Sliding Thoughts

The flight home

In my last post I told the story of my adventures in mud on the way to my grandfather’s funeral in March. Well, my grandmother gave my sister and I some of Granddaddy’s tennis racquets. The one I was given had a wood frame around it to keep it from twisting from the force of the strings, and it is probably around 40 or 50 years old.

I arrived at the airport about an hour before my flight, but when I went to the counter to get my boarding pass I was informed that my flight is delayed. Also, since I only had a carry on, I couldn’t fit the racquet into the suitcase, so the racquet had to be my carry-on and I had to pay $25 to check my suitcase. The gate agent felt sorry for me and upgraded me to economy plus.

As I had several hours to kill, I wandered around the Atlanta airport with my gigantic purse slung over my shoulder and an odd-looking tennis racquet in my hand. Now, I find it a bit strange that I can’t take water or a miniature Swiss army knife on a plane, but a tennis racquet with a solid wood frame bolted onto it doesn’t get a second glance from security…

Anyway, I had so many random conversations with people because of that racquet. Most of them were older folks who remembered playing tennis with a racquet like that when they were kids. I know I must have looked rather strange with that thing, riding the transit system and placing it carefully on the seat next to me where ever I was.

I am lucky to have a lot of paintings that my grandparents created, but I don’t have a lot of personal items from them, and it felt nice to have that racquet with me, almost a companion in my travels.

Driving D.C.

I was in Washington, D.C. to attend a friend’s wedding last weekend. It was a beautiful, special time that I feel blessed to have participated in.

However. I have figured out why all of the politicians who are based in D.C. are so angry. It isn’t the divisive politics or the lobbying. It is the complete inability for anyone in that town or the surrounding area to drive.

I have never experienced anything like this before. Part of the problem, really, is that the city is laid out in such a way that there are stoplights on every block, no decent signage, and few left turn lanes. But whatever the issue, there is no excuse for the terrible decisions that I saw being made on a regular basis.

Now, Chicago can get a bit crazy sometimes. But it doesn’t hold a candle to D.C. These people seriously don’t know how to use turn signals, they cut across 3 lanes of traffic on a whim, and are just plain obnoxious. THEN add tourists and pedestrians on phones, and you’ve got a recipe for a nervous breakdown.

And by the way, it did not matter what state they were from. They’re ALL terrible and I literally shouted “I LOVE CHICAGO.” when I got behind the wheel of my car on Sunday night.

The things that I do

I realize, looking over recent posts, that I assume that the majority of my readers know what is going on in my life, or even what my day-to-day life looks like.  However, it is difficult for me to gauge my audience these days.  6 or 7 years ago, I knew pretty much everyone who read my blog.  I know that isn’t the case anymore.

My working life AND personal life revolve around the Baha’i Faith.  I work for the national governing body of the Baha’is in the United States, so I am constantly immersed in the Faith at work…and I LOVE my job.  Sometimes on lunch breaks I go to the House of Worship to pray and check out the restoration/construction work.

Once a week I try to attend a devotional (prayer) gathering at my friends’ house in Chicago.  We have a late potluck brunch, prayers, and often spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying everyone’s company.  There is usually some kind of music/singing, too!  I haven’t had a lot of time to attend over the summer, unfortunately.

During the summer a small group of friends gathered for a Baha’i study circle, book 6 in the Ruhi sequence, which is about refining our inner lives, learning, and teaching the Baha’i Faith.  The great thing about study circles in the Baha’i context is that the facilitator is not at a higher level than the rest of the group…we’re really all learning together!  We just finished it last week.

In August I hosted a 3 night study on the Ridvan Message from the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha’is of the world.  Baha’is from my local community came to my home to read and discuss.  It gave me an opportunity to get to know the people in my community, and we ate really well.

I also participate in Nineteen Months, which I post about on this blog occasionally, and it has been stretching my photographic skills.  On September 13 I modeled and shot photos as a last minute favor for some friends, which was super fun and I wish I had the opportunity to do it more often.

