The last few days have been rich, meeting with friends. Uncharacteristically, I had breakfast out two days in a row, pancakes. In the first case, it was, actually, one pancake, about the size of a dinner plate and about an inch thick. On day two at a different restaurant, two traditional-sized pancakes, and more to my liking. (I know I rarely foray into talking about food, but I seem to have entered a new "zone" so don't assume anything!)
And a delight to see my friends, visit a few special spots like the Rose Garden, and to remind myself that either I won't be seeing them again for a while, or potentially forever. It is hard -- all my moves and transitions have been. I try to be nonchalant, but I'm not. Yet everyone knows me pretty well, in the sense that there were a few jokes about seeing me soon (!) And truly, I don't know what I will learn over the next few weeks, and what direction it will send me. All I know is that I crave a community/presence of at least a few people who are Goddess-centered...not in terms of ritual or studying historical Goddess figures, but literally in terms of trying to live out being "a Goddess" in these remarkable times.
As of this moment, I won't miss Duluth, the city, although the location on Lake Superior will remain in my system forever. Depending on how it all turns out, I may well miss its relative convenience...easy-ish access to much of the city by bus. But I have several times recently resonated with the word "completion", and that's how it feels. I had not really completed my Duluth phase back in 1999, when I hurriedly went back east to help care for my mom when she was dying. When I returned here in 2018, I think I moved through the completion process pretty quickly, but COVID changed everything, as it did for everyone. I am thankful for my relative safety during that time, and the three years since, when I was able to really re-birth.
So, for the next few days, I will go through the "thises and thats" of my belongings (one consequence of this way of life is regularly giving away many things that are too heavy to carry!) When I get depressed about going through this again, I remind myself that millions of people around the world are doing the same thing as I speak -- if their possessions have not been burned or flooded out or blown away in the wind. I don't own much, but I'm privileged to own a few treasured items, and I hope I can continue to hang onto them.
Starting next Tuesday, I'm not sure what my computer access will be, but I hope to check in once more before then. Until then, a blessed fall equinox to you, and enjoy the beautiful late afternoon light.
