Its happening again.

in response to Phreelosophy's comment on Practice

*bows deep*
only a truly enlightened being could see how awesome i am (without wearing a Mindfold)

But for the real practice, it fell into me more than I into it. This recent trend certainly grew deep roots in the bloody mess of my broken heart - my ex-wife suggested taking a class again when I called her crying one morning during our Separating. As it turns out heartblood spilt is a verdant compost for growing Qi. The moment I tasted it I was home.

So when I was on the road without a space of my own and needed a way to center that did not involve possessions, a routine (such as shower or shave because those were not always available) or a bedroom, etc. this found its place in my mo(u)rning.

Of course, I have been fostering an image of non-conformity for years so doing weird spirit-summoning gestations or whatever it might look like to the uninformed only really helps to paint a picture of my's elf that keeps me malleable within others' eyeballs. So there's no hesitation on how i am perceived that might get in the way of a practice.
And verily, I say unto you, when you are doing crazy headstands because you have put a year of Chi into your centre, well, the practice suddenly becomes real.

But even that is not the payoff. The real thing that keeps me motivated to do this every day is the more in my body I am. Now as I connect that subtle movement to a sitting, breathing meditation...the mind and the body are aligning that the soul may more fully incarnate.

The short list

Things that I could do without in Ecuador:
* Cheese, I love thee, but ye loveth me not here.
* Kissyface greetings. Especially the taking-leavings where I am not as able to slip away unnoticed without brushing cheeks and making puckering smoochy sounds.
* Smoking in most every establishment
* Walking around at rush hour, there are no emission regulations, on vehicles, as discernible by me.
* Haggling is the closest approximation to the opposite of my methodology I have yet experienced.
* Overrun of dogs and consequent lack of cats. El Capitan tells me the dog population has decreased dramatically and he misses that (Dogs they rule the night). But to me there are still too many; they just wander the street which so far is interesting, but i'd trade it for cats.



Things I hold in the highest:
* Fresh juice, everywhere all the time. This is heaven for what was an Odwalla-for-breakfast (at lunchtime) drinker.
* Plates of the day. Since I can't really understand Spanish at talking speed, I usually view ordering Almuerzos (lunch) or Meriendas (dinner) where you get a soup, juice, plate of rice, meat and veggies/beans and a desert for less than $2 as a gamble and sometimes i lose but its fun with chance!
* Not getting carded for anything! Finally I appear old enough.
* The climate right now is perfect warmish in the days then cooling at night.

Living Routines

So for over 7 months I have been on the road now. In that time I have spent a great deal of time in a variety of living situations and been immersed in others lives for days or weeks, sharing space, weaving around others routines, being as unobtrusive as I can into others hospitality, etc.

For the last three or four months no one has been closer to my humanness than Sleg. A major reason that such a relationship has worked is because our routines and lifestyles are so very well matched that we are close to ideal partners in, well, whatever we partner up for, living included. In fact we knew this early on when we were the first duo in history to run for, and lose, Co-Class President of the senior class of our high school. Its not just anyone you can live in an abandoned truck stop with.


On that note, El Capitan and I had a heart-to-heart in the Magic Bean, a Western culture catered-to-steraunt, about our living styles, communication processes and the foundational assumptions that shape our understandings of what the other says or does (anything from body language to full-blown activities that confuse the tenuous grasp on reality either of us has at any given moment), methods of encountering a variety of sticky situations


Variety of sticky situations:
Traffic
Avoiding accostment in the street
Purchase of items not sold in stores

Another element of this mix is that he has spent most of the last few years living alone, while I was married then Slegged. One element of this is that sometimes El Capitan talks to himself and I assume he is speaking to me – eaves-dropping is applied retroactively once he verifies he was talking to himself.

The altitude has not affected me with nausea and headaches but it has dried out my sinuses which was good when I first arrived with a clog in that area, but now my nasal system is very dry and a touch raw. I am drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water, often fortified with fizzy vitamins, per day but still feel dried out.

The sun is as bright here as on ski slopes or in the desert. When it comes out you squint or shade your eyes. I am listening to a couple of podcasts on learning Spanish, each are 10 or 15 minute blocks and are a good way to shake the dust off my unused decade old study of the language. I am guessing we will stay here a few more days at least while I get comfortable with the speed of life, conversation and driving before venturing off the beaten path. I am already looking forward to trying to find some whitewater rafting. I am also wondering why I didn’t bring my hiking boots. I was trying to pack light, but that might have been going too far.

I am traveling with an REI bag set. And let me take a minute to tell great story about REI and why you too should shop there. I shopped for two hours trying out every bag in the size range I was looking for, for my car-living days. Bought one. Enjoyed it thoroughly but it revealed itself as too small. Took it back after 6 months of use, and believe you me it wasn’t in resalable condition, sans receipt or even my membership card and got a complete refund which I put towards this bag [link, nope i looked forever for this link and its not around]. I am curious to see if it is too large for taking with me everywhere or whether I will leave it here at the Harley Hostel with Pablo who is an adopted father of El Capitan, or whether I will take it on our travels around the rest of Ecuador (and wish I hadn’t).