Thinking of next summer! What will it be like to dig out from under all this? (photo P Volker)
There was a little graphic that was posted on FaceBook that said something like, “The First Christmas was pretty simple. It’s OK, if this year yours is too.” Great! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you for saying that!
Somehow I feel super pressurized right now. Too many things crowding in for attention. Maybe my powwow with Dr Gold on Wednesday is a biggie that will be good to get out of the way. This is the meeting to discuss the outcome of my biopsy from a month ago. Anxiety producing it is!
So I am trying to keep this simple thing in mind. I am going to put off some stuff and streamline some stuff and maybe just forget some stuff. How’s that? I need a mental health break.
Please be kind to yourself in the midst of this time before the holidays. We have some big fish to fry coming up in the new year and we are in this for the long run remember? Big moves are coming up in 2021!
Advent Calendar #14
Think of someone you love, what could you do or give them that you know would make this other person happy? Make sure you do it within the next three days. Cris CSABC
He who has overcome his fears will truly be free. Aristotle
Everyone knows the tree isn’t complete til the angel goes on the very top. My Rebecca is antsy because the tree isn’t complete calling on me to make that happen. This particular angel is a standin because we don’t seem to be able to find the veteran one that served for decades. So, me the wise guy, that‘s different than one of the wise men, knew that this new angel would require some special engineering. It looked to my critical eye that it would have to be dangled from the ceiling so that complicates things.
She said, “How about putting the angel up?”
I said, “It’s after hours.”
She said, “Tomorrow?”
I said, “That’s Sunday.”
She said, “Monday?”
I said, “Christmas Vacation, union thing, sorry. Maybe you could get back to me Janurary 3rd.”
She said, “Oh brother!”
No but I did just put the angel up and it looks dandy. We were just joking around with that banter.
Hope that you are engineering a suitable pathway to Christmas cheer. I am trying my best to make it happen for myself.
Rho, Caminoheads South West Bureau Chief. (photo unknown)
The First Christmas Crèche
It was the heart of night as the townsfolk made their way up the steep, winding, hillside path of Mount Sabini in central Italy. Their handheld torches and candles lit the way below as the sounds of footsteps crunched the slightly frozen earth and their voices sang out the melodies of joyful hymns. Above, the stars, peeking through the oak treetops, watched the progression of their journey. It was not a pilgrimage in the traditional sense as they were only walking a mile from their simple, stone-built town of Greccio, but on this Christmas Eve in the year 1223 the spirit of their destination was unknown.
Francis of Assisi had extended an invitation for a special midnight mass up in the hills instead of the usual place inside their warm, protected chapel. When they had heard Francis had asked a local nobleman, John of Velita, for an ox and an ass, the peasants’ curiosity was further piqued. Now cresting the small ridge, they finally arrived at a torch lit, transformed cave. Straw was scattered across the ground and both animals were lying in it peacefully. In the center was a large rock which tonight was elevated to the symbolic position of a crib for a king. It also held straw. The townsfolk gathered closer for warmth and to hear one of the friars began to celebrate the Mass. Soon Francis followed with the sermon.
Recalling a trip he had made earlier in his life, Francis went on to explain that they were to be both witnesses and participants to the event he had recreated, the atmosphere of the Christ’s birth in the stable of Bethlehem over 1200 years before. Here in Greccio, on this evening, he shared with these people the sacred scene from when God humbled himself, became human, and entered the world as a small babe. When the Mass was over the people remained and after praying, they asked for some of the straw. It was later learned that this straw had a healing effect on sick animals who ate it and for women who were having difficulties in labor, deliver healthy babies.
Today the town of Greccio is a sister city to Bethlehem and the Christmas Eve Mass that St. Francis created continues to this day. Modern day Nativity scenes were birthed from this night and the credit is given to St. Francis. What began as one man’s idea to share the simple yet profound birth of Christ with a small group of peasants now reverberates across the world.
To visit Greccio today, one will not only see the original cave where St. Francis held this special event, but also in another nearby building, there are displays of hundreds of Nativity scenes from around the world. Some are simple and others more elaborate, but combined with the cultural customs of their creators, each Nativity Scene shares the story and essence of what St. Francis created almost 800 years ago.
Rho Densmore
SWCBC
The site of the first Christmas manger scene. (photo R Dinsmore)
Advent Calendar #12
Spend the day thinking of what you could eat to make you happy. And make sure you can have it handy to eat in 3 days. Cris
Loving is more of the essence of friendship than being loved. Aristotle
All the Rho you are getting today. (photo unknown)
Rho and her husband are in the process of moving from their old place in California to their new homestead in Arizona. So she is a little overwhelmed with details right now. She will have a post in for us tomorrow. So, the old workhorse Felipé will be on it for today.