I also went to a few Baha’i conferences in August and September, which were super fun but then laid me out sick because I didn’t rest or sleep for a couple weeks.  October was the month of weddings.  The first weekend was a wedding in NYC, the third weekend was a wedding in Peoria.  I still haven’t unpacked from either wedding.

Of course, mixed into all of this are friends visiting from out of town, friends moving in and out of Chicago, family gatherings, making plans, reading books, fixing my condo (yes I’m still working on that), baby showers, etc.  I miss writing about my life, and I’d like to do more of it here.  Twitter & Facebook are still there, and I utilize them for their purpose, but this is the place that is truly “me” on the internet.

News, updates, photos…

The trial of the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran has been postponed.  As this New York Times article so aptly put it: “The Bahais have long served as the proverbial canaries in the coal mine of Iran’s theocracy.” Injustice against one minority group does not bode well for the rest, which is why it is so important to fight against injustice of this nature.  Individuals should not be jailed because of their religious beliefs.  You would think that this is common sense, but unfortunately humanity still has a lot to learn.

My new camera is wonderful.  I’m still learning to use it, and am looking forward to investing in more lenses.  That will have to wait, however, as I’m considering the purchase of a laptop (I’ve not bought a new computer since 2001!).

I’ve been traveling for work, moving to a new apartment (my sublease is up at the end of the month, so I found another sublease until mid-October), trying to keep up with emails, photos, and other web-related things.  I have not had a chance to write much for Soulpancake, or for myself for that matter.  And, of course, spending time with my family and friends, who tend to get neglected when life gets busy.

If I haven’t told you lately that I love you, please know that I do!

The Cat

I have never been particularly fond of cats.  They are less predictable than dogs, more aloof, and I am slightly allergic to them.  But cats and I usually come to a sort of…understanding, and avoid each other whenever we must coexist.  I will even pet them if they’re nice.

My cousin is wonderful.  I was staying with her in NYC, and she is a perfect hostess and dear friend.  But her cat…oh my.  We just could not seem to agree.

1. The cat attempted to sit on my head while I was sleeping.  Several times.

2. I woke up at 3 am with two glowing eyes a few inches from my face.  Do you know how disconcerting this is?!

3. My foot was sticking out from under the blanket, and the cat bit my foot.  This was at around 5 am.

4. She knocked my glasses off of the ledge, and then looked at me like it was my fault.

5. I locked her out of the room, and she scratched at the door and mewed all night.

6. She climbed outside the window and stood on the ledge, several stories off the ground.  I was really hoping I wouldn’t watch this cat fall off of the ledge.

hahaha.  Regardless of all of this, it was pretty amusing. And my poor cousin kept trying to keep her cat off of me, with limited success.

(The criminal, looking guilty as usual.)

I like…#8

open faces that smile a lot

foggy days when the rain barely mists down

overhearing strange conversations

New York City

the way words can mean so many different things

dancing for hours

feeling like I am back in Haifa

patterns

(I Like: #1,#2,#3, #4, #5, #6, #7)

Here I go!

There is something about traveling…airports, the unknown, the things that my eyes see that are different from everyday life.  And for the life of me, I can’t seem to pack in advance…so I find myself trying to consolidate everything into a suitcase at midnight.  I might have managed, and will have to be content with what I’ve done.

I am going to attend a wedding that I am ecstatic about.  I am going to see friends, both from my service at the Baha’i World Centre and from closer to home.  I am going to stay with my cousin, who is eerily similar to me and who I am very excited to spend time with.  Most of all, I will get out of Chicago for a few days, which is exactly what I need.

Cities, day and night

Manhattan, NYC (taken from the Statue of Liberty)

Boston (This one was a little tricky, as I didn’t have a tripod, but I managed to get it.)

I mean, really…

As a departure from the last few rather serious posts, I’m going to write a bit about my recent adventures.

