Friday, January 4, 2019

Went to the Cherry center in the dark to set up for 7am morning sitting.  Turned heater on and it cranked out a bit of heat for an hour until we left.   We sat, we chanted, we cleaned up.  The gallery was cluttered with the leftovers from a party the night before.  I set up the altar and chairs around the room avoiding the ladder and the tables and chairs and piles of paintings and trash. We just put away our stuff.   We don’t disturb whatever is in the gallery.  I would like to say it was fine but no, I was annoyed.

It's noon and I am tired.  Should I eat lunch before my nap? I lay down on the old couch to sleep.  I push the two loose pillows together and cover myself with the fleece throw. I am waiting for my body to heat up the blanket.  I can’t escape from the cold. The heater is off and the sun is out and still it is too cold.  Finally, I doze for a bit and then get up and eat my lunch.  After lunch I lay down again and sleep.

I am caught by the heat of Ling Ma’s dystopian book, SEVERANCE.  The action happens quickly and the devastation keeps growing.  I am also in the middle of THE HATE RACE by Maxine Beneba Clark.  A memoir of growing up black in Australia.  This is a cool book, moving deliberately and carefully through childhood.