6 AM rise, 7 AM arrival at Jikoji. I threw the "holiday" French toast casserole into the oven and headed to the large Zendo. No shoes outside should have been a clue but I took 'em off and checked and found it empty. I walked back to the small Zendo where a larger set of the Sanga than I expected were meditating. Michael H, Pamela, Prachi, Emily, Cade, Judy, Gerow, a visitor from Felsendor and "Jotey", a visitor staying and working for awhile. There were no cushions and I didn't want to disrupt things any further so I just sat on the pad and managed. Emily lead an interesting and different post-meditation experience and it was engaging. She made a reference to a departed relative 'not being here' and all I could think was that a part of them was, in her, here. The casserole was well received and the meeting, albeit long, was productive and encouraging. There was a good discussion about intention and perception. I returned home and we punted the planned winery trip due to Jen's work demands. I managed a handful of to-do's. We went to Gali to taste and enjoyed a charcuterie board with a glass. We went to head to Montalvo for the English Beat concert when I realized I'd forgotten the tickets. I was pissed at myself for missing that and wasn't able to find them on my phone so we swung by the house and grabbed them. I dropped Jen at the venue while I parked and as we walked in and were just about to sit, the lights dimmed. We made it! The show was excellent – I wasn't a big fan going in but Jen is and I enjoyed it a good deal. Lauren called towards the very end and I FaceTime'd her so she could see it. We have a good chat with her on the drive home with her about some class related stuff, and Tommy called and shared some details earlier in the day about a work related conflict. It felt good to have him share the story and look to me for feedback. I'm grateful to have the relationships we have and to be sharing all of this with each of them.
