Baby, it is COLD outside! Check out the great travel deals on this post and fly away! Here are some great hotel deals as well…20% off seems like a good deal to me. I’m headed out of the cold in 3 weeks, and it can’t come soon enough!
Someone told me the other day that this is the year of the Wooden Horse (Chinese Astrology). I was also advised that the previous two years were “water” years, 2012 was the Water Dragon, followed by 2013’s year of the Water Snake. Apparently, the past two years have been low on energy and kind of sad. I can certainly relate to that. But the year of the Wooden Horse is supposed to bring better times. According to Susan Levitt, “The Wood Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better. Energy is high and production is rewarded. Decisive action, not procrastination, brings victory. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. If you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don’t do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don’t want to gallop off in the wrong direction.” Ok. I’m ready. I have an adventure coming up the end of February…off to Thailand and Myanmar for diving. I am so looking forward to it. CLICK TO TWEET.
Randy is recovering from his double lung transplant very well, but his father is experiencing health issues, and that is holding back some of his recovery, I believe. We are in the process of trying to get some home health care involved, meals delivered, and someone to help Ran’s dad a few times a week with tasks he wants done. Hopefully that will free Randy up a bit to get back to PT full time and other recovery tasks. I hope so. With lung transplant, there is ONE window, 6 months to a year, to get your lungs to their absolute best. After the one year mark, they begin to age. It is critical that Randy work as hard as he can to get as much lung volume as possible.
Midlife and the empty nest offer great opportunities, but there is also the other side of midlife: our illnesses, parent illnesses and the loss of your parents. And your friends. So far in 2014 a friend has lost her husband suddenly, an old friend has passed away, and my biological father passed as well. My aunt fell down a flight of stairs and broke her leg and her collarbone. As in all times in our lives, midlife definitely has its set of challenges. However, the year of the horse didn’t start until Feb 1, and all of that happened in January. So I still have hope for 2014! I received a surprise invitation to see Sting on Sunday night, so that is an unexpected adventure. One thing I have always known is that you have to go while you can. As far as possible, and within reason, go and do what you want to NOW, while you are able. Truly, you only have this moment.
So…. Go Horse, Go! Run for the Roses! Make the Year of the Wooden Horse, 2014, a great year! Oh, and Happy New Year to you!
I have done yoga for a long time. That doesn’t mean I do it well. Yoga has kept me moving through so many physical issues….my back surgery ( I did yoga instead of PT ), joint pain, injuries, MRSA and the misery of trying to move again after 3 months in bed and several skin grafts and LOTS of morphine….it helps with my scuba diving by giving me good breath control, so I can happily stay in my weightless environment longer. I have long studied the eight limbs of yoga, and I’ve tried to meditate, though I’m not very good at that either. I try to make myself relax and stay in my bubbly bathtub for 20 minutes…I usually make it about 5. When I try to quietly meditate and concentrate on my breath, I last an even shorter period of time. Relax? Tough one for me. And no, I cannot just lay on a beach or lounge chair. I go crazy. Sometimes diving, or listening to music is a kind of meditation for me.
So, a new journey begins. Advanced Yoga Studies. AYS covers everything in greater depth, from the asanas (postures) to the physical body (anatomy, basically), and the philosophy. It is every weekend for a month, 5 hours a day. That amount of time is a serious challenge for my 4 rods and 8 pedicle screws which are inserted in my lumbar spine. I made myself a happy place today with bolsters and pillows and blankets so I can get into sitting positions in comfort. Yesterday…well, I spent last night flat on my back. Ouch.
