I woke up this morning kind of hung over.  It was a combination of the Tylenol PM pill I took last night and the fact that my peristalsis was not working properly.

I made two decisions.

First, I decided to hide the Tylenol PM pills. I would rather be a bit tired in the morning than out-of-it most of the day.  Even when my peristalsis worked properly, a Tylenol PM pill left me hung over the next morning.

Second, I decided that just taking Metamucil alone did not do the trick.

I have internal hemorrhoids. Passing  solid waste was not easy.

I decided to eat several prunes with each meal.  That seemed to help, but I was not drinking enough water.

The end effect (pardon the pun) was not salubrious.  In the afternoon, the large 32-ounce, plastic tumblers arrived from Amazon.  I now have plenty of water to drink as I sit here near the computer – or anywhere else in the house.

I think it is working already.

This morning, hangover and all, I went to the second week of tai chi class at the nearby senior center.  I am taking tai chi to help me attain better balance.  Little did I know that in just this second session, I would experience two seemingly magical occurrences.

First, the teacher was demonstrating how to lift one foot and kick. I always lose my balance doing that. She told us to stare at — and focus — on our palm, in particular, our thumb and pinky.

Duh.

It worked.

I maintained my balance for the entire kick.

Second, as I lay in bed after returning from the class, I was uncomfortable.  Last week I did read about tai chi and I watched YouTube videos.

I tried to feel my “chi,” or “life energy.”

I recalled reading that you should slow down your mind when you try to feel.

I placed my hands on my uncomfortable intestinal area, and moved them in slow circles, concentrating on the energy.

It was amazing!

The pain subsided.

If these amazing things happened to me in just the beginning of the second week of tai chi, and the beginning of the second week of  prune therapy, imagine what lies ahead.

I am continually thankful to God for all the good things I see.

May your chi find you happiness.

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertzebsen@gmail.com