What an incredible day. So many things were falling into place. So many things to feel positive, blessed and fortunate to have. Last night was modestly challenging. I abstained from drinking, whereas Jen & Ben and Jess (to a lesser degree) enjoyed some wine. It was a challenge, but I am proud of my effort and commitment. It has to be "important enough'' to succeed at anything I aspire to, including denying myself the impulse to imbibe. I felt a bit out of the loop. Ten got quite drunk. It's the white wine's sugars.
Jen managed to get up at 4:30 for her class. I "3,2, I 'd" my way out of bed at 5:40. It took two attempts, but I managed to get in the car by 6: co and to Ji koji by 6: 50. 40 min at a reasonable pace. I arrived in time to hear the knocking of wooden notice, find my way into the dojo, take a position facing the wood and rice-paper sliding doors, and settle in.
I would love to share having sat in complete mental stillness, but that would be inaccurate. It wasn't easy to still my racing mind as usual. I managed to get several short bursts of stalls between the chaos of thoughts being constrained.
It was a pleasure to feel recognized, remembered and welcomed back by Michael, Amanda and Nick. A new face, Luke, a 27-year-old' 'kid" from Boulder that may be a resident for a month.
I was invited to stay for breakfast. I asked if I could help, which was accepted. Part of what makes this click for me is a sense of equity across the board. Michael, a core component of Zot years, cooks and cleans alongside me.
At breakfast, I shared how the time I spent helped me open to Tommy's offer to accompany him to Catalina and all the positive things doing so has generated. I also talked to Michael and Amanda about getting involved in the Sanga as a way of investing in this community. They are open and interested in my helping with communication and weekly newsletters. I said I wanted to ease in and not over-commit but would return later this week to continue the conversation.
After leaving, I reached out to Tommy, and he met me at Madrona. I am very interested in his well-being and managing all the emotions I believe he has about his mom, but I don't press him about this. I expect he will open up when he's ready. So much of the time was silence or surface conversation about the day ahead.
Mark texted me about meeting for coffee, and we did so for at least an hour or more. I shared stories about the Catalina trip and our 2023 plans. I returned to Pano and finished cleaning up and setting up the outdoor seating and fire pit. The weather was sunny, warm and inspiring.
It turns out that Lauren's "spring break" falls in the same window of time that Tommy, Jen and I were targeting for a 2nd Catalina trip! And in short order, we locked into and booked flights. I am in parallel contact with ' 'Sho" from the Catalina Express ferry regarding her Hamilton Cove rental. It's perfect for our trip,
I am so grateful, almost to the point of tears, to have options and opportunities opening up for us. To have met ' 'Sho'! Jen's easy-going willingness to make this trip happen, her friend being available to dog/house set, Lauren being on board as well... it's all just working out naturally and in our favor.
The night concluded with "dinner and a movie" at the prune yard with Jon, Cheryl, and another couple of friends of theirs, the Parkers. The movie was "CHOCOLAT," the dinner consisted of a seafood appetizer, braised ribs and cookies with hot chocolate for dinner. It was fun, and the food was delicious. I managed to stick to my plan and enjoy but not overindulge, but I would not be too surprised to find my weight nudged up.
The epilogue for this day is that there appears to be another plumbing issue. Gurgling toilets yesterday and the day before gave way to a backup in the bathtub. This is a recurring problem, and I need help understanding what's happening. My efforts last year to clean the roof pipes out did nothing. I ended up spending $ to make the sewer piping accessible, but it's not clear to me that this is related. I checked over the weekend and found no smoking gun. I will have to call a plumber tomorrow morning,
It's hard for me to take a leap of faith with our financial circumstances and not worry about these ' 'sudden need" situations popping up. Taking vacations and spending money on pleasure before a plumbing issue surfaces feels precarious. I will relax and approach it all as being Mana gable. ' ' '
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