It has all been a bit much of late. Though I say that I enjoy it when God is direct and blatant, the truth is that I kind of enjoy nuance when it comes to the big messages of life. Am I a wimp? Oh yeah, I am.
It has been unseasonably hot and humid outdoors, way too hot for early June. Indoors we've been living with dust and dirt and a completely ripped up kitchen (my housemates are renovating my favorite room in the house ... which is definitely traumatic for me.) I'm STILL waiting to hear about a move-in date for my new apartment.
To top it all off, yesterday I had to say goodbye to my favorite client, always a wrenching experience.
Let me explain: all my clients are GREAT. There are a handful who I just love and cherish so much. It wouldn't be too much to say that the handful of beloved clients are truly precious to me. When one of the cherished few leaves (in this case to move to Portland with his wonderful wife who is going to have a baby shortly after they settle in) I am always a little bit heartbroken even while feeling so happy about the onwards & upwards. When we say the final goodbye, these clients become, for a day or two at least, my FAVORITE client.
Yesterday's favorite client hugged me and said, "Thank you for the last two years. This has changed my life."
Wow.
So OK that's probably why I had a little bit too much to drink last night, why I argued so vociferously with my housemates about the efficacy of protesters and protests to change society (I don't think it works anymore), why I listened to "What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding" about a hundred times.
Ah yes, it has all been a BIT MUCH of late. Thank you, God, for making my life so interesting. All I can say is: Wow.
12 comments:
You know, that's a curse in the Orient...may you lead an interesting life.
To me saying goodbye to someone I love who is moving away is WAY more difficult than when I say goodbye & am the one moving forward. This has been my experience with my two favorite families who moved far away.
I think many protests don't work anymore -- particularly in Washington, where there's one every week or so! But every once in a while they produce an indelible moment, like Tiananmen Square. (Which, granted, was 20 years ago...but could still be considered a modern protest, as opposed to all those Vietnam or Civil Rights marches.)
reya i'm having difficulty getting past the image of the tree trunks on the trunk of the car. it's mesmerizing. protests - well i was around in the late sixties and early seventies so saw my share and i've been in a few and my feeling now is that protests are about almost instant returns. that's not how much of anything works. my own sense is that working from the inside of something to effect change on a small scale, working without the imperative of time, and especially working without anger, are more effective ways of moving the world along or over to a good path. steven
STEP BACK- that is what try to do when intensity ramps up...Step back and still the waters...sometimes it works. Right on about protests- pocketbooks work better since this world is propelled by greed. The golden rule and all...It is all distraction- I try to not buy into it but I do live here and I am outraged a good part of the time...Ack- step back..
What an awesome reflection of the tree! Wow. Great capture!!!
It's been horribly hot and humid here too without any relief from rain for about a week. We are supposed to get something later today and I hope we do. We need a break!
Sounds like you too need a break from the chaos around the kitchen re-do. It's not much fun, I agree.
Hang in there Reya!
It's odd, yet consistent, that whenever I am facing some major issue in my life--life then turns around and makes the event harder. My last year at one college, every professor I had as a support system disappeared: sabbaticals, health issues--whatever. When my mother died, that very month all three of my closet female friends moved far away and had other distractions and no time for my sorrows. The only reason I bring any of this up is that it seems to happen with some consistency. If I know I am going to be facing some major difficulty, I can count on life "squaring" it for me.
As Lizzy brings up, a lot of my problems with these departures is that it's never me doing the walking; it's always someone else, and current generations don't seem to make the effort to sustain the tie once the move has been made, whereas my parent's generation kept vast, extended friendships going for decades. I've learned, over time, that if the break is made, it will be a true break, so it's the finality of it all.
I took part in my share of protests, but Steven makes a valid point. I had a class once with a professor who taught "Private Powers," and one of his big rules (as a rebelling priest against the Vatican) was that you do achieve greater change while within the institution rather than outside it's walls. Something I never forget, Father Mathews.
...and since I'm hearing loud thunder (change,) it's time to sign off.
Steven, you express what I believe beautifully. The protests back in the day cracked the energy of the old paradigm, but these days I feel like they just feed the fire of indignation and anger which is not what we need at the moment.
Hence my inability to stop listening to the song, "What's so funny 'bout ..."
Nice to see you here, Cube. xx
Remodels are stressful. I've lived through many incarnations of our old house. And kitchens and bathrooms are the most unsettling because they are so involved.
I'm sure that only adds to the feelings of chaos. It is a loss when a good client leaves. Over time, you establish such close relationships.
I was going to say something about remodels and protests, but instead:
the car has, in your photo, a painting of tree trunks on it that is so gorgeous. It should stay parked there forever so that the painting can transform itself as the seasons change.
Giving love to others and receiving it are the same. Maybe that's why it's so difficult to give up the physical presence of those we love.
Sadly, anything overdone becomes common place and unnoticed (like protests in Washington).
Glad life is a WOW!
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