Home again, home again December 30, 2007

Dorothy was right — there really is no place like home. The air is warm and clear, my cats are cuddling up with me, and perhaps most importantly, I have no obligations weighing on me. I am beautifully, gloriously not busy. I am so grateful to all the work I did before my trip that resulted in a smooth Connecticut experience, however I have absolutely no desire to do any further work myself right now. That earlier feeling of not wanting to take a vacation is completely gone, and I’m giving myself the rest of the year off — a vacation to recuperate from my vacation. Some time to dabble in the age-old joy of doing nothing. My friend and mentor Caroline Reynolds is calling 2008 the Year of Power. Amen! And so I’m going to spend the next couple of days powering down — for me, another form of healing, of rejuvenating — so that I can power up successfully and hit the ground running in the new year.

So, enjoy the festivities, whatever you choose to participate in, and I will see you in the new year, ready to experience its unfoldment into the love and light that I know it is bringing. Namaste.

Dead Poets Society Quote December 30, 2007

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And, the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless — of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these O me, O life? Answer. That you are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.’ That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

~John Keating in Dead Poets Society

Greetings from Connecticut December 27, 2007

I feel a little like I’m living in a postcard this week. I’d love to find one of those old fashioned “greetings” cards. I could upload the photo for you. Being back in Connecticut is always an experience for me. In some respects, it’s awesome. I get to see places I hung out as a teenager — as much as they’ve been transformed, they still bring back memories. I get to see good friends and family that I just never can connect with enough from 3,000 miles away. But there’s always reminders of the reasons why I left, the obnoxious people on the streets and the attitudes out at restaurants and stores.

But this trip has been different, more positive than negative. I’ve been trying to put my finger on the why of it, and it seems like it’s a matter of attachment (or lack thereof). I’m just not feeling attached to anything. Now, that might not sound like a good thing. It might smack of apathy or indifference. But that’s not it at all. I’m much more present this trip. I’m not experiencing Connecticut through the eyes of the past, I’m actually seeing it as it is now. I’m enjoying its beauty and not being bugged as much by its flaws. I feel more contentment, less agita. I’m focusing on the yummy Chinese and Italian food, the beauty of the snow and the rivers and the trees, the joy of connecting with friends and family. I don’t have a picture in my head of how things should be; instead, I’m just enjoying what is. There’s a lot of power in that kind of detachment. And a lot more happiness.

Wish me luck with the remainder of my travels. Today I am off to New Jersey to continue this journey of contentment. Namaste.

Editor’s Note, 12/30/07: I went back and found one of those postcards — I love those images! I just started re-watching one of my favorite TV series of all times, Wonderfalls, and had forgotten that they use that type of postcard as part of the titles. I’m not sure which came first — my love for the postcards or my love of the show, but the synchronicity is making me smile today.