Last night, after putting in a 14 hour day at the restaurant (oh Valentine's Day...blah blah blah)
I had no capable brain function. So I went to the late showing of Valentine's Day at the theater with Megan and Talls & Smalls. I slept through about a third of it. I saw the ending and may buy it.
Afterwards, I met a Hippie at a local bar. He looked tattered and weather-beaten on the outside. Grayed beard and course skin, dressed in some holey boots, some paint and patch strewn gray pants, and a well worn wool jacket. I wondered if he were homeless. He said he was from out of town. The social justice seeker and humanitarian in me said I should accept him at his words, but I still had my doubts... Why is it that we often force people to prove themselves, before we accept them? Why do we tend to treat people as guilty, until proven innocent.... Rather, why do we struggle to accept strangers on first encounter without any reservations? Why are we guarded and cautionary---especially with "the gpysies, and freaks, the outcast and homeless?"
At any rate, he had a beer with us and after a few minutes he shared that he could read fortunes and volunteered to demonstrate. Apparently a question is asked/presented silently to oneself. Then Hippie Daryl closes his eyes and proceeds to what I can only describe as "spins his thoughts in a randomized mental commotion." It was suggested to us, that we don't leave his mind to whirl too long or it becomes difficult for him to pull out the correct answer. Upon touching his hand, he breathes slowly as if the words or phrases to your question are coming into focus like the vision charts at the optometrist. And then he tells you.
My friend HappyDimples was intrigued and volunteered herself. I decided to simultaneously play along, and asked questions to myself while my friend was controlling the length of Daryl's spin cycle. I played along for 3 spins, and each time Daryl produced answers/phrases that correlated directly to my questions, but not to HappyDimple's.
It was perhaps one of the coolest, most freaky things I've ever ever experienced....I fear if I post the questions, then the answers I've been given might be negated in some weird superstitious manner.
Oh well, I'll share the 3rd, because it was just to freakishly "impossible" to have possibly happened.
Question: Would it be worth my time to return to Korea and search for my birth parents?
Daryl's Spin: "I sense a quest...a journey..."
I will say this, I did not ask questions in which I tried to test the aptitude of his craft or trick him. (ie. what color am I thinking about now?) However, my 2nd question was a follow up question to my first, and the 3rd (which I posted) had nothing to do with questions 1 or 2.
And my mind is blown. Do you believe?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Dog lovers
Also--the other night I watched Owen Wilson and J-Anny in Marley & Me.
If you haven't seen it...grab the pint of icecream or popcorn, a big blanket and hunker down on a cold winter's night.
It's worth it. Fantastic storyline.
If you haven't seen it...grab the pint of icecream or popcorn, a big blanket and hunker down on a cold winter's night.
It's worth it. Fantastic storyline.
DANG!
Last night I had the best dream ever...and I can't freakin' remember what happened in it!?!?!?!
seriously? Jackson, seriously??? sigh. I'm sure I'll just think about it all day long trying to piece parts of it back together....maybe I should try and go back to sleep, same spot, same blanket, same pillow, same position....
maybe it'll be a re-occurring dream.
seriously? Jackson, seriously??? sigh. I'm sure I'll just think about it all day long trying to piece parts of it back together....maybe I should try and go back to sleep, same spot, same blanket, same pillow, same position....
maybe it'll be a re-occurring dream.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
"Staying Busy".... a danger?
I have not slept "well" for many days now...it started in December actually. My mind constantly wanders back to my trip in 2006... I'm sad and happy, and sick with nausea...like part of me is missing, but ironically completely full. Is it jealousy? I suppose in part.
I've been reading the blog of these new Namibia/South Africa Singers from Luther. Part of me wants to comment on every post, and to raid their Facebook profiles and email addresses.... and part of me knows that I have to step back..and let this be Their Trip.
Part of me wants to leave a post on their blog that says something to the effect of, " Enjoy your time abroad....but remember that this is Yours to keep. Do not feel ashamed or afraid to with-hold information from all of your familial followers and online admirers." (The blog was created mostly as a means to keep in contact with parents, spouses, etc. )
And part of me knows that blogging and writing about those happenings NEEDS to take place....to be able to process those dramatic, emotional events.
I hope and pray that their voices are safe and healthy, and their bodies find a way to rejuvenate every night....and their hearts and minds are filled with a love that leaves and replenishes..
sigh.
