Your words are profound. I hear you Hal. I often struggle with my physical losses and I miss everything I used to be able to do. Like going for a walk by myself. Like playing the hammered Dulcimer. Like eating by myself. Like dancing with my husband. It feels like we are being stripped to the bone doesn't it? But do you want to hear something crazy? Sometimes if I listen to a song that my husband and I used to dance to and I really really really imagine how it feels to dance with him it almost feels a bit real. And afterwards, I do feel a sense Of greater love and gratitude. They say the brain cannot tell the difference between a real and an imagined stimulus so I think in those imaginary moments my brain is getting a shot of pleasure hormones.
We have to say kind things to ourselves. Sometimes I say things to myself that I would never say to a friend that I loved. So I have to remind myself to say comforting things as I would comfort a dear friend.
I am deeply grateful for your friendship and for our Sunday gatherings.
Hi Sue. We missed you at Quiet Time. Yes. I love that about the brain not knowing the difference between reality and imagination... Right now, I'm dancing with you on Hessler Street. :) Sending love. Hal
Well, just another beautiful podcast of yours. I really enjoyed it, as I have all the others. Maybe you don’t realize it, you do service to me and others with every podcast. I know I’m not alone with this illness and my feelings about it. Your sharing with those who don’t experience the illness is a service in bringing their attention to it.
In my daily 10th step, when it asks if I was selfish today, I say “yup”. It was all about me and self care today. I’m told that self care is not selfish. And it can sure feel that way to me.
Blessings on your day and may your resting improve.
“I love me some doing. Just give me a whole batch of doing.” Oh yeah. Drug of choice. And the delighted smiles from those who see me doing on a day with energy, just more encouragement to plan and dream about more doing. Of course, they are completely justified in their delight and it is offered in love and it’s MY choice what to do with that. I can choose to surrender to what actually is in this moment. And this one. God help us. We are powerless otherwise.
A long line of freshly washed newborn diapers drying in the Spanish sun. This is the photo I tried to send you just now, but couldn’t. Anyway you don’t need a dryer here, or a sterilizer. The sun does it all. Molly is here and pregnant and gathering supplies to take back to her life in Tanzania. I saw a full grown swallowtail butterfly this morning, and it was such a rare sight that I had to stop and watch it till it flew away. I will be sending you peace, as I am doing right now, in your wee hours, which are not my wee hours. Many thanks for “doing” for all of us, your readers. ♥️
I bet you have some beautiful photos on that camera roll of yours. Summer Institute is approaching next week. I miss the "Good ole days." Sending love, sister. ❤️ Hal
I miss them too, brother. Winnie the Pooh said “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Is it true? I dunno. But I know I am lucky to have shared those times with you. And all the Us.
Dear Hal, sounds like you have a great family and you had a great dad. I’m so glad that you could choose gratefulness being in such a difficult situation. I’m also mainly housebound but I can regularly be up for a while. Listening to Reiki videos on YouTube has comforted me a lot and has helped me sleep better. I had a few HELP apheresis treatments recently and they made me feel a little less weak. So I decided to take an online Reiki course myself. And I just got my level 1 certificate! I’m so happy with it. Once I’ve finished level 2 I am allowed to give Reiki myself. I want to do that online, via a YouTube channel, especially for people with PAIS. We can use all the support we can get right. I’ll let you know once my first video is posted. Perhaps it can bring you some comfort. And about connecting: you have reached me (and a lot of others), and I live in the Netherlands, Europe! So you’re not so bad at it ;-). I wish you love and strength.
