skeptomai

Tired, oh so tired

It's 6:30 a.m. and Jake just got me out of bed to play with his new airplane. My fault I guess for buying it... I'm home since about 8 a.m. yesterday, and I went to work yesterday afternoon. I can't shake that slightly dazed feeling and I'm looking forward to the weekend for more rest & relaxation.

I took some pictures in Bella's schoolyard. She gets amazingly filthy when she plays, which I take to be a good sign. Susan laughed and said she was the same at Bella's age.

Jake's 3rd birthday is Sunday and we've rented a place called "The Barnyard" which is one of the kids' favorite hangouts. It'll be fun, but again no catching up on sleep.
I'm weak and bought the kids lots of presents during my trip. I've hidden most of them away for Christmas. Each time I go back to the U.S., I pick up a few small things, so I have quite the stock now :)

Sunday Brunch in Fremont

Had a great visit today with friends old and new. Every time I return to visit, I'm overwhelmed by the warmth of the people I know here. I'm not sure where the next few years will take me and my family, but I'm sure we'll come back here often.

It's unfortunate these trips home are so short, with this one shorter than usual. I never get a chance to see half the people I'd like and I only see the rest half as long as I should (did that make sense? :)). I feel brutally pummeled by time and have no idea when I'll catch up on sleep, but I don't care.

As Warren Zevon said I'll sleep when I'm dead

Impermanence and Loss

Seattle, Nov 13.

Long story, long trip, but first back up to some recent events in our lives. Susan has made friends with a group of American ex-pat wives in Cape Town, one of whom is married to the Newsweek bureau chief for Africa. They were due to be posted back to Manhattan soon and he was there, setting up the move and playing in a Jazz club. He was victim there of a freak car accident, and died of his injuries.

Here's a link with details about Tom Masland

I've been doing a bit of reading lately on the Buddhist ideas of impermanence and of attachment and this put so much in perspective for me (ironically just before my trip back to the States). Anyone of us could be gone tomorrow. Take stock each day of your attitudes, relationships and the emotional nature of your attachment. Would you be ready to go? How would you deal with the loss of someone close? I don't mean to be morbid, but in a healthy sense, each day should include some consideration of this. Did I injure anyone today? Did I lessen someone's suffering? Did I take a step on or off the path?