8th anniversay

this sunflower, came along, all on its own. one of many, many gifts


Well
well:

it's been a sweet ride

on the night of
September 21, 2000,
when I was sleeping outdoors
in the large garden of a house where I was renting
a couple of rooms
(this luxury, sleeping outside
in the fresh air and under the ceiling a billion
miles high, having been a requirement of mine
before I would rent the rooms,
and yes, there was indoor sleeping for the
harsher times of year,
but september, ah September, I was out
in the garden not yet asleep)

and a sweet friend came
by
to slip under the covers with me,

her name:
Marlie Wesner

and the night was nice

and very much of the next eight years has been nice.

she loves herself more
and me too

she is far better at yoga
and so am I

I have learned a whole new world,
the Feldenkrais, Anat Baniel world
She has far deepened her abilities to
teach yoga as a spiritual practice as well as
a physical thing

we've had tons of fun,
gone to Big Sur, and Malibu,
and ridden our bikes together a million miles
and worked in the community garden,
so beautiful when we were both there,
with little water,
and now, alas,
it's a bit sad

we've had many a sweet meal
and now,
eating outside
and we've created our own beautiful gardens

we listen,
sometimes,
sometimes in a structure I recommend to
everyone:
one talks for five minutes,
the other listens,
no interruption,
no comments
the next talks for five,
no comments on the first
and paying loving attention
to both the person as speaker in the present
and the person as listener in the present

the present
of real listening

sometimes we did the Work of
Byron Katie together
sometimes we didn't
and if I think
"Marlie should have done the work of Byron Katie more,"
guess what?
That's my work, not hers.

we were loving and supportive
we were critical and undermining

we did things together

some of us,
me,
wanted more to do together,
a building of an amazing combination
of yoga and Feldenkrais

some of us,
her,
wanted to be left alone
to their own path

some of us,
her,
wanted some of us,
me,
to behave in a more "fit in with the crowd"
way
and some of us,
me,
declined that path

we had and have our disagreements

we had and have our love

and now,
moving toward parting on the first of February,
we have our love and our learning
and not a little trepidation:
what is going to happen

and a lot of excitement:
what is going to happen

and a lot of love:
I want it to be good
for you,
sweetheart,
I want it to be good for you

and gratitude:
thanks,
darling,
for eight sweet and amazing
years

ciao,
and
love,
Chris