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I just got back from the Indigo Girls concert I went to with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
capitola. Fortunately she had the good sense to suggest that we upgrade from lawn seats to house seats, because there was quite the thunderstorm during the concert. Which rocked, as usual. And made me miss Smith...
On Sunday I went to the William Penn House's potluck/lecture. It was a panel on how major illness can affect one's spirituality. It was the first time I'd heard Byron really talk about his Parkinson's. He does such a good job of being a person who just happens to have Parkinson's, instead of letting it become his identity, that in the years I've known him I've never stopped to consider how big a deal it is. Then I wanted to cry when Brad talked about turning forty, which everyone always thinks is so horrible: he partied, because he was supposed to be eight years dead. He talked about how he owed it to all his friends who died of AIDS to make their lives meaningful, by reaching out to evangelicals on gblt stuff. Susan and Sarah talked about their lives with cancer, and keeping spirituality through that, and the role of community. I knew when I lived with these people that they were awesome, strong, deep people, but somehow I never heard these stories. It was pretty amazing.
I mentioned at dinner that I'll be in the Lake District this August, and several people remarked to me, "Oh! 1652 country! How nice to go back to your roots!" They were a bit put out when I said that instead of making the Quaker pilgrimage to Where It All Started (complete with tremors and voices, and let's not talk about how this entire religion may have been founded on hallucinogenic mold), I was going to 1652 country to hang out with a bunch of Buddhists and get a Tantric empowerment. The Quakers have not yet completely accepted that I'm seeing other religions. Of course, the Buddhists are a bit put off that I won't become an official member because I'm still seeing the Quakers, so.
I can't turn my back on the Quakers. I haven't been a member since I turned 18, but I've worked for several Quaker institutions, I've gone to Meeting for most of my life, I've never not had a Quaker support structure backing me up. It's just Buddhism is meeting my spiritual needs better just now. And nobody would ever say out loud that I can't pursue both, it's just they don't understand why I might need to. Uncomfortableness.
So now I guess I'm going to need to go find and climb the original Pendle Hill once the Buddhist festival is over. Nine days of dharma, then a Quaker history hike. This is not altogether sounding like a vacation? Not sure what I'm going to do in the Lake District while I'm winding down from the festival. I just know it would be a bad idea to go straight home without a buffer time. Festival is going to kick my butt, I'm sure. I've only been to one before, and it was three days.
capitola. Fortunately she had the good sense to suggest that we upgrade from lawn seats to house seats, because there was quite the thunderstorm during the concert. Which rocked, as usual. And made me miss Smith...On Sunday I went to the William Penn House's potluck/lecture. It was a panel on how major illness can affect one's spirituality. It was the first time I'd heard Byron really talk about his Parkinson's. He does such a good job of being a person who just happens to have Parkinson's, instead of letting it become his identity, that in the years I've known him I've never stopped to consider how big a deal it is. Then I wanted to cry when Brad talked about turning forty, which everyone always thinks is so horrible: he partied, because he was supposed to be eight years dead. He talked about how he owed it to all his friends who died of AIDS to make their lives meaningful, by reaching out to evangelicals on gblt stuff. Susan and Sarah talked about their lives with cancer, and keeping spirituality through that, and the role of community. I knew when I lived with these people that they were awesome, strong, deep people, but somehow I never heard these stories. It was pretty amazing.
I mentioned at dinner that I'll be in the Lake District this August, and several people remarked to me, "Oh! 1652 country! How nice to go back to your roots!" They were a bit put out when I said that instead of making the Quaker pilgrimage to Where It All Started (complete with tremors and voices, and let's not talk about how this entire religion may have been founded on hallucinogenic mold), I was going to 1652 country to hang out with a bunch of Buddhists and get a Tantric empowerment. The Quakers have not yet completely accepted that I'm seeing other religions. Of course, the Buddhists are a bit put off that I won't become an official member because I'm still seeing the Quakers, so.
I can't turn my back on the Quakers. I haven't been a member since I turned 18, but I've worked for several Quaker institutions, I've gone to Meeting for most of my life, I've never not had a Quaker support structure backing me up. It's just Buddhism is meeting my spiritual needs better just now. And nobody would ever say out loud that I can't pursue both, it's just they don't understand why I might need to. Uncomfortableness.
So now I guess I'm going to need to go find and climb the original Pendle Hill once the Buddhist festival is over. Nine days of dharma, then a Quaker history hike. This is not altogether sounding like a vacation? Not sure what I'm going to do in the Lake District while I'm winding down from the festival. I just know it would be a bad idea to go straight home without a buffer time. Festival is going to kick my butt, I'm sure. I've only been to one before, and it was three days.