Thank you Simone. I'd be interested in checking out one of those Reiki videos on YouTube. Be sure to let me know when you create one. Wishing you all the best! Hal
I am so grateful that you recorded this. I love your family and I would guess that your dad and I would have been good friends. I understand sleep deprivation and the challenges it causes. I had years of it with the needs if foster and adopted children, broken by abuse and neglect or medically fragile and in need of almost 24 hour attention. But, as hard as it was, it taught me to find joy in each moment of life. Love to you, my friend
Hi Annette! It was fun taking a walk with the other day and visiting Mrs. Lewis. I'm tempted to go break out my harp this afternoon. See you soon, friend. I'm glad to say I'm sleeping much better these days. Hal
Hal- your voice is very soothing. Truly! I have been doing reading these thoughtful notes from people in your community. In this community. You have a beautiful community going on here. Lots of love and thoughtful commentary. Peace to you Hal! ☮️
Hi Dana. thanks so much for commenting. Yes... I sure am grateful for this wonderful group of humans that have gathered around to listen to my story. Hopefully there will be more to come. Sending peace and love. 🕊️ Hal
I love and respect you Uncle Hal, you’re so beautiful and brave and a wonderful child of creation, please know I care and send you my love, in this moment, peace be upon you, Geraldine
Do you have a photo of your dad to share?! Or was he always cleaning, serving others away from the camera? Or the guy behind the camera?! Thanks for your share.
I too have a daughter who is wonderfilled. And an amazing son, and a brilliant wife.
People like them really do make ours lives fully, bright and meaningful. Hang in there, bro!
I have missed your voice and words during this past month. I could listen to you read the phone book and get relaxed. So I'm glad you shared a lot of nothing/something with us today. I continue to mine a lot of wisdom from your music. Today I'm dusting off my digital accordion that I dearly love to play and setting up in the middle of my town square to celebrate Make Music Day, a worldwide observance on the Summer Solstice. I put the accordion aside after a shoulder injury a few years back, but bringing it out again to help fuel some community music making ideas that have been inspired largely by your activities - your projects. "Life Wonderful" is at the top of my set list.
Thanks for the reflections on your father. Was he connected to the UU church also? My father was a "grace-oriented" Southern Baptist minister, who would be heart broken at the brokenness of churches these days. His memory still inspires me daily.
HI Chuck! Thanks so much for your presence here. I'm so glad that there are people like you listening to Life Wonderful. Digital Accordion! Sounds wonderful. Enjoy! I'm thinking of dusting off my folk harp after having played one for a few minutes a couple days ago. -- My dad was a Presbyterian minister but after retirement he usually attended to UU church to support his music director son. He always had criticism about the way UU's took religious language so literally... he longed for the metaphor of his tradition... but he was my biggest fan.
I hope you can get some sleep Hal. I have been at the ocean this week. Peaceful, waves coming in and going out, the sound of gulls and a gentle breeze. The amazing universe, we are all a part of it. Sending you peaceful thoughts. 🌊
Sounds wonderful, CeeJay. I'm very glad to say that I've been sleeping much better for almost a week now. I'm not sure what shifted but I'm grateful. Sending peace. Hal
Thank you for your comment, Mary Ellen! I'm grateful for the fan in my window that is right now filling my room with a cool vibe. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you sleep tonight. Sending love Hal
We're heading off to Oberlin this weekend, so I've been thinking about you. You gave me and the rest of us choir members many wonderful times for many years. Kris Rust was asking about you and asked me to send you his love.
I miss Oberlin! I was thinking today about how I should try to figure out a visit for a couple hours.... It would be a stretch. Send my love to all the SI community. Wish I could be there. Enjoy! Hal
Your words are profound. I hear you Hal. I often struggle with my physical losses and I miss everything I used to be able to do. Like going for a walk by myself. Like playing the hammered Dulcimer. Like eating by myself. Like dancing with my husband. It feels like we are being stripped to the bone doesn't it? But do you want to hear something crazy? Sometimes if I listen to a song that my husband and I used to dance to and I really really really imagine how it feels to dance with him it almost feels a bit real. And afterwards, I do feel a sense Of greater love and gratitude. They say the brain cannot tell the difference between a real and an imagined stimulus so I think in those imaginary moments my brain is getting a shot of pleasure hormones.
We have to say kind things to ourselves. Sometimes I say things to myself that I would never say to a friend that I loved. So I have to remind myself to say comforting things as I would comfort a dear friend.
I am deeply grateful for your friendship and for our Sunday gatherings.