I would love to have some lightning great idea for the post today. And there are plenty of topics that could be approached. But I am personally weighed down by my thoughts about the documentary film that we watched several days ago. I guess that I need to clear that out of the way first and maybe you could help me.
Just to make things clear I am speaking of the film The Social Dilemma.
It is a must see, no way around that. I am going to encourage you to find it and watch it. Furthermore I am going to call for a meeting of the Bureau Chiefs and our other support people to address this problem in our small sliver of the world.
Rho will be back with us tomorrow to give me a break. Maybe if I make some progress on this I will be able to relax a little and get back on track with you. So, it is a rough spot in the trail to contend with right now.
Advent Calendar #11:
Look at your day… where did you find happiness today? How do you know you were happy? Where do you feel happiness in your body? Cris CSABC
The desire to kiss you is draining, tiresome, it devours me. Sofocle
Various people have mentioned the film Social Dilemma to me and we finally got a chance in between football games to watch it last evening. I am stunned, quite literally. This is an extremely powerful and important documentary. I feel like I am carrying a heavy burden now that I have watched it but so be it.
Now I am back with Marshall McLuan (sp?) one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century. He wrote on media. And now here we are again with the good, the bad and the ugly of social media. I am stunned by this film.
I don’t think that I can give you any more today.
Advent Calendar #10:
Think how you can leave the world a little better: maybe planting a garden patch, or by doing a donation of food to someone who is in need of, or maybe contributing to an orphanage or hospice (any amount is welcome). Cris CSABC
#10 Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. Shakespeare
There is a new book out and it is a guidebook for the Camino written by an anthropologist, so a new slant. This is in conjunction with Moon Guidebooks so the title of this guide is Moon Camino de Santiago – Sacred Sites, Historic Villages, local food and wine. How about that, about covers it!
I listened to a podcast with author Beebe Bahrami last evening. It was one with Dan Mullens and the link is right here.
The podcast was a lovely advertisement for her book but it was also a great place for me to touch base with the old Camino Magic that somehow seems so far away now during this pandemic. This thing has taken up most of our time, energy and brain power these days. It is good to get a booster shot of Camino dust to bring us back to what’s really important.
I don’t really want to review this podcast here as you can easily listen to it. But Beebe is very righteous in her approach and it will pluck your heartstrings as you listen. That is what I want to tell you about. Need your heartstrings plucked?
Seems our present situation is the total opposite of how we felt about the Camino. It took care of us, everyday and every way. Sometimes that was very funky but nonetheless. Now we move around in alien territory aware that small lapses in our attention could kill or maim us. It’s oh so unfriendly. But enough of that. We know that too well. Find the time to listen to Beebe, it is an hour.
Thanks for checking in today here at the neighborhood. Always good to see you. Stay safe and stay smiling!
Advent Calendar #9:
Today, find the best in others (and if you can, tell them). Cris
I can resist everything except temptation. Oscar Wilde
RIP Chuck Yeager, a hero to all of us. He died today or yesterday. Well, yea, he flew away, like he should! Hehe. I didn’t mean to be funny there but it just happened. What is the pilot’s pilot going to do but fly away!
Just a memory here. When we were crossing the Pyrenees in July 2014 I was thinking of Chuck. He served as a fighter pilot in World War Two and was shot down twice over Europe. Both times he was hidden by the underground and then he walked over the Pyrenees from France to Spain to escape. I wonder what his routes were? Maybe he took the Napoleon Way once or twice. Maybe I could find that out somehow. Do we have an R and D department? Wait a minute we have Kevan!
I have to mention that the Caminoheads blog receives lots of spam daily. Spam equals unwanted communication as for soliciting for drugs, and Russian girlfriends and the like. There has been a lot of traffic about financial robots lately too. And then there are folks that send out sort of generic messages to bloggers to snag them for what I don’t know. Here is a good one that just came in: “Rattling nice style and fantastic written content, practically nothing else we require.” D. Korrie Issac Voccola. Yea!!
What a blog post today, practically nothing else we require!
Advent Calendar #8:
Bring to mind all the children you have won their affection. Cris CSABC
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Wolfgang Goethe
Living here on Vashon Island it is tough to outquirk anyone around here. We got more quirk per square foot than anywhere. It is kind of quiet though and it sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I remember visiting Seattle in the early early seventies before I moved here and being somewhere in the city, maybe near Pike Street Market, and this guy came around the corner walking on his hands and went down the block past me like it’s all the usual. I knew then that I was getting near the epicenter.
