Meditation - The Glass Menagerie - Eye Surgery

The room was packed at the Abington Free Library when I walked in and took my accustomed seat.... aisle seat, one of the last rows.

Shortly thereafter, a beautiful woman walked in - my brain registered her beauty first - and then I realized it was my friend Yin Liu and her husband Patrick Cox. I'd told them about the program and there they were.

Yin and Patrick at the nearby Colonial Quy-Bau in Willow Grove, PA.

Six months ago, Yin sustained a terrible fall over at her gym. Broken bones and surgery. She showed me the healing places on her arm. A big pink scar on her inner wrist that I gently rubbed with my fingers. "Healing energy," I said.

She always brings me gifts. Some black tea.

Hadn't realized it but her husband Pat has been meditating for a long time.

Jim Rose,who conducted the workshop - see his organization here - tours the world giving free demonstrations of meditation. 

I really enjoyed it. Our homework assignment - good for you, Jim for giving us one - is to meditate every day for a week and see how we like it.

Do it first thing in the morning, he advised. He also said he meditates at 2 in the morning. That was the time he always woke up and couldn't fall asleep.

His wife also meditates. Each of em can tell if the other hasn't meditated.... like not having your morning coffee, you grouch, you!

I am gonna give meditation a try, but I like to lie in bed and read first thing in the morning.

For months I wasn't reading any good books. Now I've got 5 or 6 of em stacked up on the husband's side of the bed. Look what I found in the New Book Section of the Upper Moreland Library....




She may produce a couple of new books a year. Gotta talk to my book and movie-luvin' friend Judy Diaz about this. Judy, who moved to Niwot, CO - (named after Chief Niwot) - found out about a community-based mental health center there - Judy and I were therapists at the now-defunct Bristol-Bensalem Human Services - called Health Partners. She called to tell me it reminded her of New Directions.

So naturally I want to get Jim Rose to speak at New Directions.

Now, here's how I did my meditation.

Yesterday, Thursday, I left home at 7 am.

It was gray and misty outside. I nodded hello to all my new flowers, including four exquisite dahlias
and my blue delphinium that is drooping miserably, as if she's crying.

Went shopping at the Giant b/c I was plum out of food. How delicious it is to shop at 7 in the a.m. There were NO cars in the lot.

After I shopped, I wheeled my cart into the darkened Coffee Shop, took a seat near the fire place in an easy chair, and closed my eyes.

Meditated easily for 20 minutes. It's okay, said Jim Rose, if you fall asleep while meditating. And take c/o any physical sensations that might get in your way, like scratching an itch, or blowing your nose.

On YouTube, I watched the complete The Glass Menagerie, made in 1950, with a beaming dimpled Kirk Douglas - a shy and limping Jane Wyman - Arthur Kennedy - see below - a great character actor whose name I never remember



Below is great stage actress Gertrude Lawrence. Ever since I was a little kid and absy in love with movie stars, I've heard of Gertrude and at last I saw her remarkable acting skills.

A Britisher, she starred in the original The King and I.

Here she is berating her son, who finally leaves home. Hadn't realized the end of the film was changed from the original play by Tennessee Williams. It was a happy ending.



Got lots of reading done when I went for my eye appointment in prep for my cataract eye surgery. The office was packed and only two docs were on duty

Sir Francis Clark, who I saw the day before and he remanded me to the custody of his colleague Sir Mark Montag.

Montag was huge - as big as a linebacker. I'd heard him in the room next to me while I was reading about The Zodiak Killer stalking women and then shooting them.

He was talking loudly to an elderly woman, nicely explaining things to her.

Then he comes in my room, dressed in charcoal-gray pants n short-sleeves.

I looked thru the Retina machine - Look up, look upper right, look lower right, look at your feet, and on and on.

I have a wrinkle on my retina. It's not bad, he said. You won't go blind. He told me that twice. Which is good. Like my Aunt Selma and her macular. Her doc told her, Your eyesight will never go all dark.

Epiretinal Membrane is the name of my condition. Should I memorize the name?

Dr Montag said my eyes showed no signs of my having diabetes.

When I left the office I was blinded by the sun, as my eyes had been dilated. Fortunately I had a pair of sunglasses in my car. I now wear eyeglasses in prep for my surgeries which last from July until early September.

Today is June 13.

Mon dieu, the month is halfway over. How can I hold onto June? Shall I hold onto it by the tail as if it were a cat? Or stand outside when the sun comes out and cup the sun in my hand and ask it to stick around longer?

Powerless. Scuse me, while I sit on my red couch and meditate while the rain comes gently down.