Verbal snapshots

Portugal is Roman, Moor, Jew, topped off with a heavy, at times oppressive, blanket of Catholic. It is olives, wine, blue sky, and the sea.

Listening to Fado music in Evora was unexpectedly wonderful. A tiny club with 6 singers. There were moments when the audience was humming along as back-up for the singer. Lovely.

Porto was the kindness of strangers, when we arrived at 9 p.m. without a proverbial room at the inn. More music. This time fado was in a shiny fancy cafe Guarany, and then a fabulous Latin band (Corazon Espinado, La Ladrona, I will survive merengue style) on the street. A lot of port.

Sagres was a perfect cove of a beach, reading A God strolling in the cool of the evening (by Mario de Carvalho), the very edge of Europe before you drop into the deep blue sea (of which we had a divine view from our pristine room).

Where I am going

At the root

I've been reading and watching some powerful stuff these days.  The Shock Doctrine is a remarkable book that gets at the very root of our current economic and political situation.  It's not a beach read, and there are parts that are so heartbreaking and infuriating that I had to take breaks to recoup.  I think it's essential reading for anyone who wants to know where your tax dollars have been and are going.  Disturbing, provocative, brilliant and finally (at the very end) hopeful.  I recall first hearing about her during an interview on KBOO and happily came upon her audio book at the library. 

Because I'm fascinated by the author's mind, I checked out The Take, a documentary made by Naomi Klein and her husband.  This film recounts the economic crisis in Argentina and how workers have taken over closed down factories...I loved it for many reasons.  It's so important that someone is documenting the hopeful and powerful stories of resistance out there, and I loved seeing these working class men fight and win.  I also enjoyed getting to see Naomi Klein and her husband, who come across as funny, young, smart and relentless.  

A state of grace

We had the most wonderful weekend at Breitenbush, something we are making a summer tradition.  After a very social summer of cookouts, a lovely long visit from family, and 2 weeks full of Miss G., we got our mini-getaway from all the chores and noise of daily city life.  Unlike vacations where you need to plan, organize and then execute (Day 1 visit Museum X, take bus Y), this is just a time to relax in nature.  Tall majestic old growth trees, hot pools of spring water, flowers, the sound of a river, yummy vegetarian meals (no sugar, no caffeine and no snacks!), yoga.  No keys, no money, no buying of anything, no worries.

One of my highlights was soaking alone in a hot spring pool in the morning and having dragonflies hover the entire time.  I have a special affinity.  After I lost the baby (I call him Benjamin) and first ventured outside strong enough to garden a bit and walk around, a dragonfly danced around to greet me.  Dragonflies are not a common insect in our realm, being a dry waterless city block.  I am sure it was sign from the baby.  A hello, a way to make me smile and take notice that the world held these moments of grace in the face of big losses.  Dragonflies landed on me all weekend long....Benjamin's way of telling me that he is well, and he is with me...we are ok. 

The other was seeing a meteor dance across the sky in the small pool at night.....Yet another was holding my partner's hand as we did yoga, relaxing and close.  Another was crashing a beautiful dance party on Saturday night full of Reiki healers, who were having a weekend retreat.  The music was this magical blend of 80s songs and world music (Kenny Loggins, among others). We all danced joyfully, and I felt like a kid dancing away....everyone was blissed out, smiling at one another...I thought, this is how the world is meant to be.  Everyone is just innately and naturally happy, dancing....to really really good music. 

I finished up the perfect read for such a weekend, The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman.  A story of faith, of healing, of love....of the possibility of everything, kind of like my life.

Missing in action

So it has been a long time. A month has gone by without posting anything.  

It's been a really good month - family time, dinners with friends, a circus, a pow-pow, blissful weekend at the beach, yoga, a whole lot of gardening, some juicy books. Rather than chronicling my life virtually I decided just to live it in real time and let the chronicle part go.   I liked the feeling of letting it go.  The time and privacy it afforded me. 

Now I'm debating where the blog goes or doesn't go.  Shall it continue?  It is for you or for me?  I'm just not sure.  

If it goes, then it means phone and emails to stay connected.  I'm not a texter and may never be.  How to sustain relationships across distance is a puzzle that I've been piecing together for years now, and I'm ambivalent about the Internet's role....I am very much a face to face person. 

So this is my way of saying the life of this blog is in the balance. 

Winter soldier

I guess I'm on an anti-war kick right now. It is so easy for us to forget that our country is fighting two wars...most Americans are pretty insulated from the suffering of both vets and civilians (except that our government's resources are being diverted to war spending in ways that impact us "silently").

I came upon this very powerful and painful documentary about the Vietnam war, told by vets in Detroit. I think it should be required viewing in all high schools when talking about the Vietnam war.

http://www.wintersoldierfilm.com/

Good words to guide our immigration reform (and especially folks in AZ!)

Leviticus 19:33-34

"And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall do him or her no wrong. The stranger that dwells with you shall be to you as the home-born among you, and you shall love him or her as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Eternal, your God."