Meditation

Yesterday I just plain forgot to write here. How can that be? I sometimes forget the silliest things like the last 4 digits of my social security number or my phone number. But I can remember my Amex card number and my very first phone number (186). Now, what I really, really want to remember to do is meditate. I'd like it to become a habit in my life. I know it would be good for me. I have a cousin in Oklahoma who has meditated for about 25 years. She had a tranquility about her that is remarkable given her life. Her parents chose to live near her in their dotage (ages about 87), and they don't seem to like her very much (and never have seemed to think of her as anything more than a servant to them and the 3 younger children). She's married to a guy she doesn't particularly like and her best friend is an alcoholic. She has reason to rage or get depressed or whatever. But she never does. She copes with things in a very straightforward way and credits it all to meditation. Rick has lots of little tzatkes all over his office. He said he just moves them around to remind himself to do things. We don't have stuff like that. So maybe I need to set an alarm! I don't know. Suggestions would be most welcome.

The visit with the siblings went amazingly well. No one brought up politics or religion. No one picked on anyone else. In fact, I was washing dishes Saturday night and I think it was the first time EVER that I did dishes in front of my sister and she didn't talk about how lazy I was when we were kids and how I'd try to get out of doing dishes. She's 68. It's time. I'm grateful.

H. definitely looked good -- not like someone with such a severe illness. I learned something from them. I'd been thinking that he (or maybe just his wife) was in denial but now I think that they are what positive thinking is really all about. They are living it, not just paying lip service to it. It was pretty impressive, and they don't even know they're doing anything. It's definitely Marianne. She's always impressed me with her wisdom -- never more so than now. And as long as I'm on the topic. Another friend who has been near death too many times and has had serious cancer was just pronounced in remission. This so wonderful that I have shivers writing and tears when I think of it. She is someone who lives so fully and grandly (is that a word?). I am so grateful that we will continue to have her around for a good long time. She went through hell to get here and deserves to have some fun now!