I arrived back in the Bay Area late on 31 December 2013. My boyfriend Tom picked me up at SFO airport. And chauffeured me to his home. I had asked in December if it was okay to stay with him until my tenant vacated during January. He said yes.
As he said to me in the month prior to my return, he wanted to create a safe landing spot for my re-entry. I had been in a holy space for a long time. I figured re-entry might be tough. Tough is an under-statement.
He lives in Mill Valley. It's quiet where he lives except for the early morning delivery trucks that rumble down the one-way street in front of his apartment building. There's a redwood tree park within 5-minute walking distance of his apartment. And lots of walking trails. And he asked what food provisions I wanted since I'd be arriving late on the day before a holiday!
1 January 2013 is a blur of moments - happy, silly, fun, romantic, poetic, argumentative, contentionous. As I look back, he told me on 2 January before he went off to work -- to take it easy, sleep, curl up and rest. Did I listen. Not truly. And the body knows...best!
Sunday, 6 January...I wake up tired, despite 8 plus hours of sleep! So I called in sick. Metaphorically since I am retired. Gave myself permission to curl up in bed after Tom went to work and opened Christmas cards. Looked though magazines. Sipped tea.
Same the next day...realized had not done this for at least four months. All the time I was a-traveling, I had not carved out time to just stay in bed all day and chill.
Tom is spot on - I am depressed! Yes, as I look back since 1 January, I was pressing forward into my life back here and the body de-pressed (de- prefix means not or reverse). Thank you body!
Body said let's do this again when I awoke on Tuesday, so I laid in bed watching TED talks on video. And the mind said no more laying about...let's wash clothes. And sweep the floors. And go the the library. And walk the dog. And cook some food. And attend the Art Walk down the street.
Yesterday morning...I awake to not only tiredness...again. Again...left wrist and shoulder joints/tendons are inflamed! I notice this time they are also throbbing. So I called in sick. Did a quiet sit. Then read all day.
Today, I realize they are angry that I am not taking this time to rest as I re-enter. Even walking the dog tires me out. And a walk in nature is good, yet it tires me also.
Welcome to my re-entry! Leaving Santiago and re-entering the world after walking Camino Frances and Camino Fisterre, gave me mini-previews into this present moment. Thank you for that!!!!! For that I am grateful to have slowly moved from Santiago to Madrid. Madrid to Lake Waccamaw, NC. Lake Waccamaw, NC to Mill Valley, CA. And soon...Mill Valley to my physical home in San Francisco, CA. And notice what I noticed. And follow the body's requests -- most of the time :-)
And listen to folks who remind me. I walked a holy space for a long time and now am moving down from that holy space. Or that I was in a magical, mystical, spiritual place and moving back into here and now.
All Good! To be with what is! And go from there!
Buen Camino!
P.S. This is a great TED talk I saw on Tuesday that reminded me of my Camino and the power of gratefulness and being present to nature.
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