I stopped in Madison, Wisconsin on my way home from Minnesota a few days ago to visit a childhood friend.  She was kind enough to let me stay at her apartment, and we had a lovely time exploring the town (I got to pretend like I was in college again!) and catching up on life.

We were preparing breakfast that morning, and I may have been a little bit sleep-deprived (and had not had caffeine yet).  As I reached for the eggs, I slammed my forehead directly onto the refrigerator handle.

At the same time, I was having an allergy attack and was sneezing uncontrollably.  Holding my aching head in my hands, I went to the living room to get a tissue…and walked right into the sharp edge of the coffee table, scratching and bruising my leg at the same time.

I sat quietly for a while after that. 

Today, I spilled half a container of vanilla on the counter while making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.  sigh.

Recent events

The weekend before last I drove to Kansas City with some friends for the wedding that we now call “Lovefest 2008″, otherwise known as Andrew & Erin’s wedding.  Here are some things that I learned:

- You can’t rent a car without a credit card, and the person with the credit card has to be the main driver.  This was discovered on the morning that we were to leave.  Luckily we were saved by a friend and made it to the wedding.

- It was confirmed that Iowa is still full of corn.  Hasn’t changed since the last time I drove through it.

- We got a lot of attention at a gas station in Missouri.  Apparently the attendents were extremely bored.  We also bought Amish-made goods from a very sweet Amish family.

- Cracker Barrel has nearly nothing for gluten-intolerant or vegetarian individuals.  You should have seen our faces when we looked at the menu.

- My friends are amazing, rare individuals and it is very sad that we all live so far away from each other.

- Even though I am allergic to cats, and don’t like them very much anyway (more of a dog person), cats LOVE me.  I’m like the cat whisperer.  It is really weird.

- I love, love, love weddings. Having the opportunity to read at this wedding was such a blessing, and I was honored to be a small part of it. They are such a beautiful couple and I’m so happy for them!

This past weekend I had a lot of family in town from my mother’s side, and it was also the Conference of the Association of Friends of Persian Culture. Here are a few tidbits from that time:

- My family is great, and every time I hang out with them I see more of where I come from. It is so strange and wonderful to find out things about myself and my history, and I know these opportunities are rare.

- I actually enjoyed going to most of the sessions, there were some highly academic talks and I really missed being in that atmosphere.

- I got very little sleep, as is normal for a conference, and stayed up late with friends, talking about the good old days and laughing. Much needed.

From Kansas, with love.

There are so many faces
In each room, I turn and my heart fills
with a million histories
(I remember it all)
There are two ways that I see:
I see your smile
and I feel your soul
there is that.

I felt myself laughing and I could not restrain myself from jumping up and down. In the darkness I saw at least 25 faces that I love, 25 souls that I could not believe I missed so much.

Joy, joy!

They are, dears, they are. They are laughing and crying and I can’t explain why my lips quiver and my heart aches and it is all because I am surrounded by such beautiful everyones.

(I make the English language mine.)

Write a few moments of every day on clean paper, or on the back of your hand. Make notes in the margins, and scratch out anything that makes you sad. Sadness has its place but you all have my heart.

I love you, I love you.

Much Ado

This weekend there shall be a convergence upon Kansas City, KS such as it has never seen.  We are flying, driving, busing, and perhaps even walking to THE wedding of the summer.

Too much?  Nah.

To say that we’re excited about the union of Andrew and Erin would be a bit of an understatement. They are quite loved, and lovely, and then there is the fact that it is also going to be an entire weekend of partying, hanging out with friends that have spread out across the continent over the last few years, and very little sleep.

A road trip with some of my closest friends to reach this wedding, traversing the cornfields of the American Midwest, should yield a number of interesting pictures, which I will post upon my return.

Constantinople and Adrianople

When I was booking my plane tickets from Haifa to Chicago, I decided that I wanted to stop for two days in Turkey for sightseeing and pilgrimage.  So…I did. Go here for the entire set of pictures.

