Feeling Mortal

Today I admitted my best friend to the hospital with kidney failure.

It was an exciting weekend and I’m emotionally exhausted. She’s in critical condition.  I may lose her.

Last night, she was confused, but we spent the evening talking about life and love and family and last wishes. If she does die, I know what she wants.

I’ve been blessed with great loves and good friends. Life has been good to me.

Book It, Dan-O

doug and me grass hutI’m taking my mother to Hawaii for Mother’s Day, 2017.  Specifically, we’re going to Oahu for a week and Maui for a week.

We used to live on Kaneohe Air Station, Oahu, so part of the trip will be nostalgic.  We’ve been told for years that modern Oahu will break our hearts; hence the Maui trip.  Maui is reputed to be the Hawaii that we will remember.

I’m overwhelmed trying to plan this trip. It’s going to cost SO FREAKING MUCH that I don’t want to make any mistakes or leave anything out or have anything less than perfect.  We’ve started planning 10 months out and I’m finding that is not far enough.  I should have started this six months ago.

On Oahu, I plan to visit the Pagoda Restaurant, Ala Moana Shopping Center, and the International Market Place. We want to go on base and see our old house.  We want to see if we can find where our church used to be.  And we want to visit the beaches of our memories – tropical paradises that we didn’t think twice about.

For Maui, I want to snorkel and see Haleakala and the Road to Hana. I want pristine beaches and waterfalls.  I want to lay on the beach and breathe in the scent that is Hawaii – a combination of ocean, flowers, mildew and pineapple – it’s a very distinctive smell.

I can’t wait to go.  It’s going to be the trip of a lifetime.  I have about decided to hire a travel agent to make sure it all goes well.  We’ll see.

But today we booked the hotel for Maui, so we’ve started. Kahana Village Resort here we come!

 

My yoga instructor is 88-years-old!

Yoga-OhmMy yoga instructor, yes, is 88-years-old. Now is that a testement to the power of yoga or what?  She is amazing.

I’m a backslidden yogini determined to revive my practice.  I went to class tonight and got a good workout.  I love breathing through a big stretch.  I love seeing how much further I can stretch after a few exhalations.  And I love how yoga makes me feel.

I’ll be a regular again.

 

First Time

So. I did my first public reading tonight.

It went well. I think.

It’s odd, but I wasn’t the least bit nervous. I was a wee bit anxious to get on with it.  I had to sign up and there were 8 or so people ahead of me, but when my time came, I was fine.

Life is funny like that. Stuff that should make me nervous doesn’t.  And vice versa.