šŸ’ February 10 health update

Dear friend,

I thought my November 2 health update would be the very last, but it turns out another is needed. 

First of all, there are still a number of people asking me, ā€œHow are you?ā€ with a great deal of concern in their eyes. Iā€™m very happy to report that I really am doing extremely well — Iā€™ve been off disability since the beginning of the year and back to working full-time; Iā€™m singing every week; and Iā€™m feeling energized by new visions and potential projects for the music.

On the other hand, although Iā€™m through with the major medical part of my health journey, I feel like Iā€™m still sort of ā€œpicking up the piecesā€ of my life. And while itā€™s true that Iā€™m completely back to normal, itā€™s also true that my ā€œnormalā€ relationship with my body and overall well-being hasn’t been all that healthy for much of my adult life.

In fact, this has been one of the biggest lessons of my cancer journey. As a result, Iā€™m feeling guided to dedicate time and energy to focusing on detoxing from the high dose chemo; rejuvenating from the stress of the last year; and deeply resting from the trauma of the bone marrow transplant process. 

So, in early March Iā€™m going to do a one-week Panchakarma program at an ayurvedic retreat thatā€™s located near my home in Nevada County. But because itā€™s a holistic healing modality instead of a medical procedure, Ramesha and I have to come up with $4500 to cover the cost on our own. 

When weā€™ve needed to raise funds in the past (for music-related travel expenses, for example) we would often give a concert. But since there isn’t the time or the bandwidth to pull a concert together at this time, weā€™ve decided to take two little known albums of mine and offer them on a donation basis as digital downloads.

One album is a compilation of classical flute pieces from various recitals and concerts from when I was still a working flutist, while the other is from the very first concert Ramesha and I did together in 2003, before we were even a couple. 

To learn more about the albums or to find the link to donate, click here (also, keep in mind that if youā€™re not able to donate money, youā€™re totally welcome to the music in gratitude for your continued prayers).Ā 

Finally (and I apologize if Iā€™m beginning to sound repetitive), THANK YOU — again and again and again — for all your loving support.Ā 

Hitting the love jackpot

Tomorrow marks the day — an incredible nineteen years ago! — that Ramesha asked me to marry him.

He was planning to propose on Valentine’s Day, but just couldn’t wait another week.

Today I’m reflecting on what a wonderful husband he is and how very, very fortunate I am to have found him.

I truly did hit the love jackpot!

Progress is being made

Free Presentation Statistic vector and picture

It took some doing, but I finally located the stash of photos that will accompany my Swami stories. YAY!

I’m also making progress in terms of developing my voice: Ramesha and I have found a mutually agreeable time for him to work with me on a regular basis. Double YAY!!

And…our music team is getting back in the flow of meeting and planning. Triple YAY!!!

Post-meditation bliss

Free photos of Candle

Best. Long. Meditation. Ever.

For the first time in several years, I enthusiastically made it all eight hours — from start to finish — without skipping anything.

Followed by a relaxing evening with Ramesha.

What a trooper!

This whole cancer journey has had Ramesha showing up for me in ever-new ways.

For example, we never could have imagined that he would need to give me injections (like before the stem cell collection). And today he got to cut my hair!

It was starting to bug me because in normal times I would be due for a cut, but in point of fact, my hair is starting to come out due to the chemo, so it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and hack most of it off.

So, my wonderful husband graciously stepped up to the plate and helped me get it done. šŸ˜˜

We got started!

At our Assisi wedding (July 18, 2004)

ā€œTheĀ wayĀ toĀ getĀ startedĀ isĀ toĀ quitĀ talkingĀ andĀ beginĀ doing.ā€ ~ Walt Disney

I was thrilled to see this quote on my Momentum Dash this afternoon, because it was completely aligned with today’s reality.

That fact is that Ramesha and I have been talking about a particular (and very special) project for over a year, but today the talking was over and we did something about it!

The “something” is our new Patreon account: “Bhagavati & Ramesha”, which we just launched!

This morning we recorded our Patreon intro video, as well as one of our earliest Harmony Duo song arrangements (which we hadn’t performed in probably ten years).

The intro video is not published yet, although you can see a sneak preview by clicking here.

There’s a lot I’d like to say about Patreon, why we’re doing it, the process of getting to this point, and how cancer proved to be a clarifying factor…but these are topics that will have to wait for a future blog post.

Wisdom from my husband

Ramesha posted this quote yesterday; below is what he wrote to go with it. It’s so powerfully perfect for me right now that I had to share it here.

Sometimes, in the midst of everything that’s happening, it’s easy to forget this fundamental truth.
Doctors and medicines, obviously, have an important place in what’s happening.
But we ARE a soul and we HAVE a body, not the other way around.

Forgetting God equals neglecting our true nature.
No true health and well being can ever come from that.
We live in this body only temporarily, but we are a soul for eternity.

I’m so grateful for the reminder that, while the body is temporary, I am a soul for eternity.

What a blessing it is to have such a wise husband!

Sing your song

This quote really spoke to me today.

How much happier and kinder the world would be if everyone was encouraged to find and sing their song. No one else’s.

Oasis of peace

I’m totally stealing this photo and its description from Ramesha, who posted it on Facebook. (Thanks for providing content for my blog post, amore mio!)

What makes it perfect is that I actually spent a fair amount of time hanging out in this peaceful oasis today.

In fact, it was a very mellow Saturday.

Shout out to Ramesha…

…who just released the first single from his long-awaited new CD, The Inner Temple!

This is one of my favorite songs to sing (and I got to join him on the chorus). It’s a wonderful combination of devotional and totally joyful.

Click here to download a digital version of the song (you can listen to a sample first).