So why am I doing this? Lots of reasons really. First, I have always wanted to go deeper into the philosophy. Second, I thought I might be able to find ways to do postures so I do not hurt. Third, life has been kind of unusually challenging for the last few years….and the last 6 months have been more than challenging. How to describe it? When you are at the point when you don’t dare ask what else could possibly go wrong? I never ask what else could happen, I don’t want to tempt fate. I try to keep my mouth shut so fate will not notice me. Fourth, after a lifetime of putting others first, being daughter, mother, spouse, sister…I want to get to know myself, and what I want, and what I do or don’t believe in. There are two of me: the logical scientist who wants empirical proofs about any and all things, and the other me who wants to just believe. The logical side likes to interfere in that process. I have always had a magical way of looking at things, and in the last couple of years that viewpoint has dimmed. Yes, I still feel childlike wonder in nature, which drives me to spend as much time in it as possible (particularly the water, as I’m sure everyone knows), but I have trouble accessing it in my everyday life anymore. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because my children have grown up? Having children was wonderful and magical (yes the logical side has plenty to say about that)….I read to them and told them stories of fantastic feats and daring deeds, tried to build their characters with a code of ethics, I sang to them, recited poetry to them to get them to sleep at night, played with them, and their friends, and I have missed them now that they are all grown up. I miss the funny, and sometimes insightful, things they would say, the smell of Johnson & Johnson shampoo, and the uninhibited way they shared their feelings and thoughts as well as their hugs. My 23 year old son is engaged to be married! That carries a bit of a punch to the stomach…it truly lets me know how much time has passed. The time was rich and full…but that time in our lives has passed. I have looked forward to the empty nest and to being alone with my husband, Randy…like we were before we had children. Again though, the wheel of fortune has turned and Randy has suffered a devastating illness followed by the miracle of a double lung transplant. Life has changed though, and adjustments are necessary. As his illness progressed, and as he works to recover, there is a realization that some things will never be the way they were, so we have to learn to want another way of doing and being. Click to Tweet.
Anyway, my point is, some of my idealistic optimism has tarnished. I want it back. It may not be as bright and shiny as it was, but it is an essential part of me that I need to reconnect with. SO. Advanced Yoga Studies, a journey that begins to go inward. I like to explore, to learn, to research, to synthesize knowledge…now the object of study is me. I am open to discovery, and hopefully the rediscovery of things which have gone deep within.
My daughter asked me tonight why I like to travel so much. It is the experience of other places, other worlds (such as the underwater realm or the savannah), other cultures, other ways of seeing…which gives me new perspective, excitement, and often, a feeling of deep gratitude for what I have been given. Each trip gives me a deeper sense of attachment to, well, to everything and everyone. I marvel at the richness of our earth and all of its inhabitants. I want to help protect it, and them. Travel piques curiosity, and I think curiosity, coupled with wonder at each new discovery, is what creates purpose and worth in our lives. Sometimes you don’t even need to walk out the door to take a journey. “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” ― Robert Bryne. So am I living my purpose? Am I being true to myself? The path of yoga may be a way to appreciate those questions, and perhaps, to find answers. Or maybe the answer is more questions.
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home” says the poet Matsuo Basho. I believe that to be true. Wherever I am, in my own heart I am home. So I will continue the path, and share with you what I find. As we say in yoga class, Namaste.
There is nothing as incredible as an African Safari. Nothing. Seeing these animals in the wild is not at all comparable to seeing them in a zoo or a “safari” park. The savannah goes on forever….truly, the Circle of Life is real. I expected to see Simba and his friends at any moment. I actually saw many simbas (simba means “lion”!). An African Safari is a trip anyone who loves to travel must take at least once in their lifetime! The best experience will include:
1. Staying at a Luxury Safari Camp. Tent? It is more like a well-appointed suite at a first class hotel. The guides and staff are attentive and make sure you have everything you want. Your guide, or perhaps a Maasai Warrior (at least in Tanzania) escorts you to and from your tent at night. Going back after dinner one night in the Serengeti our Maasai guide took a flashlight to our left and whoa! Hyena eyes, about 6 pair, were staring at us! What an adrenaline rush! The sound of the savannah at night is a symphony (except for the wildebeest who make a really loud, aggravating bleat…no wonder they get eaten, since they constantly announce their location!) The meals are amazing, cocktails before dinner and three delicious, fresh, chef prepared meals a day. Luxury camping is the only way to camp!
2. A private guide and viewing vehicle. Now this is a treat. You do not have to worry about “taking turns” getting the best view, or the best camera angle, because you are not sharing that view. It is perfect!
3. Watching the sunset from the Savannah. Sunsets are best viewed with a Sundowner (a cocktail) in your hand, hors d’oeuvres on a small table outside of the vehicle, while enjoying the growing silence. What an incredible luxury, having cocktails on the Savannah while the sun sets! Yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds!
4. Take your photo opportunities when they come! Always, always have a camera ready to shoot! Be ready. You will miss a lot if your camera isn’t ready to go.