I arrived in Istanbul at 1 pm on Monday afternoon, the 16th of June, checked into my hotel, and promptly set off in the direction of the old city, on foot, alone.  There were so many things to see, and although I was exhausted (having had very little sleep for the last 36 hours), I wanted to see as much as I could. I was hungry, but unwilling to stop at a restaurant, so I purchased a bag of Turkish delight (lokum) to eat as I walked.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque
(I had to walk around it before I went in, just to take in the sheer size of it)

I also saw the outside of the Hagia Sophia, a lot of random parks, and historic-looking buildings. I explored the Kapalıçarşı (“Covered Bazaar”), where a carpet seller tried to ask me on a date. After that experience, I switched my ring to my left ring finger and pretended like I didn’t hear guys when they would talk to me. Traveling alone can be difficult in that way. I bought a few things there, bargaining ferociously. A taxi driver didn’t speak English, but he did point out some historic sites for me, and the Iranian embassy.

Whenever I wanted my picture taken, I would find the nearest American tourist.  They’re so accommodating. 

For dinner I found a kabob restaurant, took my food back to the hotel, and slept rather early. Tuesday morning I woke up at 7 am, walked to the train station, then took a bus from Istanbul to Edirne, about 3 hours away. When I arrived at the bus station in Edirne, I had to take a smaller, local bus into the city. The purpose of my visit to Edirne was to visit the House of Baha’u'llah as a pilgrim. Baha’u'llah, the most recent Manifestation of God, lived in Edirne for over four years.

House of Baha’u'llah in Edirne (Adrianople)

I had the opportunity to pray, meditate, and walk in the same streets and gardens that the Blessed Beauty and His followers lived. It was so peaceful there.

The Selimiye Mosque in Edirne was breathtaking, and literally down the street from the House of Baha’u'llah. I sat in the park nearby for a time, enjoying the sun and the view.

I then took a bus, another bus, and a train back to my hotel in Istanbul. The next morning, Thursday, I woke up in a panic, rather late for the airport, and got on my plane to Chicago.  It was the perfect way to end my service in the Holy Land.

home

Just a quick post to let everyone know I am home in Chicago.  Turkey was beautiful, and I will write more about it later.  I just walked in the door and I want to spend time with my family. 

Much love, and I miss all of you already.

My last post from Haifa

I am here, at 1:30 am, with so much in my heart and so few words. After 18 months in the Holy Land, I leave to go back to the United States in a few hours. Desperately finishing packing (a word of advice: definitely don’t leave this kind of thing to the last minute).

Serving in Haifa was a blessing, and I am overwhelmed by the love and friendship that I have experienced. You all know who you are. You have affected me in so many ways, and I treasure every moment we have had together, and look forward to seeing you again. I have no doubt that we will.

I will be home on Wednesday, after a brief stop in Turkey, which I will write more about after my travels. For now, I want to share an excerpt from something by Hand of the Cause William Sears, which I found while writing my farewell email to the staff at the Baha’i World Centre. It touched my heart in exactly the right way, and explained so well how I am feeling.

I can no longer wait,
The time grows short, the world moves on,
The sun goes down and the hour is late.

Some chances, we are told
Come once in life.
Some, every hundred years
And, some like this, of ours
Comes only once
Then never reappears.

Eilat, or “A musical journey”

This past weekend was a long one, as it was the Ascension of Baha’u'llah, and we had 3 days in a row off of work. A lucky group of 13 (5 guys and 8 girls) took a road trip down to Eilat, which is the southernmost city in Israel and a resort town.

We rode camels

Spent a lot of time at the beach/in the sun

And drove through the desert

There were 3 cars, and each had their own “style” when it came to music choices and driving. My car changed CDs between ABBA, Elvis, Chicago, Top 40 hits, Indie rock, and musicals. It was, quite frankly, hilarious. Also, my car was in the lead, and managed to get the entire caravan lost in Be’er Sheva for at least a 1/2 hour.  “Stay the course!” was the phrase of the day.  U2′s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was playing while we wandered around the city.