I've been reading the blog of these new Namibia/South Africa Singers from Luther. Part of me wants to comment on every post, and to raid their Facebook profiles and email addresses.... and part of me knows that I have to step back..and let this be Their Trip.
Part of me wants to leave a post on their blog that says something to the effect of, " Enjoy your time abroad....but remember that this is Yours to keep. Do not feel ashamed or afraid to with-hold information from all of your familial followers and online admirers." (The blog was created mostly as a means to keep in contact with parents, spouses, etc. )
And part of me knows that blogging and writing about those happenings NEEDS to take place....to be able to process those dramatic, emotional events.
I hope and pray that their voices are safe and healthy, and their bodies find a way to rejuvenate every night....and their hearts and minds are filled with a love that leaves and replenishes..
sigh.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Disaster in Haiti, Living In Reality
We live in a powerful world. A planet that is truly wild. And at times ferocious. And deadly.
Personally, I do not believe that we can do anything to proactively prevent disaster....that is to say, "to slow nature down"....but is it wrong that I am convicted in the thought that our human actions are certainly capable of enticing and exacerbating Mother Nature?
I am at a loss of words. And like many, lacking credible information on any recent developments in post quake-Haiti...
The reality of today is numbing. Hopefully the reality of tomorrow waves a new banner...
Personally, I do not believe that we can do anything to proactively prevent disaster....that is to say, "to slow nature down"....but is it wrong that I am convicted in the thought that our human actions are certainly capable of enticing and exacerbating Mother Nature?
I am at a loss of words. And like many, lacking credible information on any recent developments in post quake-Haiti...
The reality of today is numbing. Hopefully the reality of tomorrow waves a new banner...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
J-Term in Namibia/South Africa '06-'10
Four years ago to the day, I began a trip that would change my life forever. A life journey. A Life Adventure. A trip which I've come to understand, will never end.
It was a month in Namibia and South Africa. A month of choral music. Of learning. Sharing, understanding, conflict, discomfort, reward, and maturation. A month of travels, transition, irony, and much writing. A month of development, which would be the first of all months since.
It was January 2006. We were the first abroad trip from Luther to undertake this load. This morning I saw the 2nd group of Luther Students off in a fashion all too familiar. Amidst the frigid January air, a bus idling outside , luggage aboard, in wait of its passengers: destination Chicago and eventually the raw beauty that embodies the countries of Namibia and South Africa.
The past month, my nights have been filled with flashbacks, dreams, and uncanny moments of deja'vou, all transporting back to those places, smells, sights, and people.
It's far too complicated to write in one post. It's far too personal to uncover in full context. It's far too vast an adventure to entirely share. And time is so precious. And short. More to come soon.
So for now, I remember to embrace those who live slower than I (both due to choice and circumstance) as well as those who have now followed my footsteps, and are beginning to embark on a similar journey. This afternoon I feel a little less whole. A piece of my being, which in recent years has often been ignored and pushed aside in neglect for other priorities, returned to me this morning. And now, it has left to be renewed and recharged in the lands of its origins. Passed on and carried by the purpose and people who fly, sing, and surrender to the Adventure itself.
It was a month in Namibia and South Africa. A month of choral music. Of learning. Sharing, understanding, conflict, discomfort, reward, and maturation. A month of travels, transition, irony, and much writing. A month of development, which would be the first of all months since.
It was January 2006. We were the first abroad trip from Luther to undertake this load. This morning I saw the 2nd group of Luther Students off in a fashion all too familiar. Amidst the frigid January air, a bus idling outside , luggage aboard, in wait of its passengers: destination Chicago and eventually the raw beauty that embodies the countries of Namibia and South Africa.
The past month, my nights have been filled with flashbacks, dreams, and uncanny moments of deja'vou, all transporting back to those places, smells, sights, and people.
It's far too complicated to write in one post. It's far too personal to uncover in full context. It's far too vast an adventure to entirely share. And time is so precious. And short. More to come soon.
So for now, I remember to embrace those who live slower than I (both due to choice and circumstance) as well as those who have now followed my footsteps, and are beginning to embark on a similar journey. This afternoon I feel a little less whole. A piece of my being, which in recent years has often been ignored and pushed aside in neglect for other priorities, returned to me this morning. And now, it has left to be renewed and recharged in the lands of its origins. Passed on and carried by the purpose and people who fly, sing, and surrender to the Adventure itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
