Holiday Doldrums: Integration with Reality

I've been lazing-ass around since returning last Thursday from points South, but I'll get over it soon.
Picked up sniffles and wee cough that are now going away without infecting anybody else, I hope.
Lots of rest, warmth and liquids -all kinds- have helped; now to answer the mail that accumulated will require all the attention that I worked so hard to minimize during my meditative retreat.
Guess that's called 'integration', or applying calm to the material world.

So, if identifying a problem is half of its solution, I should only need a few more lines...
The drive home was longish, but it mostly broke into bite-sized chunks, since I came late to the realization that the journey is just as important as the destination. That's something Joan knew since birth I believe.

Picking up from where I left off in Dec blog; all the visitations planned were enjoyed, plus an additional one! Vitaly Kolesnikov, Irina and their 4 kids were in Sacramento visiting his Pop & Mom, so I went by Tuesday AM for a reunion and the picture below:

Front: Mama Yelena, Papa Fedor, Mr John
Rear: Dina, Leah, Irina, Andre, Vitaly, Tanya
Missing: 16 other children of Papa & Mama K!

After having a great dinner with Tom & Peggy at the historic Jacksonville Inn, near their new home, I drove to Eugene, OR for rest before returning to good 'ole Bham. In-route, I was extraordinarily lucky  in dodging potentially dire storm warnings and pulling into the garage just prior to more snow on Thursday afternoon.

Then, I crashed. I'm still semi-crashed, but satisfied about meeting many friends and getting 'stuff' done. Haven't left the building since arriving, except for rounds of electronic volleys in all directions.

Actually opened the mail, not answered it mind you!

Now, Christmas has passed, along with my son, Tom's, birthday and mine, without watching a single minute of football - or the news. Silence has been golden! I'm thinking I prefer no sound to the types of sounds that now pollute our space.

Silence ought to help me in coming to grips with the so-called 'reality' situations in which we find ourselves these days.

But, so much for ranting about silence; after all, if you rant about it that requires interrupting silence!

My wish is that 2017 is a better year than many of us expect! 

It's just that simple; don't enter a 'reality' you can't deal with in equanimity.

Here's hoping we all experience the type of simple, basic meditation we need, know how to do, and that brings peace to the world as we know it....