The Ultimate Freedom Walk

Yenta, this is really lovely, thank you.  Interestingly, in my own way that is what I was doing this weekend. As you know, I'm not Jewish, nor am I Christian, so this ends up being an odd time for me. I grew up in a family which celebrated Easter in terms of the extended family gathering together, my 'uncle' would do a prayer, and it was always rolled in with my birthday party with the extended family.  Over the years, things changed.  Initially the families quit getting together for all the holidays, that happened about the time I went to college. But the third year after I became an OT, I got a call on my cell while at work the week before Easter and my uncle had been hospitalized, his wife needed someone to stay with her, could I go?  Naturally, I did.  I went to visit him on Saturday, and left at the last minute to make it to get my hair cut that evening, the last appointment time in the day and his daughter was visiting the wife/mother who had been admitted to hospice earlier in the week.  It was the first time our families were going to get together on Easter in years; we were going to cover both bases/divide and conquer, so to speak, then get together for bruch somewhere in between, those of us who were not admitted to hospital or hospice.  

I told my 'uncle' what the plan was for Easter and he said 'I don't think I'm going to be here tomorrow' and I said 'you know that'll be okay if that's the case, right?' and he said 'you don't have anything to say about it, you know'.  So I said goodbye and got to the door and he yelled 'hey, I love you'.  And later, after his daughter had come and gone, he passed.  So we ended up not having brunch as the daughter and son had to spend time with the mortuary, etc., and we spent time with the mother/wife.  That was my mother's cousin, who was like a brother to her.  

My father had an opposite sex cousin who was like a sister to him -- these four people were all only children, that's how it is I have no aunts, uncles, or cousins.  She had a medical event on April 3rd, about 12 hours after calling me to wish me a happy birthday. I had movers schedule to move me on Tuesday and had to work for another OTR who was on vacation that week, so it was a really busy time for me.  I found out about medical crisis within hours after the movers had left, I had a friend over helping me move something and celebrating my new home with a pizza and RELAXing finally. Well, no such luck!

So on the Sunday after, I was trying to finally get on an airplane since I couldn't get off of work until the vacationing OT was back, and the owner of the house I'd previously rented was trying to say I'd not paid last month's rent, which I had 18 months prior when I moved in, and my records to prove it were WAY not accessible since I'd just moved; thankfully I used a bank when I moved in which had people available on Sundays and the woman went to work like a private detective when I told her my situation.  I was gone a week and returned just in time for a scheduled medical appointment and that was basically when an infection was first detected that took over a year to track down and solve.  

It was exhausting of time/energy for medical appointments and diagnostics and cost a fortune to my insurance, and it all was a ridiculous goose chase and much had to do with ineffective medical advise; it was finally solved with a dietary supplement that a provider who does not even take insurance suggested after I finally consulted with him; he was I think about the 10th provider to put their head in the game at my request.  Whirl this ALL up and Lumigrate came to be on the Internet about a year later, intended to help solve these types of difficulties for people. And somewhere in there I took a journey within when having a surgery with a delay at the hospital where I had time to not just 'got within' but to be in a state to be receptive to hearing what is coming from 'out there', what you, Yenta, call 'G-d'.  Spirit.  "The great author of all in the sky" some have called it.  

So this year, the anniversaries to reflect upon being as they were kind of added up to being a significant thing to reflect upon. I thought about 1994 when my birthday was a week before Easter but my surprise hot air balloon ride from my significant other had to be postponed due to wind and how his skydiving buddy dove out of the basket from 9,000 ft above sea level to land right in front of the Country Club's brunchers, providing quite a unique Easter for them as well as for me. We'd hit some sort of an updraft and shot up almost 2,000 feet, scaring everyone in the basket, including the pilot who had been flying 20 years after serving as a chopper pilot in Vietnam. Once was enough for me of hot air balloons but where did 18 years go, and how did I end up half the state away eight years ago? 

I hope Ellen knows that she has company on the path of life, but you're so wise, Yenta -- I agree, it is a personal walk and it leads SOME to what's at our core, others away from it and that might be what is causing a lot of the stresses we see between people today.  I hope more will take the direction of going within.  Again, I am so GRATEful to your writing and sharing with us here at Lumigrate. It wouldn't hurt for us to take Yenta along with us when we walk! ~~ Mardy 

Mardy dawlink!  Oy!  Such a life you've had.  Mine head is spinning.  Stay away from the hot air balloons always - you want hot air, I have friends that could kibbitz with you day and night.  And shayna dank (thank you) for that lovely image of your friend diving out of the basket - I won't be closing mine eyes for a few nights.

We all have "trials" that are necessary to experience, evidently you've had more than most, but it's not the end of the world unless you make it so. Meshugas (craziness) aside, finding your "center" is very important and how you go about it can either help or hinder you.  Ellen picked a freedom walk to start her "journey".  Perhaps Mardy you want to play in plants. Putting your hands in soil and working with plant life is very healing to the soul and body.  Re-affirming life is a good thing; but to re-affirm and enjoy it bring warmth to your world.  Try it, it couldn't hurt!

Your

Yenta