We ate good food and walked up and down the boardwalk, stopping for various amusements.  We played volleyball in the pool at the hotel, slept in, and generally relaxed.  I must say, for such a large group, we were fairly well organized.

So, just a few weeks before I leave Israel, I finally went to Eilat. 

The Sea of Galilee

I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.

But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.  And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

 (King James Bible, John)

This weekend I took an impromptu trip to the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Kinneret.  It is fascinating to visit these places as a Baha’i…not only is there the wealth of Christian history in this area, but also Baha’i history.  I’ve posted some pictures of my visit to the area here.  I haven’t traveled a lot within Israel, especially since many of the historic places are not generally advisable to visit.  It is such a gift to be able to see these places with my own eyes.

Growing up in a Christian country as a member of the Baha’i Faith, I absorbed a lot of things, but seeing these physical locations made me really want to read the Bible all the way through.  I started in college, and even attended a Bible study (but was quickly written off as “unlikely to convert” haha), but now I want to gain a better understanding.  Especially considering the fact that Baha’is believe in the Divinity of Jesus and consider Him to be a Manifestation of God, just as Abraham, Zoroaster, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha’u'llah.

It also brought home the point that the above passage from the Bible illustrates: that whenever a new Manifestation of God appears on the earth, we reject Him, we turn away and we subject Them to the worst kinds of degredation.  And yet God continues to send His Messengers to us.  The ultimate form of love.

In any case, it was wonderful to be able to spend the day with my relatives and get out of the city.  We were able to visit the resting place of Mirza Muhammad-Quli, a brother of Baha’u'llah.  “This great man was known even from his childhood for nobility of soul….he was detached from every selfish thought, averse to every mention except to whatever concerned the Holy Cause.” -Abdu’l-Baha, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 69

This weekend was also interesting because several religious holy days all happened within a few days of each other…and of course, living in Israel, I saw this happening in front of my eyes.   Naw-Ruz, of course, is the Baha’i New Year, and there was a celebration here that I attended…it was beautiful.  Purim, a Jewish holiday; Good Friday & Easter…suffice to say Haifa was a noisy city for the last few days.

It was so warm on Friday that I spent the morning out on my balcony in the sun. 

Spain

I came back to Israel from Spain nearly 2 weeks ago, and I simply haven’t had a moment to sit down and write about it. Suddenly a few moments came together (something about a tear in the space-time continuum), and this post magically happened. Don’t ask me how, I have no clue.  Anyway, you can find pictures here.

I discovered that I am perfectly content drinking several cups of coffee each day, as long as it is at a picturesque cafe in a lovely European city. It is very easy to get used to.

I know I have stories…

but really, all I have to say at the moment is:

I love Spain.  (click for pictures)

Camping

Before this past weekend, I had never been camping.  I’ve been to cabins, lots of road trips, and so many hotels I can’t even count anymore.  But somehow I missed out on the camping thing.  We had nine people and camped out on the shore of the Dead Sea.  Some highlights from the trip:

• Circles around the roundabout in Arad…and other misadventures.  We had two cars, so were following each other…which sometimes caused hilarious situations when people were trying to figure out where to go.   Thank God for cell phones.
• Setting up two tents in the dark.
• A band of 60 people showing up at around 11 pm and setting up camp around us.  There were Arabs with kerosene lamps playing loud music, and Filipinos chattering away and singing along to the stereo system they brought.  None of us slept very well.  At one point, around 4 am, I ended up walking around because I couldn’t sleep.
• 6:30 am wakeup call by some of my fellow campers who decided that they wanted breakfast.  I woke up to a cheerful voice saying “Time to wake up and start the day!”  My response was unintelligible. 
• Floating in the Dead Sea…I definitely need to go at least one more time before I leave Israel.
• Hiking around Masada.  Wow.
• Amazing dinner in Hertzliya at an Asian-style restaurant.