5. Finally, you must not miss the Big 5, though there is never a guarantee. The Big 5 are Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Cape Buffalo. Having a great guide is the best way to make sure you have every chance possible to see these awe inspiring animals, many of which are endangered. It is just impossible to express the feeling you get when you quietly pull up in the middle of a herd, or a pride of lions. Just….incredible. Breath-taking. Exciting. Awe struck.
Going on an African Safari is always a thrilling adventure. I have done safaris in the African winter, when the foliage isn’t thick, and the animals are easier to see. So….when do we leave?
WHAT a great weekend it has been! These guys are simply the best. Here’s the story:
My husband, Randy, had an unexpected respiratory collapse last August, and in September, after 12 days on life support, he had a double lung transplant (I did blog during that very unexpected journey). During this incredibly difficult time, friends rallied like…well, like friends! Among our wonderful, fabulous friends, is this group of guys, Randy’s childhood and college friends, a group known as “the Dons”. Why are they the Dons? Well, some of the story isn’t really tell-able, but long story short, there was a guy in their high school that they knew, and they just started calling each other by his name, which was “Don”. Whatever. For some reason, it seems to fit. You have Don, Don, Don, Big Don, and Donnie. Oh, and don’t forget Don.
This group of guys is truly a novel. And a fascinating study of male friendship. When they found out Randy was ill, they didn’t wait, they grabbed a plane and came to see him. They came from California, Chicago, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Atlanta. They came to laugh with their buddy who was on the lung transplant list and to offer me their love and support. These guys and their significant others have been so kind to me, so loving, so supportive. Like family. After Randy went into rehab in October, they all came in again, to celebrate the fact that their friend made it through. Just before they left the first time, while Randy was still conscious, they decided that they would all come back in January, again, to celebrate Randy’s recovery. They were true to their word, and some brought wives and girlfriends. Of course, the girls couldn’t really talk together because the Dons are LOUD. Really loud. And once the stories get going, you don’t want to miss a single word.
Stories? These guys have stories. I mean, from grade school on, they have stories! Most of them I have heard, but they are so entertaining, I can listen for …. 30 years worth! Of course, we have gotten together on and off for many years, but there have been times when not one word has passed between them for like 7 or 8 years! They pick up, right where they left off. Amazing. They are there for each other for weddings, christenings, funerals, divorces, Chicago Bears games (they are Chicago boys, except one who became a don in college)…they have supported each other through life’s trials and joys. Guy trips, couple trips, I have never spent a second with any of them that hasn’t been great. Both of my kids (yes, I know they are 26 and 23 but they are still MY kids even though my son is engaged to be married!) were here for the dinners and stories this weekend. Randy’s dad, still Mr. Minton to the Dons, joined us one night. One of my close friends came and observed as well…with her mouth hanging open! As I said, they are LOUD, and there is NOTHING sacred. Not even the jokes about how they should have pulled the plug on Randy, complete with flat-lining noises! They are just too, too funny.
Randy had Chicago Italian Beef and Sausages flown in from (you guessed it) Chicago. If you have seen the SNL skits about “da Bears” and “Ditka”, and there is a Ditka commercial out now where they grill the sausages on an airplane, you will know how important this food is to the Bears fan. As exhausted as I am, I am happy to have had such a fun, and warm, weekend with friends. The truth is, I think this was the very best medicine Randy could possibly have had. I think it energized Randy and gave him more incentive to work harder and harder to regain his health.
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So guys, Mike, Tom, Dave, Tony, Brian, and Pete (who was not able to be here this weekend), I hope you know how much I appreciate and love you. I hope the Dons will be together again, for many many years of love, stories, and laughter. Especially the laughter!
They will blow into town on Friday! I will be sure to give a full report of Randy’s childhood pals, who are coming in for the 3rd time to celebrate the fact that Randy is here after being on life support for 12 days and having a double lung transplant! The last time they saw Randy he was still at Zale Lipshy in rehab, and unable to walk. They are in for a treat…their buddy is getting around without any help.
In case you have missed previous blogs, my husband experienced a respiratory failure back in August, then another in September. He was put on an ECMO machine while he remained on the lung transplant list. All of this came as a huge shock, and Randy’s friends immediately rushed in to help, to soothe, to make their pal laugh, and to be supportive of Randy’s family.
These guys have been the best…incredibly supportive of Randy, but more so for me! I love the dons (don’t even ask why they call themselves the dons, goes back to high school), and I am looking forward to seeing them under, if not normal, at least more comfortable circumstances!