Hi Sue. We missed you at Quiet Time. Yes. I love that about the brain not knowing the difference between reality and imagination... Right now, I'm dancing with you on Hessler Street. :) Sending love. Hal
Hi Hal:
Well, just another beautiful podcast of yours. I really enjoyed it, as I have all the others. Maybe you don’t realize it, you do service to me and others with every podcast. I know I’m not alone with this illness and my feelings about it. Your sharing with those who don’t experience the illness is a service in bringing their attention to it.
In my daily 10th step, when it asks if I was selfish today, I say “yup”. It was all about me and self care today. I’m told that self care is not selfish. And it can sure feel that way to me.
Blessings on your day and may your resting improve.
Thanks for being you and sharing it with us.
Loretta
Thank you, Loretta. I'm glad to say my sleep has been much better this week. See you Sunday. 💕 Hal
"you do service to me and others with every podcast"...... I couldn't agree more! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for being there Hal. I love your messages.
And you’ve definitely done your share of helping others .
Carry on
I believe you’re gonna outlive this thing. Things are happening.
Love and peace
JIm
Thanks so much Jim. I've been happy to see you on Substack. Will you be going to the AUUMM this year? I really miss it. Sending love. Hal
I have a major crush on your writing. I have a major crush on you. Don't tell your girlfriend❤️.
Hey girlfriend, Thanks for your awesome presence here on Substack and in my comment section. You're the best. Say hello to Mary from me!
“I love me some doing. Just give me a whole batch of doing.” Oh yeah. Drug of choice. And the delighted smiles from those who see me doing on a day with energy, just more encouragement to plan and dream about more doing. Of course, they are completely justified in their delight and it is offered in love and it’s MY choice what to do with that. I can choose to surrender to what actually is in this moment. And this one. God help us. We are powerless otherwise.
Sending love.
Thank you for your comment, Elizabeth. I hope you're finding a good balance between doing and not doing today. Sending love back. Hal
A long line of freshly washed newborn diapers drying in the Spanish sun. This is the photo I tried to send you just now, but couldn’t. Anyway you don’t need a dryer here, or a sterilizer. The sun does it all. Molly is here and pregnant and gathering supplies to take back to her life in Tanzania. I saw a full grown swallowtail butterfly this morning, and it was such a rare sight that I had to stop and watch it till it flew away. I will be sending you peace, as I am doing right now, in your wee hours, which are not my wee hours. Many thanks for “doing” for all of us, your readers. ♥️
I bet you have some beautiful photos on that camera roll of yours. Summer Institute is approaching next week. I miss the "Good ole days." Sending love, sister. ❤️ Hal
I miss them too, brother. Winnie the Pooh said “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Is it true? I dunno. But I know I am lucky to have shared those times with you. And all the Us.
Love you Hal, your voice is so smooth & loving!
Thank you Clarissa. I'm glad that you are appreciating my voice. Sending love. Hal
Dear Hal, sounds like you have a great family and you had a great dad. I’m so glad that you could choose gratefulness being in such a difficult situation. I’m also mainly housebound but I can regularly be up for a while. Listening to Reiki videos on YouTube has comforted me a lot and has helped me sleep better. I had a few HELP apheresis treatments recently and they made me feel a little less weak. So I decided to take an online Reiki course myself. And I just got my level 1 certificate! I’m so happy with it. Once I’ve finished level 2 I am allowed to give Reiki myself. I want to do that online, via a YouTube channel, especially for people with PAIS. We can use all the support we can get right. I’ll let you know once my first video is posted. Perhaps it can bring you some comfort. And about connecting: you have reached me (and a lot of others), and I live in the Netherlands, Europe! So you’re not so bad at it ;-). I wish you love and strength.
