And No Fear

Yesterday Claire and I went to a quiet spot along the river to cool off. She was restless in anticipation of her trip to California. We needed to get out of the house.


"It feels like forever," she said.
"It feels like too fast,"I said.


We floated around, sliding over smooth rocks just below the surface. 





We left the house @ 6:45 this morning to get to Newark Airport with plenty of time to spare. Claire packed very light, I still have empty space in here, using her Grandmother Dorothy's well-traveled suitcase.

"That bag's been around, Claire. London, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Venice..."

"That sounds good," she said.

Miraculously, Lois, the woman at the check-in for un-accompanied minors allowed both Michael and I to take Claire to the gate. Usually, it's one parent only. 

I kept thinking, wasn't I just breast-feeding this kid?

Okay, so that's weird and Claire would be mortified, but now I'm sending her on a plane, solo, three thousand miles across the...

The lady's voice came over the loudspeaker, calling for boarding to begin. The crowd swelled. A quick hug and then Claire followed a man in a blue shirt who worked for the airlines down the ramp. She turned around twice, waved, then scurried behind him with Grandma Dorothy's bag in tow. 

I felt a sob come up but told myself, no. 

Michael and I stayed until the plane was out of sight, then walked away from the gate passing this Meditation Room which I almost ducked into for a quick breather, prayer, moment of silence.

I know this. 

We all gotta fly. 

And the thing is to keep on flying, 

coming home to rest and nest, then fly some more. 
The thing is to spread your wings. 
You don't need a plane for that.
But I have a feeling this will be the first of many trips to the airport with Claire. 
She's got the bug, an adventurous spirit.
And no fear. 


"It's kinda weird, Mom, but I don't feel nervous at all."
"Gosh, Claire, that sounds so wonderful. Can I have some of that?"

postscript: 


4:00 pm EST.


The eagle has landed...


yahoo!!!!

In Memory

In memory of my mother.

Dorothy Southam Jackson

July 7, 1926 - December 19, 2001

...I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. I want this adventure that is the context of my life to go on without end."


- Simone de Beauvoir

Uniquely Yours

TRY: Seeing your life this very day as a journey and as an adventure. Where are you going? What are you seeking? Where are you now? What stage of the journey have you come to? If your life were a book, what would you call it today? What would you entitle the chapter you are in right now? Are you stuck here in certain ways? Can you be fully open to all of the energies at your disposal at this point? Note that this journey is uniquely yours, no one else's. So the path has to be your own.


- from *Wherever You Go, There You Are 


Here's the Tuesday offering...take a few minutes and try sitting with just one question. See what bubbles up. You might be surprised. I've been getting my ass kicked lately, thinking I know where I'm going, then something spins me around, and I land, freshly facing myself. Again? Yup. You gotta love it...


This Being Alive-ness.


[I know I love you; turkeys, clowns, yellow smiley-faced, shiny, open-hearted people!!!! Tuesday shout-out to the newest members of our tribe! We're heading towards 100! Sail on!] 


xo b


*written by Jon Kabat-Zinn