Portland and all things enjoyable

So these past few days I've been outwardly very focused on my knee, with good reason. However, now I would like to focus on how nice being in Portland has been. My brother Luke has been so very understanding with my situation and has been supportive in every way he can. He has a lot on his plate right now with an album deadline coming up, his work and needing to take down his studio space all in the span of a few days. I can only be appreciative of the time and energy he has given me. He continues to offer his advice and connect me with his friends for hang out time and shared experiences with other knee injuries and recoveries. For all of this I have been greatly appreciative.

Speaking of hang out time I got to go to PDX Pop Now which is a free concert series that happens for 3 days in Portland highlighting local bands. Luke's friend Michelle picked me and another friend Rene up and we went down to the show together. It was nice to see some live music even if the sound was pretty crappy. The crowed was all over the place and half of the fun was just people watching. Portland women are beautiful in a completely unique sort of way. Each and every person seems to have their own style and approach to how they put themselves together. It shows in their outward appearance as well as when I speak with them.
This is The Lovers live onstage. They had a great performance and stage presence I can only imagine that if the sound were better I would have really loved them. We got to see the start of one of the outdoor sets and it was much better sounding even if the music itself was a little old and dated. I couldn't help but think they sounded like another band I've heard before. For some reason I remember my brother Seth introducing them to me and saying that they are a Brooklyn based band. They have a really unique lead singer voice, kinda higher pitch and maybe a little bit whiney. Not really sure. Once I hear it I will remember.

Anyway that was a good night. As was this one day spent in the Fernhill park across the street from Luke's house. The house Luke lives in has this wonderful Golden retriever named Lola. She has one of the sweetest spirits Ive seen in a dog in a long while. Well Luke and I went to the park to hang out and enjoy the sunlight as it had rained on be for the past 5 days. The sun was wonderful and so were all the dogs in the off leash area of the park. I got to just kick it with the dogs and check out the beauty of the summertime. What more can you ask for when you are incapacitated and cannot continue on a journey you set out for yourself. It was nice to be in the moment and just enjoy for a while.

These past few days I have been waking up and hanging out on the back porch in the sunlight working on my stretches and coming into the day slowly. Today was one of the best mornings yet as I woke up on my own, made a cup of tea, did some yoga and some reading on meditation. Then hung out with Lola while I ate breakfast. Later I got to water the front gardens where all the greens are growing for the wonderful salads I get to eat. It felt good to give back to the house a little bit as I feel so well taken care of being here. Then I just went back out to the porch and hung out, read, rested, looked around, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. In my reading a major quote stood out to me and my injured status.

"Everyday we touch what is wrong, and, as a result, we become less and less healthy." Thich Naht Hanh. He goes on to suggest that instead of only touching that which hurts but also touch and smile with that which is not hurting. He suggests breathing in and smiling to the fact that we don't have a toothache, as we all know how much touching and focus teeth get when they do ache. So today in my practice of stretching and massage I shifted towards a more balanced approach of acknowledging that which hurts but also appreciating that which does not. Perhaps in doing so I can engage other areas of strength to help this area of weakness.

Working with what I've got is all I can do. Slowing down has been amazing. Allowing myself to breath in, breath out and to focus on not much other than that is quite a gift. I can only hope that this translates into some healing for my body as well as my mind.

Be well and love life.