Happy Holidays

I won't be blogging for a few days. Around 4 or 5am Saturday morning before Christmas, I'll be heading down beautiful Interstate 5 from Seattle, through Oregon, and winding up in Redding in northern California, 9 hours later, depending on the weather, stereo alternating between blasting Earth, Wind, & Fire, some blues, and Ken Wilbers Kosmic Konciousness CD's. The forecast is for rain on that day, but I'll be carrying chains in case there's snow on the pass between Oregon and California. It's dead winter, here, and it's been a bit of bitch, so far.

My Dad, one of the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, turns 88 in January and is in the best of health considering, lives in Redding with his wife, whom he caretakes after her two mild strokes. I'll stay there until Christmas Day, and then continue 3 hours on down to Napa (the wine country) where my 84 year old mother, also in good health, lives. My sister and her partner are there also, as are dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles, and second and third cousins. I'll stay there until Weds and make the 12 hour drive back to Seattle.

I have an excellent relationship with my family, including my sister, who blurted out to our relatives at Thanksgiving dinner, "Gary's really out there." I wasn't present. The conversation immediately turned to religious cults, as my mother tells it, perturbed at my sister. Ah, perspectives......:)

On Friday before New Years, my very good friend Anyaa is coming out to spend New Year's here, and we'll get together with some other integralites for dinner, fireworks at the Space Needle (awesome!), and if we're lucky, some dancing. Anyaa is the transpersonal psychotherapist who facilitated the Shamanic Breathwork Process experience I wrote about on my blog. She'll be heading back to North Carolina, 2700+ miles away, on the the second.

During that week plus, I'll have sporadic access to the internet, reading copiously and drinking heavily (kidding...) to counter the net withdrawal I'll no doubt be be experiencing.....breathe.......

Everything will pretty much go back to its normal chaos after that. Hopefully, I'll be re-energized and ready to happily submit to the wondrous chaos that is my life once more.

Happy Holidays (and Merry Christmas) to you all