Eve of the Solstice.

I woke up this morning at 4 am and I'm waiting to doze off on the couch at any moment.  I feel fully lucid and there is no "buzz" in my head.  Suze is home with me as she has a paid day off from her job.  While she prepared egg and turkey sausage omlettes, I ensconced myself in my office.  With all the lights out except for the Galaxy Core star projector, I sat cross legged on my Cosmic Carpet and played the digital guru on my phone.  I closed my eyes.  The only light I could see from my closed eyes  was the faint  change of color from red to green to blue to purple in a slow cycle.

The instructor said the exercise if the day was the giving of love and expecting nothing in return.  We began with those we loved closely.  The mantra was, "May you be whole, may you be healthy, may you be happy."  

I thought of my beloved Susan.  I smile instinctively appeared on my face.  My arms and hands, which were slack for meditation, wrapped around my chest as though I was giving Suze a big, warm hug.  It was as if she was in the room with me.  I only realized I was not leaving my arms and shoulders slack.  It didn't matter.  I felt more comfortable this way.

Then the instructor asked me to think of a good friend who was doing well for himself,  and recite the mantra, "May you be whole, may you be healthy, may you be happy."  My smile broadened.  I though of Arnie, my good friend who moved down to Florida.  He was a reiki massage practitioner.  He also led groups in laughter yoga.  Among other activities he served was producing a YouTube channel titled The Backyard Coach.  As the host of the channel, he interviewed meditation instructors, ministers and rabbis.  The episodes were captivating.  He also hosted a spoken word group cled MicDrop, where people recovering from numerous traumas could write a spoken word piece and share it to a live audience.

Arnie is giving, creative, and selfless.  He deserved a hug through time and space.  So I gave him one.  "May you be whole, may you be healthy, may you be happy."

The instructor then asked me to turn my focus to someone who wasn't doing well and give them the mantra.  I knew who to share it with immediately:  Gail.

Gail and I attended a screenwriting class together.  We read each other's scripts and critiqued then constructively.  We became good friends over time.

But her employment situation wasn't doing well at the time.  She put a brave front, but I knew she was suffering.  I would entertain her by emailing comedy skits to cheer her up, and she always appreciated them.  So to her I gave her the gift of my love and encouragement.  Again a hug through space and time.

May you be whole.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

I plan to reach out to her today of all days.  It is winter.  The days are short.  The weather is getting colder.  She is truly in need of warmth and love.

The meditation came to an end.  I opened my eyes slowly and beheld my star speckled room that was crowned with a crescent moon.  I moved around it slowly, savoring the atmosphere I had created.  I stood up and played my favorite Marlene Dietrich song,  "Wenn Ich Mir Was Wünschen Dürfte."

I felt I should share a gift of writing to my friends, so I wrote a comedy skit where Inanna, Ereshkigal and Ninshubar fumble their way through Christmas Carols.  I named it "Inanna -  Deck the Halls!" and posted it on this very blog page as well as Facebook.  If anyone accepts the gift, that's great.  If they do not, that is fine as well.  As The Police once sang, "I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle."

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to all who read this and all that do not.

- JJB