wondering :  having agreed that sport is beneficial to the youth, can it not be said that cultural activities are just as important and character building?  Orchestras, choirs, painting, clay work, acting are all excellent activities and help produce well rounded people with more to offer the world.  It is my humble opinion that the school system is geared towards the sporty people: two afternoons a week and they are done with extra curricular activities.  Also, the number of sports awards at any prize giving shows an obvious bias to the emphasis placed on physical prowess over cultural activities.

How about leveling the playing field, so to speak.  How about making sure that each learner spends two afternoons a week on sport and two on music or art or drama. I am suggesting the introduction of a  compulsory cultural programme.  At least then all the learners will have the same amount of time to study and do homework, and they will all come out as well rounded individuals.  Or perhaps then the school management will see that overloading all the kids, instead of just some of them, is not good for grades, and some compromises need to be made.  What do you think?

TD's school year has ended, so she has a long holiday to think about what she will decide to cut next year.  She will keep doing the Saturday Park runs.  A healthy mind in a healthy body is not exactly modern science, as it was first penned by the Roman poet Juvenal in the 2nd century CE. How about reversing the logic: Corpore sano in mens sana.  A healthy mind can produce a healthy body.  I guess it is all about balance and a wholistic approach to happiness.