Samantha is here and all settled in.
I met Samantha while walking El Portugues (Camino) last year. She was going through a tough time, and we talked for hours during the hike. She called me her “angel of the Camino.” Everyone meets one, you know. She gave me this little gem. I think it’s onyx. It’s very sparkly. I learned this from AI: Mica glitter mixed with black onyx can create a deep, shimmering effect for various crafts, including bath bombs, resin art, and cosmetics.
And the lovely asymmetry leads me to believe it’s handmade. I love it.
Yesterday, we walked into town, and I showed Samantha around a bit. We encountered a car show in el Centro, mostly Volkswagen Beetles. She is now comfortable venturing off on her own. Not that she needed me to do that, but I was able to point out a few things.
Samantha expressed an interest in birding, so last night we took a bottle of wine next door to Doug and Cindy’s, who invited her to go birding with them this morning on the Pipeline Trail. Doug is an ornithologist, and he and Cindy go out every day. So, they were off at the ass crack this morning. I was happy to remain behind and did some cooking.
This evening we took a vegetable curry over to Kathy’s and watched Part 2 of Samadhi. I’m really enjoying it. It’s nice to have this sort of refresher course in centering and serenity during this tough time. I am also grateful that there are so many movies, YouTube videos and books now available to help people understand more clearly who they really are.
I also watched an excellent YouTube video Zoom conversation today that was recommended by my friend, Elaine Vogelstein, in California. It was an insightful discussion from the intellectual Christian/Catholic and Indigenous perspectives on how to respond to the time we are living through. It’s a good one. I especially resonanted with Andrew Harvey who talked about our global challenge as a “dark night of the soul,” similar to that experienced by an individual who goes through a dark period, only to come out the other side “new and improved” so to speak – more peaceful, happy, calm, aware.. all that. I have faith that this is what is happening. It’s physics. As above so below; as below so above.
And here is today’s flower. I was inspired by a hyacinth I saw while walking yesterday. Next time I’m out, I’m going to take a photo and see if I can capture it better. Kathy told me that I need to color the bee. So, I’ll do that.
I got the re-proofed copy of the book back yesterday. I haven’t looked at it. I think I’ll wait until I get home. I don’t want to deal with any challenges during these final fun days.