Message In a Bottle

I have been so busy lately, and I feel bad that I haven't had time to get to posting..especially since I have so many pictures and I am totally falling behind in posting them. At the moment I am trying to dump old pictures off the camera to make way for new ones. It's hard to believe that 600 pictures could go so fast but it sure it a time consuming process getting them all down.

So thanks for looking is what I am getting around to. I know I know some of the folks that read this, but I don't know most of them and I am very humbled that people keeping coming around to check out what's up in the far east.



Anyway I titled my post from one of my favorite Police songs. If you know the song, it's about loneliness and alienation, but coming to realize that you arn't the only one that has these feelings , that we are all looking for a home. I think this applies to me right now as I am having some difficulties here, I know some people very close to me are also having difficulties and my heart goes out to all of them.

My sister just moved to Israel, which as I have quickly found out from my experience is not an easy thing to do (relocating to another continent).
Also they have all that craziness going on with the whole Gaza thing and that has got to be a bit unsettling, regardless of where you stand on the issue.

Next is my best friend Ricky, who has gone through some major drama lately with his family. I know it is testing him quite a bit, because he can handle a lot of shit and for him to be remarking that it is difficult describes the severity of the situation.

And I saved the most important for last. My Grandfather and my Mother have both been unwell, my Grandfather recently having surgery and my Mom having some fibro related difficulties.

It is frustrating to be so far away from all of these people, to be 12 hours away and not have the ability to communicate very quickly or thoroughly with them. So what can I do, say prayers, and good thoughts for them.

Fortunetly I just came back from Lhasa, which is a good place to say some prayers. Unfortunetly, I am so far behind that I haven't had a chance to post pictures of Quinghai Lake, or my magical encounter with the Lama above the city, let alone the pictures I have of Lhasa.

My own difficulties I guess are quite trivial in the larger scope of things, one of them is just being here, I am homesick, and knowing that I shouldn't be back on the US soild for at least 4 years doesn't make it any easier. Also Diane is leaving and she is my best friend here and has helped lighten the load from being here quite a bit.

The good news is that I get to buckle down, and get back on track. I resumed the search for a tutor today and need to get that taken care of and I also just need to practice. So much of what happened here has involved that practice that happens off the cushion, but I really need to get back on it. I am looking forward to some solitude and the opportunities that will bring with it.

I had some difficulties in Lhasa and this was one of my realizations, (well actually something that always becomes apparent when I think about it). Anyway there is a part of me that is looking for answers outside of myself, looking for a holy place, for a Shangrila , for a panacea which will soothe me internally and this just doesn't exist. Yes some places are a bit calmer than others but I have discovered I can be just as agitated in Hawaii, or in Lhasa as anyplace else. The moral of the story? That I need to get back to basics, and calm down internally, suit up and show up to use a different terminology.

Anyway, I promise next time I post it will be with a big bunch of pictures. Until then, TTFN and thanks for looking.

Cheers