A day of rest

I've been working hard this week, not only on the appeal brief, but also to get ready to go out of town the week of Labor Day to Colorado.

So I planned today to take it easy.  I went to church after a little work in the yard.  Afterward, I was able to visit privately w Father Jim in his office.  That was very pleasant as I like the feeling of being at someone's home and being uninterrupted.  We talked about his upcoming retirement.  He wants to do 4 things:  golf, sailing, painting and supply ministry (Sundays only!).

Then I happened to see my friend Martin at the office.  I just went to get my computer for fun, not work.  I met his girlfriend Mari and it was a nice talk as well.  But hot outside.  Then I got home and have done some good cleaning and straightening.  No rush, but glad to have some extra time to do it.

Yoga tonight at 5:30.  This day is going fast.  That's what Father Jim will likely say about his retirement.

Appeal Brief shaping up

I have been working on my first appeal brief to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.  I would say I'm 85% done and plan on working Saturday and Monday and as much Tuesday as need to get it done.

I did receive the co-defendant's brief today so I have an example of what to do/what not to do.  It was good to see, but it really doesn't change my approach.

As David Cook says about the golf swing, it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you are completely confident that your way is the best for YOU.

Bodhi Yoga retreat 2018

August 1-6 was the Bodhi Yoga retreat in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  My friend Charles said "Aren't you worried about safety?" He then remarked that he was going to Jerusalem for vacation.  So he'd rather be in the West Bank than a Mexican resort.  Not I.

This is the second of 4 retreats that I have been on, the first one was in 2017.  I believe I am rising in seniority, like Camp La Junta, back in the 70s.  It's kind of like camp, with activities planned, lots of people the same age, common meals, water sports, healthy competition, and such.

I gained some good yoga practice knowledge of new poses e.g. pigeon, down dog, pyramid, and so forth.  I like the Yin practice as well.  Our teacher Kristi was there which was a very pleasant surprise.  Other teachers were Anna, Blake and Mel.    As usual, there's about an 80/20 ratio of women to men.  Maybe that will even out as time goes by.

Weather was great, food was plentiful and the hotel staff remembered me and my aura from last year.  So that was cool.  Susan and I had a great time and it was an ideal vacation for both of us.

Humility

This is a loaded word - whenever we talk about it, it about trying to prove what we have without showing how much we need it.

Sometime it means going with the flow.  Today its 103F, so you can't just go do anything you want outside.

Yesterday the car was broken in the morning and I was search for a rental car.  By 1 p.m. I was back driving my own car.  It magically got done.  I didn't really do much for that to happen.  But maybe I set it up and got out of the way.

Today, since it was so hot, I did what came naturally - napped in the afternoon.  The proverbial siesta.  Now, I'm writing away.  Energy comes in interesting spurts.

Tomorrow, I've got 2 days at work before leaving for the rest of the week.  I wonder what all will happen.  Maybe just a little, but that is OK.  It will be enough whatever it turns out to be.

July 26 and 27

I have a daily reflection book and it is always interesting to look at the various dates and find a specific thought.  For yesterday and today, it's been harder to do.  Perhaps its the dog days of summer, but the usual routine seems a bit disrupted.

Last night I was in South Padre Island.  Today I'm in San Antonio.  Right now I don't know the plan for Saturday but I am staying fluid.

As JR reminded me, "Next week you'll be on the beach".  Which is true.  So I'm just going to keep the forward motion.  Moving the ball down the field as the Skipper would say.

No telling what July 28 will bring.  Tonight is a full moon so maybe that has something to do with everything.

Summer Changes

I used to say that July 4, Independence Day, was my favorite holiday.  It usually involved a full day of being outside in the summer.  Plus there was also a 3 day weekend, which meant a lot of going out at night.

Now that I am older, I may reconsider that.  I'm at the Island this weekend and the day are extremely hot, bright sun and glare, I'm spending more time inside and not so interested in going out at night.  In fact, being inside is usually preferable.

Perhaps it is the hot Valley sun.  But maybe, things just change a bit as time goes by.

Can you believe that now I like the winters when the days are short?

Varicose Vein Surgery

I had my right leg varicose vein surgical procedure on July 5 and now, over 2 weeks later, the recovery is going well.  The main condition is that I wear compression socks to my knee to keep swelling/bruising down and to promote circulations.  I've been walking a lot and getting back to yoga.  I do have some sympathetic feelings in the top of my leg where the actual vein work was.

The procedure is to insert a tiny catheter at a point below the knee and then go up in the thigh to close off the diseased vein.  The disease causes blood to flow down and reflex and pool in the lower leg causing swelling and discomfort/pain.  This has gone on for years so it was not a whim to do.  Also the matter while it was probably exacerbated from exercise, was mainly heriditary. 

I anticipate that the recovery will be like an orthopedic recovery and take 6-9 months to fully heal.  But so far, so good.