A forced time-out

When we drove up to the Village from Palo Alto on Wednesday, I was actually congratulating myself on how well I felt. Neither of us were feeling super tired, so I figured a couple nights with melatonin to establish the sleep schedule and I’d be home free.

Instead, my chest started feeling tight on Wednesday night. By Thursday I was dealing with a serious cough and Friday saw the addition of congestion.

I had to sleep sitting up because the wheezing and coughing got worse when I laid down in bed. I did steam treatments, essential oils, tea with honey, and sun baths. If I sat still I would fall asleep.

But bit by bit I’m turning the corner. I even left the house today for the first time since we got back from Europe.

But between being sick and events being cancelled due to COVID, I haven’t connected with a single friend since getting home.

It’s very, very strange.

So, what occurred to me during my time in the sun this afternoon is that Divine Mother has put me into a forced time out. I mean, we were constantly on the go in Lugano — fun, but also exhausting. And we were constantly on the go before we flew to Lugano — also fun and productive, but exhausting.

But now? Three days (tomorrow will be the fourth) of no events, no meetings, no nothin’.

And what’s the lesson? I guess it has to do with not going, going, going until the only way you’ll get a break is by getting sick.

Not yet “normal”

I was nowhere near the mark when I predicted that I would feel “normal” by Thursday. Jetlag hasn’t been an issue, but the hacking cough sure has been!

I had pretty much the same thing when we arrived in Lugano; wish I knew how to nip it in the bud.

Ella to the rescue

So far we’ve been having a challenging re-entry.

It’s Swami Kriyananda’s birthday weekend, so there were plans for a beautiful tribute concert, in addition to other inspiring events.

Unfortunately, Ananda Village is experiencing a major COVID outbreak, the worst we’ve ever seen. As a result, we’ve had to cancel a number of in-person events. The concert is also off, since — as always — singing is a super-spreader activity.

It’s quite a disappointment, but help came from an unexpected direction.

I’ve loved Ella Fitzgerald since I was in my teens. I’ve been transported over and over again by her stunning voice, amazing creativity, and sheer brilliance, to the point that I wouldn’t have believed I could still be blown away by anything she sang.

But today I was blown away anew by Ella. It was just the pick-up I needed in the midst of a challenging afternoon. Check it out and enjoy…“How High the Moon”!

Too tired to be inspired

But the good news is we’re home and well on our way to adjusting to the new time zone.

I think I’ll be pretty normal by tomorrow.

First we hurry, then we wait

It was a rush moving out of the apartment this morning, but now we’ve been enjoying our final hours in Canobbio.

A delicious lunch with the whole family, a nice walk in the neighborhood, lots of time to chat, and now it’s almost time for dinner.

I can’t help but wonder what kind of shape we’ll be in by the time we get to the airport!

And suddenly…

…the last day has arrived.

We’re vacating the apartment in the morning because we’ll be heading to the airport tomorrow night for a super-early departure Tuesday.

Monday (our final day) will be spent hanging out at Silvio’s; going to lunch with him, Graziella, and Fulvio; and eating pizzoccheri for dinner with Manu and John-Beni.

Yep, the meals just keep on coming! 😅

Mother’s Day & Liam

The birth/death of Liam Andrew — my stillborn son who would have turned twenty-nine today — occurred three days before Mother’s Day. And my mother had passed away two years before that.

I still remember how the combination of shock, grief, and hormonal changes left me feeling completely dazed and confused as I negotiated those first days. And Mother’s Day cards had me reeling.

After all, I no longer had a mother and all of a sudden I wasn’t going to be a mother either. It was a very surreal time.

Twenty-nine years later the grief and the wounds have healed. But there’s always a few moments in the lead-up to Mother’s Day when I have to pause and reflect and give thanks for my mother and for the experience of being Liam’s mother for even a short while.

Images of the day

I Portici of Lugano; photo by Carsten Linke (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

Today Ramesha and I spent time together in Lugano Centro, mostly under i Portici — the arcaded walkways filled with an amazing variety of shops and restaurants.

Our favorite spot for cappuccino is Mauri Concept. They also have fun signs.

Speaking of signs, we got a kick out of the message on the edge of my caffè macchiatto (Ramesha’s cup was blank).

We spent the afternoon getting started on packing for our return home, then went out for dinner.

The pizza was delicious, but I was a bit surprised by the bathroom. I mean, I’ve never seen a see-through toilet seat cover before — covered with rose buds no less! 😂

A real vacation day

Chiesa dei SS. Fedele e Simone in Vico Morcote

It was just the two of us today, so we took a little excursion on our own to Vico Morcote and Morcote.

These villages are only about thirty minutes from Lugano, but it felt like we were a world away in a magically quiet and peaceful place.

I’ll get my photos organized to share soon. In the meantime, suffice it to say that we both were able to really and truly relax there.