The day began so quietly, and my intention was to rest and take it easy, beginning with stretches in bed with my bedroom flooded with bright light. But the day unfolded in ways I had not imagined. The predicted day of rain didn’t happen till about 6:30 pm, and it poured much of the night, again blessing our forests, fields, waterways and gardens.
So while starting my morning tea, I listened to a program about how unique each of our brains are, and when we list our goals, then imagine achieving them, we start to create new set points so our old “default” ways of operating begin to fall away as we take small daily steps and see what happens. With success, we secrete dopamine, and when we share it with others, we release oxytocin, increasing our likelihood for success.
Some of my small daily steps include Donna Eden movements throughout the day, wiggling or dancing to inviting music, taking time to meditate. The latter just didn’t happen yesterday because I was engaged in saying yes to life!
After breakfast, I took a short morning walk, and began to tidy my tiny garden, pulling out the sun chokes so I have a few to eat, and raking the soil as I continued to uproot the dead plants.
As I walked in my apartment door, a potential caregiver called, so we had a good talk. Already two people have answered my ad, a good start, and both sound interesting to interview soon.
Then as I began to meditate, Rose, a loyal caregiver this psst year, called inviting me to join her and her parents for lunch at Sauce. They are visiting for a few days from Maryland.
This was such a welcome surprise, and the four of us had a lovely time, free to talk and share our food with one another. I discovered I love their beef brisket meatballs along with a bowl of dahl, brussel sprouts, brown rice, raw beets, avocado, and butternut squash. It was fun offering Rose’s mom some of my food, as she’d ordered a simple salad but was curious about what was in a “bowl” entry. Their chai tea is fabulous, and perfect as after our lunch I headed home to greet Jerry. We drove to hear an amazing piano Trio at the SOU Recital Hall.
This Dephi Piano Trio was totally mesmerizing, playlng with such grace, precision, and passion. It was my favorite Chamber Music Concert of the maybe 8 I’ve attended over the years. Tickets are discounted from $38/seat to $5/seat with a Food Stamp Card. We first heard a Haydn piano trio in F Major, then a Czech composer Smetana with fast-paced lyrical melodies and ending with a somber tribute to his four year old daughter who died of scarlet fever, and his grieving was put into this composition. After the intermission we enjoyed Schubert’s Piano Trio in B-flat Major. Words don’t do justice to this remarkable ensemble., but we knew we were hearing musicians who put heart and soul into their playing, moving the whole audience. At the the end they had a reception with fruit punch, two huge cakes, and even gluten free brownies made with avocado oil; you don’t have to go to New York to hear the best. They’ve recently released their debut album, Live, an appropriate one-word for how they play together. The big surprise came as we were leaving, admiring the gorgeous bouquet of bright fall flowers full of mums, gladiolas, chrysanthemums, lilies, and a few others Jerry knew and admired; suddenly the lady offers us the bouquet, so we took it to Jerry’s home!
I had intended a quiet evening on my own. Instead we came back to my apartment, shared a simple soup and toast dinner, then drove in the pouring rain to Pascal Winery for an amazing evening of beautiful singing, with two young women with operatic voices. Then we heard a Seattle group with a fiddler, guitarist, and a loud, brassy women singing Ukrainian and Celtic folk songs. We came home at intermission, too exhausted to stay. It was a very full day, focused on fun instead of election paranoia. Sometimes saying yes to surprises can be quite an unexpected blessing.
“ In every moment, our senses take in new information, or old information seen in a new way. We add that information to what we already know and adjust our knowledge. We see the trees slightly differently- the colors of the leaves dance in a way that they haven't for us before. The bark of the dog sounds more rhythmic and musical than we had ever noticed. The life circumstance that we are in suddenly seems like a classroom, where we are learning in every moment. How to grieve. Who to talk to. How to express our anger. When to crack open our heart and let others in. How to see ourselves with more loving eyes. We all have this same opportunity for learning, but many of us don't see it. We see ourselves as victims, that nothing ever changes. That life never gives us what we think that we are owed. The real truth of the matter is that every experience, no matter how we qualify it in our minds, is a gift. A priceless treasure.” This quote is from a sister writer from my class on freeing your Inner Wild Writer. And we now have a year to share on Facebook, encouraging one another. This quote actually fits the sort of day we had when I let go the shoulds and just let the day flow!
