I am generally a pretty healthy guy, but I wasn't surprised to feel a bit of a tickle in my throat on Friday night which progressed to a sore throat I couldn't ignore on Saturday morning. I had been working hard with little sleep since the first of six festivals back in June, left for Peru four days after getting home from the last one over Labor Day weekend, launched into back to back meetings upon arriving in Iquitos after long flights and layovers and then stayed up late preparing reports and posts for Amazon Ecology's participation in the Little by Little campaign on GlobalGiving.
While my spirit was strong, my body finally told me ENOUGH! I attended my Saturday morning yoga class virtually, but it took all of the energy I could muster just to sit still and upright, focus on the voice of my teacher, and try to just observe the soreness in my throat without it distracting me from the meditation. I largely failed and got up part way through to make some tea which was soothing. I took a rapid COVID test and was relieved it was negative. The common cold is still around.
After doing yesterday's post, I vowed that I would not do nor try to think about anything related to work.
I did largely succeed in this realm by eating a few simple meals, listening to a full hour of Nina Rai's rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa, watching numerous episodes of Breaking Bad, and resting with the cozy company of our house's three cats Juno, Spike and Abby. While Juno has been the most common visitor to my room where she parks herself on (or sometimes in) my clothes bin, Abby had been scarce until yesterday when she cuddled up next to me with firm requests to have her head rubbed a certain way. When her kneading claws got close to sensitive skin, I resettled her between my feet at the foot of the bed in front of a fan cooling us from the Amazon summer.
I woke up this morning feeling better but still wanting another day of rest before resuming work tomorrow. If I'm feeling up to it, I will join my Quaker (Friends) Meeting for Worship online and get back to studying a bit of Thai in preparation for my trip there at the end of the year. I normally listen to the ThaiPod101 lessons at home walking Ziggy.
"While concepts like punctuality, mutual respect, no put downs of self or others, and listening when someone else is speaking may seem like obvious guidelines to form a positive community, a commitment to actually practice and hold each other accountable to observe these agreements is profound in a culture where showing up late, malicious gossip, and interrupting a speaker are painfully common."
"Artisan facilitators should of course share what they know, but beginning and experienced artisans all benefit by remaining humble, enthusiastic about learning, and committed to encourage and affirm their fellow artisans. So many artisans said that the thing they most wanted to bring back to their communities was this spirit of working in a mutually supportive environment."
"Both men and women wore garb made with bleached llanchama tree bark painted with graphic figures from Bora clans. Several wore headdresses made with the feathers from macaws and parrots. They discussed the importance of nature and craft-making in their culture and then launched into a lively dance where the men chanted and pounded sticks into the ground to the rhythm of moving around in a circle. Visitors joined the undulating lines to share the vibrant energy."