Anyway, this all started with Cris, I’ll blame it on her today. She had a recent comment about going across the US-Canadian border with a friend. Cris was traveling visiting her pilgrim friends and they were on their way to British Columbia to meet with another. The story describes the encounter with the agent at the border. The pilgrims were pilgriming along doing pilgrim stuff and then all of a sudden they had to explain themselves to the Man. He wasn’t quite getting it after much explanation on their part. He finally waved them through after figuring out that they were quite harmless I guess.
But it pointed out something to me about how we operate. We the Caminoheads have to remember that we have had brain and heart transplants. No really, and we operate in a different manner than the average pedestrian. I said in an answer to Cris in the Comments that we are a separate subspecies. I know that it all seems quite normal to us but it is not really.
Not that there is anything wrong with this but it is healthy to keep it in mind. Maybe we are a new prototype or a throwback to the before. I don’t know for sure but it is an exciting place to be, is what I am thinking!
Advent Calendar #7:
Evoke one of those moments in your life when you won the respect of intelligent people. Cris CSABC
Those who live of love live forever. Emile Verhaeren
Felipé and Sherif on the Camino, 2014. (photo unknown)
So excited to announce a new Bureau Chief hailing out of Cairo, Egypt. How is that for exotic? And how is that for global reach? I am just tickled!
Let me introduce Sherif one of my walking partners in the 2014 trek on the Frances. We were together off and on from the Pyrenees almost to León. He was part of the mix with the film crew and Kelly, Mary Margaret and The Angels. Man we had an awesome group. It was the old moveable feast as Hemingway coined it.
So, Sherif is married with a two year old gorgeous little girl. He grew up and lives in Cairo with his family and is an on the go food photographer. Recently I was looking for someone in the world closer to the Equator than here to take a pic of the conjugation of the planets on December 21st. It just so happens that Sherif had just bought a 3000mm lens and was writing about it. So I put two and two together. And I said heck while I’m at it I will ask him to be a Bureau Chief. And darn it if he didn’t say yes!
Advent Calendar #6:
Have a great laugh, or evoke one of those moments when you had a loud long belly laugh until tears came down, and write about it or tell someone about it. Cris CSABC (Actually my Rebecca and I are on a roll with this. We laughed and laughed watching 9 to 5 and The Gods Must Be Crazy in the last two nights. Oh my.)
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. William Shakespeare
John and Felipé at Point Robinson, Veranda 2019. (photo W Hayes)
John’s blog post yesterday has generated a blizzard of comments. The guy really knows how to jump a shark! (Maybe you have to explain that Felipé.) Well, back in the day there was a TV show that had the Fonz in it, the ultimate cool guy. So, in the waning days of the show when the writers were very conscious of their waning ratings they wrote an episode where the Fonz is out waterskiing and coolly jumps a shark swimming in his path. It’s all Fonz Cool all the way! Anyway, so the phrase caught on, in some circles anyway, if the show needs a boost you have to jump a shark! But back to John, thank you man!
And the show could always use a boost, right? Well, I always think so anyway. More on that in a minute maybe. But the comments were cool because we are learning about each other. We are finding out our neighbor’s story and that is enriching. Wonderful!
And speaking of each other, we will be able to hang out with each other at the Veranda in August at Raven Ranch. Yea, that’s Friday August 20th through Monday August 23rd, 2021. So, be safe so we all can get there!
Just so you can have a glimpse of what the dark underbelly of the blog looks like I will introduce to Site Stats. Site Stats is on the Dashboard which is the control panel of the blog that only I el Felipé get to mess around with it and I believe mess around is the exact best description. But the Stats is where WordPress my boss keeps track of how many visits the blog gets. This is important for some blogs because they have sponsors and the sponsors want to know. But for us we are small potatoes and sponsors are elsewhere. But I do glance at these more than I should and root for it to break 1000 at the end of each month. But just reporting we averaged one thousand visits per month in 2020.
But I say sometimes that I would do this even if no one tuned in but that is not true. I so need you guys. I so need the comments to have some feedback and interplay. So we are exactly where we should be with our merry neighborhood, not to big and not to small, just right.
just right loves, Felipé.
Advent Calendar #5:
What do you feel inspired to explore more deeply at this point in your life.
Love is a beautiful flower but we must be brave enough to pick her up from the edge of a precipice. Stendahl