Thank you Simone. I'd be interested in checking out one of those Reiki videos on YouTube. Be sure to let me know when you create one. Wishing you all the best! Hal
I am so grateful that you recorded this. I love your family and I would guess that your dad and I would have been good friends. I understand sleep deprivation and the challenges it causes. I had years of it with the needs if foster and adopted children, broken by abuse and neglect or medically fragile and in need of almost 24 hour attention. But, as hard as it was, it taught me to find joy in each moment of life. Love to you, my friend
Hi Annette! It was fun taking a walk with the other day and visiting Mrs. Lewis. I'm tempted to go break out my harp this afternoon. See you soon, friend. I'm glad to say I'm sleeping much better these days. Hal
Hal- your voice is very soothing. Truly! I have been doing reading these thoughtful notes from people in your community. In this community. You have a beautiful community going on here. Lots of love and thoughtful commentary. Peace to you Hal! ☮️
Hi Dana. thanks so much for commenting. Yes... I sure am grateful for this wonderful group of humans that have gathered around to listen to my story. Hopefully there will be more to come. Sending peace and love. 🕊️ Hal
I love and respect you Uncle Hal, you’re so beautiful and brave and a wonderful child of creation, please know I care and send you my love, in this moment, peace be upon you, Geraldine
Thank you friend. Come visit me next time you're in Ohio. :). Hal
Do you have a photo of your dad to share?! Or was he always cleaning, serving others away from the camera? Or the guy behind the camera?! Thanks for your share.
I too have a daughter who is wonderfilled. And an amazing son, and a brilliant wife.
People like them really do make ours lives fully, bright and meaningful. Hang in there, bro!
My dad was a very photogenic guy... but I never had a camera back in those days. I'm glad to hear of all the love in your family. All the best! Hal
I have missed your voice and words during this past month. I could listen to you read the phone book and get relaxed. So I'm glad you shared a lot of nothing/something with us today. I continue to mine a lot of wisdom from your music. Today I'm dusting off my digital accordion that I dearly love to play and setting up in the middle of my town square to celebrate Make Music Day, a worldwide observance on the Summer Solstice. I put the accordion aside after a shoulder injury a few years back, but bringing it out again to help fuel some community music making ideas that have been inspired largely by your activities - your projects. "Life Wonderful" is at the top of my set list.
Thanks for the reflections on your father. Was he connected to the UU church also? My father was a "grace-oriented" Southern Baptist minister, who would be heart broken at the brokenness of churches these days. His memory still inspires me daily.
HI Chuck! Thanks so much for your presence here. I'm so glad that there are people like you listening to Life Wonderful. Digital Accordion! Sounds wonderful. Enjoy! I'm thinking of dusting off my folk harp after having played one for a few minutes a couple days ago. -- My dad was a Presbyterian minister but after retirement he usually attended to UU church to support his music director son. He always had criticism about the way UU's took religious language so literally... he longed for the metaphor of his tradition... but he was my biggest fan.
I hope you can get some sleep Hal. I have been at the ocean this week. Peaceful, waves coming in and going out, the sound of gulls and a gentle breeze. The amazing universe, we are all a part of it. Sending you peaceful thoughts. 🌊
Sounds wonderful, CeeJay. I'm very glad to say that I've been sleeping much better for almost a week now. I'm not sure what shifted but I'm grateful. Sending peace. Hal
Good Morning! I’ve been sleeping badly just can’t find a comfortable position. Then dog comes in and stretches out and there’s no use. Long nights!
Heat wave coming! Hope the AC doesn’t go out!
I will meet you sometime I feel it in my bones( which hurt this morning BTW)!
Love the word fallow but there is potential there!
Always enjoy your wisdom!
Thank you for your comment, Mary Ellen! I'm grateful for the fan in my window that is right now filling my room with a cool vibe. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you sleep tonight. Sending love Hal
Thanks for the well wishes! Have been sleeping well!
Hi Hal,
We're heading off to Oberlin this weekend, so I've been thinking about you. You gave me and the rest of us choir members many wonderful times for many years. Kris Rust was asking about you and asked me to send you his love.
Love from me, as well.
Mary Ruth Kelsey
I miss Oberlin! I was thinking today about how I should try to figure out a visit for a couple hours.... It would be a stretch. Send my love to all the SI community. Wish I could be there. Enjoy! Hal