First, I will quickly let you know that I arrived in Antalya on December 1 and am staying with Svitlana until December 19. Wow, I got that onto paper (so to speak). Then, on Dec. 19, I will fly to Kalyves, a village in Crete, Greece, where I will dog-sit for a two-year old dog named Mickey for one month. Wow again... I got that down. Amazing.
Is Mercury in retrograde? It feels like Mercury is in retrograde. The last post took over a week to write. Not because it was a difficult post to write, no. It took a long time to write because every sentence or so, this Wix platform (where I write my blogs) would kick me out. It happened so many times, and I got so frustrated about having my flow interrupted (over and over, and over again), I would give up. Then I would try again, have my flow interrupted (over and over, and over again), and give up. Over and over, and over again. I am glad I finally finished the post. It was weighing heavy on me.
Now I feel the need to catch you up... or at least give you some highlights of what has been happening since December 1.
I am in Antalya. I am staying with Svitlana (Oxana's daughter). I love her dearly and we get along really well. She is currently studying and training at all hours of the day and night. Between her busy times and sleep, we have been sharing hours of music and food, laughter and meaningful stories. We have gone out to walk along the water and eat in restaurants, a couple of times with her boyfriend. Svitlana and I have visited with her family (also my friends) who live in another part of Antalya. Once, while taking a long walk to meet with them, Svitlana spotted three parrots in a palm tree. We talked about how it is most likely that they flew away from their owner who used them to entice tourists to pay for photos by the pirate tourist boats in the Antalya cove.
I have also been to my dentist, to finish the two tooth implants I had started in March. Currently, my jaw and gums are numb and sore and I am waiting for things to calm down enough to know if my bite needs adjusting. More shall be revealed. Hopefully the reveal will be a pain-free and lovely set of teeth that chew well.
I have been writing, working on the first Compassionate Travel Blog book. That feels good. And I have been working (and growing a friendship) with a colleague around a psychosynthesis workshop we will be co-facilitating in a week... and talking with and helping another presenter prepare for a workshop that she will facilitate in February. I have been staying in touch with my friend from İznik, who has met an American man online who she is having a whirlwind romance with, and will be meeting in person (in Turkey) in two days. And, speaking of whirlwind romances... Remember my dear friend Melody? Melody just emailed that Eli (her son, who I hung out and day-traveled with in Stuttgart, Germany last year, while visiting Bianca) is getting married to a young Italian woman, soon. So soon, in two weeks Melody and Michael will be flying to southern Italy for the wedding. Woah.
I received a different kind of email yesterday, from another dear friend, Renée. This one containing the news that our dear Gena Corea has stage 4 breast cancer with a terminal prognosis. For many years, Gena has been a significant force on multiple levels for many people. Gena led an ongoing writing group for incarcerated men. She traveled to west Africa and led the movement to bring west African dance to Brattleboro, Vermont. She wrote significant books about nuanced corners of social justice and human rights. She was invited to speak on influential podcasts about issues that most people had never thought of.
Svitlana was in the room when I read Renée's email. She asked me to tell her about Gena and together, we looked her up online. There is a lot about Gena Corea on the internet. As I mentioned, Gena has been a force of Nature for a very long time. I did not realize just how much of a force she has been until surfing the net. I just knew her as my friend.
Gena has created many videos (available on YouTube). I saw one titled Burying Rupa, so I clicked on that. Svitlana and I watched it. Then we watched the next one. I would like to share the two videos we watched with you now.
In this first video, Gena refers to something I did during Rupa Cousin's burial on the Manitou grounds. Out of confidential respect for me, I think, Gena refers to me as "Amy." I am the one who took Gena's hand and danced us around Rupa's grave. I am remembering that I did that because while we stood together in the circle, I saw a vision of Rupa dancing, so thought we should join her, as we had done so many times before.
During this second video, Gena refers to something I said in an online "Caring for our own" meeting. It is true that I think it is so cool to meet and get to love the people in life who you will be sharing the ground with after life. I had not realized till listening to that video, that something I said affected my friend in the way that it did. It is stunning to realize how our actions and words ripple out and touch people. Both videos are about death and the ritual of a green burial. The second video covers Gena's explicit wishes for how she would like die and be buried. I sent the link to Gena's niece-adopted daughter who had sent the original email about Gena's condition to Renée, hoping it would be shared, hoping all of us who love Gena would send our love her way. I am hoping that the mass amount of love being sent Gena's way will help ease her path.
And then there is Nurullah, who I hope finds a more doable life path and a Light to guide him along it.
Tonight I had a nice hour+ video chat with my dearest family, Michael (and Pretzel), Ash, and Beto, who are at my house for "pizza and a movie night." It was sweet to be with them, to catch up and laugh, and to see home. There was snow outside! Now it is 2:30 am my time and I am quite ready to get ready for sleep.
Good night dear Friend. Talk again soon... after I get to Greece or maybe sooner.
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