Greetings from the Land of Enchantment

Shivaratri in Seattle

Well, I've been back for a week and haven't had time or inclination to update this journal. I got sick for a couple of days, which didn't help me catch up on things at work. Oh well. I would have to say my trip was mixed. Going home is always tricky, whether it's home to your family, or as I found, home to your friends. You don't get to see as many people as you'd like to --or for as long as you'd like. You're exhausted. And you eat too much. These are the down sides of the journey home. The up side was that I got to find out who my good friends really are, which is always interesting if you can let your mind open up to new things.

I was met at the airport by two good friends--Kathleen and Carol--we had been quite the threesome over the years and it was great to see them still in perfect form! We lunched; we bantered; we laughed. Then it was a leisurely walk downtown to meet my friend Kathy for the traditional Friday matinee movie. This was a routine of ours which was quite nice to re-enact. I won't submit my movie review here, but suffice to say, The Matador, was the perfect entre to my weekend.

We then went for crepes at one of my favorite joints in Seattle: 611 Supreme. Yum. And the coffee is to die for.

Then off to visit friends and settle in for the night. The next day began with a meeting and more coffee! My eye was twitching all weekend! I'm out of the habit. Then off to the new Olympus Spa in Lynnwood. Lovely and amazing. (No, not the movie.) I got a moisturizing treatment that felt like a dream and my skin was like velvet for days! I lounged with friends and ate at the Korean cafe. A delightful way to spend a cold day in Seattle. Then a stop by my favorite merchants to say hello--Travelers--and was invited to participate in the Mahashivaratri events that evening. It made for a VERY long day, but it was worth it to stay up and chant and sing with old friends and make some new ones.

Sunday started with breakfast at Glo's--yummy yummy biscuits and vegan gravy! and a ribald tale of Iain's debauchery the night before. I do not envy the hair on that dog! He recovered well and the day was spent lounging and visiting. One of the main reasons for my trip was to see Roxanne since she got herself knocked up (smile) and it was great to lay around talking about Junior Mint (their pet name for the baby and my favorite candy) and their plans. We topped it off with pizza in Wallingford and sooner than I knew it--the trip was almost over.

Monday morning was spent getting my 6-year sobriety coin and catching up with my friend Sahaj. What a sweetheart! We had tea and talk and then ran some errands (had to get my cats their favorite toy, which they don't seem to carry here in NM, that got some looks getting on the plane, let me tell you) and finally finished off the trip at my favorite deli in the ID--$1.50 sandwiches and taro bubble tea! Fabulous!

So, Seattle, my long-time friend and foe, I have to say I miss three things: walking about, food, and a few familiar faces. But beyond that, which is a lot, I was happy to be settled into my seat and headed back to the Southwest (on Southwest!).

posted by Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa @ 2:34 PM