Euphoric Landing
My first week sans fulltime job was all about clearing away
the old stuff. It began with a colonoscopy, effectively clearing five years of
crap and, dang it, six polyps. I hope some diet adjustments will result in a
better record when I have my next colonoscopy three years hence. Relieved of
these undesirable parts in my “tortuous” colon, I spent the rest of the week weeding
my long-neglected garden. One result was transforming a “dead” area into an
herb garden.
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| Who cares if there's a water pipe? Work around it. |
Despite the colonoscopy, I was euphoric. It felt as though I
were living in a dream world where even though my hands and knees were in the
dirt, I could not get my head out of the clouds. While still in a celebration mode I marked the end of the first week with two special friends at, of course,
an Italian restaurant.
By the second week I had moved my cleaning frenzy indoors
where I cleaned every room of the house – washing curtains, floors,
refrigerator, and windows. The dust flew! A special friend from Central Oregon
joined me for the “official” celebration of my retirement from the university followed
by attending a meeting about participating in an art show at Sweet Earth winery. We concluded the day with another special dinner, this time Mediterranean.
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| Poster for art show at Sweet Earth Vineyards. Mine is the upper left image. |
I was still a bit euphoric, but was beginning to come down
to earth. I accelerated this by doing a Tarot Chakra Cleanse and by
joining the Downtown Athletic Club where I can do yoga every day if I want to.
By the third week I was truly ready for some grounding. I
did a variety of yoga classes, wrote my June blog, and began reorganizing the
art studio. As I cleared debris from preparing for the self-portrait show, I
began uncovering several art pieces I’d begun a long time ago. I had fun
playing with some unserious art making.
Spinning in a Cyclotron
I had arranged with a former neighbor to audit her beginning
Italian class at the university this summer. In spite of hesitations about
being in my seat by 8:00 AM five mornings for each of four weeks, I went to the
first class on June 23 with high expectations and no preparation. What a shock!
Summer classes cover in four weeks what normally is covered in ten weeks.
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| All my molecules were spinning at rapid speed. |
Whereas I had anticipated taking the class in the morning and then spending my afternoons in the studio, it became quickly clear that was not going to happen. This was a first-class language immersion program. We had our first oral and written exams on the fifth day of class. It was the second week of classes before I had figured out how to access and do the online homework. By then I had realized that I either had to devote full time to the class or drop out. Having invested in the materials and being deeply committed to being conversant by the time I land in Assisi in October, I dove in headfirst.
I created flashcards that I could use while waiting for and riding the bus. But something had to be done about my terrible Italian pronunciation! The first glimmer of hope came when a friend suggested that the local library would probably have some audio programs that would allow me to hear the language as spoken by Italians. A quick trip to the library resulted in my acquisition of Pimsleur’s 8 session audio short course. Drill, drill drill - repeat, repeat, repeat. My pronunciation improved almost immediately!
I created flashcards that I could use while waiting for and riding the bus. But something had to be done about my terrible Italian pronunciation! The first glimmer of hope came when a friend suggested that the local library would probably have some audio programs that would allow me to hear the language as spoken by Italians. A quick trip to the library resulted in my acquisition of Pimsleur’s 8 session audio short course. Drill, drill drill - repeat, repeat, repeat. My pronunciation improved almost immediately!
Through intense concentration, meaning that except for yoga
I put everything from housecleaning to studio time on hold, I made it through
the four weeks and ended triumphantly with a B+. During my final oral exam my
language teacher remarked that I had “in four weeks learned to carry on a
conversation in Italian.” I think that’s a gross exaggeration. But through
continuing to work with duolingo online and doing the full Pimsleur Italian
program, I sincerely hope to live up to her statement by the time I arrive in
Assisi in October.
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| Everything was moving toward a fundamental change. |
Not in Kansas Anymore
When I stepped out of the cyclotron, I discovered an
unanticipated benefit of the “4-week total language immersion.” Suddenly,
everything was new. Any lingering thoughts or attachments to my previous work
life had been swept away. I was completely grounded and ready to take the first tenuous steps of my new life.
With the help of my computer whiz friend, we updated my
website, adding a “Recent Work” section and a connection to my blog on Blogspot. Hopefully
we will soon add an “Upcoming Events” section. It was awesome to get back into
the studio and begin preparing for two weeks with my art mentor in the last
half of August. While in Ventura, I intend to continue working on the
Southeast Asia alcove of Eve’s Imprint.
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| I will wear a cloak of sun-drenched autumn leaves. |
How did or how are you experiencing change and
transformation in your own life?
Photo & artwork by LiDoña Wagner
Sweet Earth Poster by Jenny Gray
Photo & artwork by LiDoña Wagner
Sweet Earth Poster by Jenny Gray
