Circles

(This is a cheat photo: it wasn't taken here, but in Victoria.)

The started off hot, sunny, and humid. School was going well, Kid A is liking his math, the YaYa sister read through another book and drew wonderful, imaginative drawings of dinosaurs she wants to invent. I dashed business-y things off, things that were on my list. Had a good phone call with a dear friend, got back to business with school.

The guy from the internet shop called. The technician for our internet data stick was in, Chinua needed to come right away, right that minute. Chinua was leading meditation this morning, so though we were right in the middle of school, I asked Chrys to watch the kids and hopped on the scooter to ride over.

The experience with the technician was convoluted but effective, which is better than convoluted and ineffective. Our download speed has improved.

Back at the house everyone was gathering for lunch. We (the group of community friends we are living among here) ate on the rooftop and were joined by a few friends, including a Japanese girl I met in Dharamsala last year, who is photographing travelers in India. She was lovely and gracious and took photos which are certain to be good. Cate's food was good; roasted eggplant tomato soup and sprout salad as well as a fruit salad and bread with her hummus. (We are spoiled by the love that goes into the food around here.)

Thunder in the distance, thunder and thunder again and a flash and a sudden pouring, the heavy rains visiting again after many dry days. Our guests were stuck with us. There was nothing to do but make chai; I served it up in small cups while the kids danced in the rain along with our new friend from Karnataka, the state to the south and west. We talked and Chinua played his banjo while our friends' daughter danced a jig. We talked and drank chai, we talked and had beautiful conversation, we parted hours later when the rain slowed after a sweet time that the rain allowed us. There were new lakes and rivers all over the yard.

Why the photo from Victoria? I guess when I was flipping through, I saw this and thought of today. A day when I didn't finish one thing, when everyone one thing was interrupted by another, when we circled around and around one another, but there were treasures everywhere waiting to be found, waiting to be picked up and cradled by a small hand.