(not necessarily in that order)
Today — July 31, 2023 — would have been my mother’s 89th birthday.
As I thought about her, I started remembering how much she loved her flowers — especially rhododendrons, gladiolus, and bottlebrush.
Happy heavenly birthday, Mom!
Indeed, there’s been a lot to think about lately.
I knew exactly what I wanted to share this evening and had it all pretty much done…but then it basically self-destructed (in other words, all the photos decided to disappear).
So, I’m taking it as a sign that I’m supposed to go to bed and try again tomorrow.
My friend, Graziella, posted this photo on Facebook today and seeing it brought back beautiful memories of being at a luncheon there in honor of Swami Kriyananda.
The room is the Cenacolo Fiorentino (which translates as the “Florentine Supper Room”) on the upper floor of the Ristorante Grand Café Al Porto, located in the historic center of Lugano.
If I remember correctly, it was May (I’m not sure what year) and Swami Kriyananda was relaxing for a few days in Lugano. In honor of his upcoming birthday, the leader of the Lugano meditation group organized a boat tour of Lake Lugano followed by lunch at Al Porto — one of Swamiji’s favorite restaurants in Lugano.
It was a beautiful day, now a treasured memory.
Maybe writing yesterday’s blog post was therapeutic. Or maybe I just got fed up with constantly feeling behind.
Whatever the reason, the good news is that I spent a few satisfying hours this afternoon feeling focused and actually accomplishing a number of tasks.
Yay!
I’m slowly coming to realize that I actually haven’t been settling back into my routines very well. In fact, I can’t quite remember what my routines are.
I still get work done, but it feels rather haphazard and is often driven by the pressure of deadlines and urgency. Not ideal.
I started wondering what’s wrong with me that I’m not “knuckling down” and “getting it done.”
But then I thought, “Oh, right. The pandemic.” And, “Oh, right. Cancer.” Both, in their own way, dismantled any sense of normalcy.
The pandemic did it by completely obliterating routine, while cancer simply imposed its own demanding routine and schedule for pretty much a full year.
This realization doesn’t magically make everything fall into place, but at least I can acknowledge why it’s feeling like such an uphill battle to get focused and productive.
And though “scattered and unfocused” may be my current normal, I have faith it’s only temporary.
Can’t remember the last time I sat up late handwriting music parts; it’s surely been decades and decades.
Fun to watch little details come back to me…and I’m grateful for it, too.
Yes, after months of preparation and reflection, today was the day that we took the plunge.
In other words, we took nayaswami vows, which means complete dedication of our lives to the search for God.
Outwardly, we’ll wear blue — the color of the Nayaswami Order — but the main work is inward. We’ll have our same jobs, see our same friends, live our normal life, but all in the ever-increasing awareness that we are living our lives for God.
Today was mostly about resting and replenishing.
Hope your Sunday was relaxing as well.
For various reasons it had been all too many years since I attending a Brooks-Stroud family gathering. So, today was the day!
The picnic was in Sunnyvale, which is usually a three and a half to four hour drive (depending on traffic). Well, today — thanks to traffic, detours, and a grass fire along 580 — it took closer to six.
I enjoyed a couple of hours connecting with Dad, siblings, aunts and uncle, and also getting reacquainted with a number of cousins. But since the friend with whom I was planning to spend the night came down with COVID 😱, I decided to go ahead and drive back home.
Lots less traffic and a dinner break along the way with another friend both helped a lot. But I was definitely getting a little tired about halfway through.
Thank goodness I happened to throw a couple of CDs into the car when I left!
Between the high energy Irish music of Orla & the Gas Men (my Irish friends from way back when) on their Minding Mice at Crossroads CD and the high energy singing of Ella Fitzgerald (“Newport Jazz Festival, Live At Carnegie Hall“), I was able to stay engaged and alert all the way home!