(not necessarily in that order)
What a joy to be back in the Temple of Light and attending Sunday service for the first time since April 14 (and what a relief to make it the whole time without a coughing fit)!
It was also a joy to eat lunch in the company of dear friends afterwards.
Our beautiful temple, filled with fellow devotees. Uplifting music; deep silence during the meditation; and an inspiring talk by Ananta.
I felt nourished and replenished by all of it.
I didn’t take this photo but it’s a great view of Lake Lugano and Monte Brè (which is to the left), with more mountains marching into the distance.
The yellow rectangle not too far above the water line is (approximately) where we stayed for a month.
Amazing how long ago it feels already.
That feeling of being in a time-out?
Not any more! Divine Mother put me back in the game today.
I realized this morning that I had to get blood drawn today for my oncology follow-up appointment next week.
I also needed to pick up a prescription and buy a few food essentials.
I was definitely well enough to drive to town — no problem. But it did feel like a rather unexpected and sudden expenditure of energy after spending over a week at home recovering from COVID.
In fact, it’s only 9:30pm and I’m already looking forward to being in bed.
Ramesha and I just completed a special project for our May Patreon video (a little behind schedule due to illness).
As part of it I got to talk about a gift that Swamiji gave me back when we stilled lived in Switzerland (the full story is part of the video).
But it gave me a reason to remember and reflect on other special items I’ve received from Swami.
In September of 2003 Swami went to Milan and Como for book release events and I traveled by train from Assisi in order to participate (it’s a long story, involving a suitcase full of books; missed train connections; an impromptu “choir;” fabulous meals; deep inspiration; and getting to know a crazy young guy named Fabio — I’ll have to write a full blog about it sometime).
It was definitely an eventful weekend, made even more intense by the fact that I stayed in the apartment of two devotees from Milan who I didn’t really know and who spoke virtually no English. It really was quite uncomfortable and awkward.
At the conclusion of the weekend I was supposed to take the train back to Assisi, but was invited to join the group at Swamiji’s hotel for breakfast first. This somehow got communicated to my host who dropped me off near the hotel on his way to work.
As I walked up to the entrance I suddenly heard a “hello” from up above. It was Swamiji, calling to me from a window on the second floor. He said he had something for me and would be right down.
I met him in the lobby and he handed me the little Krishna that you see in the photo. A unexpected and precious moment I’ll never forget.
Did a little, but it felt like a lot.
Now I’m out of juice.
I was more “myself” today, though still nowhere near my usual energy levels.
I mean, accomplishing a “lot” right now looks like: juicing some lemons; (finally) sorting our vacation mail; and washing dishes.
What I’m particularly proud of is the way I sat on the patio for what felt like hours this afternoon… staring at the treetops, gazing at the occasional butterfly, hearing the birdsong, listening to the lizards rustling through the dried wisteria blossoms…
Aaaaahhhhhhh… I’m falling asleep just thinking about it.
I’m still testing positive, and Ramesha, negative. But he’s displaying symptoms now, which we’re hoping against hope isn’t COVID.
I’m mainly dealing with congested lungs — coughing and wheezing; Ramesha’s got upper respiratory symptoms; and we’re both low energy.
All in all, we’re quite the pair!
In twenty-odd years I haven’t had to sit out very many Swamiji’s Birthday celebrations, but that’s what happened today.
It’s not just that my voice would not have been ready to sing yet, it’s that this morning I finally tested positive for COVID. Sigh.
Ramesha tested negative and has not had any symptoms at all, which we’re hoping stays that way.
So, I’ve been at home, thinking about Swamiji and how to better serve the area of his work that is ours to do — the music.
I’ve also been enjoying reading the many beautiful tributes to Swamiji on social media. My favorite is a series of video clips of him laughing — he had such a wonderful laugh! Unfortunately, it’s a Facebook video, so I can’t share it here on my blog.
But here are some photos of Swami laughing to help you feel his joy.
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.
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.