Simply Being | Simple Being
Ocean, Santa Clara
“Be like an ocean — silent, vast and undisturbed. Let all negativity wash up on your shores. Let love and wisdom reflect off your shining surface. Guide little boats and massive vessels alike onward to their destinations. Support vast ecosystems of flora, fauna, little fish, giant whales, gorgeous coral reefs, killer sharks — all forms of life. Reflect the infinite space above in all its glorious vastness and simplicity.”
Currently craving…
Open green and white spaces, fragrance of coconut oil, black curly tresses, swaying coconut palms, fans whirring lazily in the sultry afternoons, cool marble floors, searing sun, gusty rains, temple bells, elephants, rice, jaggery… tastes and sounds and flavors and scents of home.
Is it possible to create a home anywhere? If so, they why does the heart crave familiar spaces and faces and sensations and experiences?
Home is Here
Where is home?
Kale-Coconut Dal
Summer is here (I bet you knew that already!) and the days are long, hot, humid. There is an icky-sticky-gluey feeling all about. No, it isn’t a physical sensation alone – ahh, well, whatever.
I haven’t cooked in ages, and it’s highly likely that that lack of cooking activity is contributing to the icky-sticky feeling. I have relinquished all control of the kitchen to P’s mother (she and dad-in-law are visiting until November). While it is great to not have to worry about waking up at an unearthly hour + watching the pressure cooker + doing yoga + chopping veggies, all at once… I miss cooking. As much as I curse (well, complain) about the bland flavors in our home (ly) dishes, there is a certain degree of comfort in cooking what I choose. Well, now I have NOT a thing to do in the kitchen these days. Menu, prep, seasoning… it is all run by Mom.
Maybe I will rebel a little tonight and cook a li’l something for myself!
Endlessly Still and Dynamic
It feels as though I am in search. It seems like a journey that a young person (what is “young,” exactly?) embarks on. Self-discovery, new places, a search for an unknown space, seeking to pacify an itch that refuses to go away… Do all coming-of-age tales begin this way?
Hey, I started on the trip many years ago. So, where have I reached? Do I know myself better? Probably. But it’s like trying to grab hold of sunlight or a wisp of air. Or cotton. I am in this alone, and that feels perfectly good to me. P and I are partners on this trail. We are walking together. Not really, either. It is like we are looking out for each other but each one has his/her eyes on the trail that lies right ahead. Solo traveling as a couple – does that make sense?
Yet, it feels good. The itch persists but it does not bother me. I do wonder, though… if it will ever go away. Maybe when I exhale for the last time… or maybe earlier. Every moment feels like I am unraveling another possibility. The sameness is comforting but I also dream that it will underlie the varying landscapes. Where do I go from here?