Seeing Maria and her belly dancers performing at the Mansion today was a gift. It made my soul shine. I am still going up and down with my concussion recovery. I could take videos of the dancing but then had to lie down for most of the afternoon.

I was supposed to see an eye doctor on a regularly scheduled visit tomorrow, but I think I can’t make it, and I’m sure they will want me to cancel if I’m still getting dizzy going up and down. Interestingly, none of this affects my writing, although I get a little fuzzy looking through my viewfinder.

Once I lie down for more than a few minutes, I have to stand up slowly and wait for several minutes before I can stand. This is another common symptom of concussions. I thank the kind people who have written to assure me that concussions can mess up a head for weeks, and my turn is not yet over.

This is a chance for me to learn more and more about patience and acceptance, two things I am always working on. (My anger is the third.)

The good news is that the Leica takes over on autofocus; I expect this to be easier. I’m reading an influential book by Richard Rohr titled Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life. I never considered life defined by two distinct halves, but it makes sense.

Each one has a different spiritual meaning. I hope to finish the book tonight and write about it tomorrow.

I did sit outside with Maria for a while until the mosquitoes came for me. I had a bunch of dead flowers this week, done in by the heavy rains. I dug them out of the garden beds and threw them over to the donkeys, who love them (above). Nothing is wasted here, nothing thrown away that can be used, eaten, or saved.

 

This is a community of flowers picture; it is beautiful to see how flowers grow around one another and form their diverse communities.

I am drawn to the color of purple, still rich and blooming.

 

This week, I’m focusing on the beauty of small flowers, often overlooked in flower photography.

Reinforcement flowers from Judy Page. I went to see Judy Page today, and she gave me five flowers that need some love and care and should bloom until the first hard frost. I insisted on paying for them, but she would only take $1 for each. I got $5 worth. I fed them donkey manure and gave them space and water.