Everybody Squint

The sun is shining. The people of Seattle are squinting and sneezing as they enter this unfamiliar world of blue skies with puffy white clouds. The pasty white people of Seattle still wear double layered fleece...fleece turtlenecks with fleece jumpers over them, coats on inside...still freezing.

I had dinner with old friends last night and it was as if I had just stepped out to pick-up a bottle of wine for our dinner and we resumed our conversation right where we'd left off seven years ago. Thank you god. That was exactly what my soul needed. Naturally they are proponents of me returning to Seattle permanently reminding me how well I connect with the land and of the powerful healing work to be done here and my role with the community. They moved here from San Diego and still struggle with the Northwest weather but have started vacationing in Costa Rica.

We met back in the day when I was performing in the Spoken Word venues of Seattle, back when the poetry slam was born. I never did the slams because they had judges and I didn't (and still don't) believe that poetry should be judged by anyone. I don't remember exactly how I met Scott, but somehow we both started going to the SPLAB (spoken word lab) in Auburn WA. We started carpooling and he drove a Westphalia camper....brother twin to the Malibu Stacey Funtime Camper. He and I became fast friends and he kept saying to me, "You gotta meet my wife!" and once I did, she and I became better friends than he and I ever were.

What I love most about Scott and Laura is that they proved to me that men can be married and have women friends. They showed me that a couple can be independent and yet connected...stable, not jealous of other men/women in each other lives. I have no tolerance for jealousy.

When I left Seattle in 2001, they had just founded their yoga studio and now it is in full-blown operations and successful in Fremont. Laura is a yoga master focusing on teacher training and she worked for Deepak Chopra back in the day....before he became all consumed with the all mighty dollar. She has some great stories about working for the man.

Over dinner, I was complaining about the weather...my latest past-time, and they laughed at me, saying..."Oh Linda, you used to go out in the camper and sleep in the woods in this kinda weather!" Scott said, "Remember how you used to run off to the Wenatchee Forest to just be with the Cedar trees?"

No.

Well, yes. I do remember. Thank you for the reminder. I also had the camper decked out with a feather bed, angora blankets, and fleece and wool everything. I was prepared for the cold weather. I just don't think I'm willing to do that again, at least not today.

We'll see what happens. For now, the sun is shining and I am off to see Dr. Jordan, my acupuncturist. I'm doing these radical treatments to get me back on track...three times a week. I wonder he has any needles that can be inserted to improve my writings...I am uninspired here and quite critical of my work lately.

Let's blame it on the weather.

So much love,
All the way from over here...
Linda