–>

It’s a minor complaint, the doctor said, and the best way to treat it is
with warm compresses to the eyes. He told me this a year ago and I didn’t
listen. This time he had my attention.

My new resolution, then, is to spend 15 minutes a day with my eyes closed, a
warm washcloth spread across them, hopping up every five minutes or so to
reheat the cloth.  This is my new meditation time.

It’s strangely relaxing. The warmth of the compress, the blotting out of the
world, my mind wandering, me trying, trying to keep it empty but largely
failing. Still, it’s a beginning, an earnest attempt to spend a few minutes a
day in the mental equivalent of a warm bath.

When the compress cools, I re-enter the world reluctantly. Lights seem too
bright, noises too loud. My eyes are still sore;  healing them will take time. But my
mind is starting to crave its quiet time.