MEDICINE RAPIDS ROCK THE BOAT

I usually don’t know what I’m going to write when I start a blog entry, and today is no exception, but I do know we are  like a stagnant pool shoved over its banks by a flash flood from the storm up stream.   Obstructions that had us immobilized are suddenly floating down a new stream. Sometimes I forget that many of my problems are the result of low expectations.  A long time ago, I learned to ask for little, expect little, and deny dissatisfaction with the way this turns out. The past week has crammed a year’s worth of action and a lot of reminding into a few days. The secret is a new energy entering our life in the person of Milda Vaivada who has been staying with us while she searches for her own place in Taos. 

Milda and PQ on the Trail

To say she is a powerhouse is putting it mildly.  The transformation started on the morning after we met her with an energetic walk down a trail that we had been thinking about exploring for the past year, but PQ wasn’t sure he could cope with it so we put it on the shelf. Simply walking through Walmart was taxing enough. Milda and I walked for two miles down and two miles back, while PQ joined us for the first mile. I knew the way back would be uphill and worried that he would be finished for the rest of the day after walking back. However, he was just fine even though his legs hurt from unaccustomed use. For the past two days, he has been chatting about new ideas with non-stop excitement, and usually he’s out of breath after a few sentences. 

I’ve been troubled by how I was letting myself slip into humdrumness, but felt stymied. The truth is I was bored with Taos and my life. The post office, Walmart, the grocery stores and occasional visits with friends was about the extent of our action. I didn’t care to walk in this neighborhood, which I don’t fancy beyond our pleasant little yard, and the rest was getting harder to see with fresh eyes. Eyes can be like weathered glass windows gradually clouded in grey film over time.  PQ and I were in the doldrums waiting for a chance breeze to fill our sails.  Worst of all was our depleted imagination. We both wanted to paint again but were intimidated by a garage full of stuff. This stuff came from mom’s house, our Arizona house, and the recent rental of the reservation house and seemed to be breeding when we weren’t looking. Painting in the dining room even with a drop cloth resulted in splatters of paint in places we (read I) don’t want paint to be.

Our new friend has all the exhilaration of someone discovering a new planet and it is infectious. This was a dry summer and suddenly the monsoon rescued us all from mummification. I don’t believe in coincidences, so an energy block must have lifted through all dimensions.  With our friend’s assistance, we have a new storage space at Hinds and Hinds and the content of the garage is moving out to make space for art. This is a longtime fantasy/wish. Besides, we are getting in shape lifting all those boxes. Even PQ seems to be thriving with the extra effort. I think it’s a subtle sin yet very dangerous to be stymied by something as simple as a garage full of cluttered resources rendered demonic by their bulk.

PQ Jamming with John Carey Band at Taos Mesa Brewing

I generally receive intuitive information on upcoming changes, but my humdrum Baptist upbringing often clouds intuition with doubt.   In addition, there is an ego component to this.  I hedge on taking a chance in believing my intuition just in case I’m deplorably wrong. Honestly, I promise I’m working on this silly attitude.  PQ doesn’t have this hang-up. For $70 a month, which we didn’t have last month, the space problem was solved, and taking that chance has resulted in seeding several more income upgrades. Getting one major obstacle out of the way miraculously opens the gate for everything backed up behind the dam.  Now here come the rapids.  But that'S OK, a few days of rest and we can get back on the boat.