Hildegard of Bingen: Cure for Wrong Side of the Bed Blues

I woke up feeling grumpy and fretful--a lovely combination.  It rained much of the night, so I didn't sleep as well as I sometimes do.  When rain batters the house at strange angles, like it did all night, I worry about the ways the water will find its way in.

Our window sills seem dry.  There has been water intrusion in the cottage in the back, but we've put down towels to catch the seeping.  The main street isn't flooded, but I suspect the back alley is.

I don't understand why some storms result in flooding/water intrusion and some have no impact.  Why last night's storms and not Sunday's?  Because we got more rain last night?

I was feeling grumpy because I have grading to do and then I'm off to the office, and I really want to stay home and write poetry.  I was feeling grumpy because I didn't have any ideas for blog posts.  And then I remembered that today is the feast day of Hildegard of Bingen.

I've written about her before, and so I did a quick search of my blogs and other files.  I noticed that just reading about her lifted my spirits.  Thank you, past Kristin, for leaving me these gifts of leavening.

I'm in that state where I'm feeling anxious about what I'm not writing, what's slipping away, what I'm not recording.  Here's a nugget of comfort from last year's blog post:

"My theory:  in the day to day, we feel we aren't doing much.  But when we take the full measure of a life, we see how much a life can encompass."

For more on Hildegard of Bingen, see this blog post.

I conclude the piece by saying:

"Maybe today is a good day to tune in that medieval music [on the Pandora channel that bears her name]. We could listen while writing letters to those in charge, letters which demand more work towards social justice. Or we could focus on other writing projects, as Hildegard of Bingen did. We could plant a healing herb garden.

Today, on her feast day, let us say a prayer of thanks for Hildegard of Bingen and other medieval matriarchs of Christianity."

If the rain lets up, maybe I'll walk into the back yard to visit my healing herb garden that we planted a few weeks ago--those plants always lift my spirits.  I've already said a prayer of thanks today for Hildegard of Bingen, and I'll continue to pray for social justice.  I'll hum Plainsong to calm any anxiety that comes to me as I move through the day.

Perhaps I can find some time to write a poem.  But if not, there will be time this week-end.