2017 Life Logs, Day 339: Puerto Rico Up-date
Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Weather: Overcast with Afternoon Rain, Windy; High Temp 56, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
The only news in my life today was that I went to Tai Chi with friend Olga Mitchell. I had never been before and quickly found out that learning Tai Chi is very disciplined. Today I was allowed to do the warm-up exercises, but new people were sent out in the hall with a teacher while the experienced group did their first ‘set’. If I understood this right, a set has 64 moves. In the hall, myself and other newbies practiced the first move. I went with Olga out of curiosity and am not sure that this will be something I am going to add to my life. But I will research and consider it. After Tai Chi, I headed off-Cape to do some Christmas shopping and to go to Costco and Home Depot. I could have gone to Hyannis for Home Depot, but I needed things from Costco and there is a Home Depot next door. I now have the food items I needed and a grow light for the potted plants I brought inside from deck.
I have been getting inquiries from friends asking how Justin and family are doing in Puerto Rico. Things are definitely continuing to improve, but I am going to let my daughter-in-law Jo tell you about it. I am copying here her post from Facebook last Friday, December 1.
“Two nights ago two very incredibly hard working humans began working on the broken electricity line from our property to the main road, which has had power back for a solid week now. At 2am.
2am!
Justin went up the hill and said hi, they told him that in two hours we should have electricity back.
Cue deep sleep.
The next morning – flick breakers on – and boom! Voila! Hey presto! Holy McCowboy! We have LIGHT!
We humans are light beings, we all generate our own light, we Handley Hunts are natural humans, we were doing just fine without. But it has been so long, and – oh! – electrification really IS pretty amazing.
This weekend, for instance, Justin and I will be able to fire up the sound system and make our own tunes – LOUD and PROUD. He can use that new guitar pedal that he got for his birthday on September 14th and only got to use ONCE before Maria devoured our normal.
So, yeah, we are back to fully utilitized(!?!) – at least until we fully solarize – and it really does feel very wonderful. I have done load after load of laundry, and using the oven feels like such a treat. And as for having a FRIDGE – ladadaaaaa! So amazing.
These past 9 weeks, or whatever it is, have been incredible and I will forever be grateful for this time. Maybe that sounds a little odd – and certainly I am in a position from which it is easier to make a statement like this. But, yes, I am so grateful for the lessons and the growth, the love, the sharing, the journey through fear, the wisdom and insights shown to me by my children directly and by going through this process consciously with them.
I am grateful to this LAND that held us and protected us and provided us with yet more reason to STAY and dig deep deep roots and hold on. This land that nurtures and nourishes us, and that has regrown and flourished about us, and invited us along with her.
Grateful for this shout from the creator. This unignorable demand that we slow down, slow waaaaay the flooff down, work hard, hold onto each other, plant, make, listen, share, love.
Grateful for this ISLA. Her soul. Her people. Her lush, living greenness that just HAS to grow, is compelled to renew, to regenerate, and produce fruit, and life and shade.
Grateful for our FRIENDS and our FAMILY who poured out support, love and donations of food, much needed items and resources at our most needy hour to date. And whose donations we are still sharing and distributing and using to regrow and help others renew their lives, one offering at a time.
What an incredible journey life is. Sometimes all the feelings can be just overwhelming, uncertainty and fear can threaten to defeat us, and the sweet pain of loving can feel almost too much to bear. Yet we rise and we grow and we choose love and we trip and fall and get up again. We move through our sense of separation into something that feels right. And we forgive ourselves.
Glad I got to incarnate. Thanks to my parents for fancying each other, and thankful for each day I get to breathe life.
Love and blessings to ALL, from my home to yours ? ?? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?”
Note: I talked to Justin late this afternoon and found out the electricity went off this afternoon. Hopefully that is temporary. We are still waiting for the solar system to be installed . . . promised no later than December 19.
