Day 383: Lovely, Loving Feast

I'm blown away, grateful, humbled, happy, moved and a tiny bit bereft all rolled into one great long sausage and put in the oven to bake.

Nicolò enriched me with his company all weekend. That's not a figure of speech. I feel enriched and nourished and blessed. We had such a lovely time, from our Friday Italian cheese and polenta feast to bus rides (at the front), to walks and visits and playing and singing, music therapy, meditation, talking, talking, talking and so much more. Some not-doing too. 

What a joy it was, too, to have a reunion with the London TTC crew, Cat, Fiona and Neil. All of us went to a yoga class at the Sivananda Centre in Putney, then satsang and then dinner. Satsang was led by a swami who made himself laugh just like Swami Sivadasananda does, and who spoke with warmth and humour and playful goodness. Oh, how I've missed singing kirtans! How I've missed sitting and singing and clapping and sharing space and energy with people who love that too. I had no idea, two months ago, that this is how I'd feel. And how rich it was to spend time with these four, talking about how things have been since we all got back and how our experience has changed us. It can't not change you, that. You open up all sorts of parts of yourself. You make new bits too, or maybe you just notice them. Things change. It's good to talk to others who are experiencing the same. I've been very lucky since I got back (thank you, Lilley, thank you, Daniel) in that so many of the people I've had the pleasure of have shared this or something similar. It's helped. More than I could have anticipated.

I'm so grateful to Ruth, for welcoming us and having us in her home, and later allowing us to be here even when she had to be somewhere else. 

I have so many thoughts and emotions flowing through me at the moment, I'm not quite sure where to put myself. I think a meditation is called for and a little bit of breathing to help me digest this wonderful feast that I've just taken in.