No Meat?

I have been a vegetarian for over a week now. I never planned it, but once I realized I was doing it, I decided to give it a shot. My diet has consisted of too much meat for too long, but being a vegetarian is fairly easy. I don't think I'll be too strict with it, but we'll see how it goes.

However, being vegetarian is not too much of a sacrifice as I had two Maine lobsters last night at a dinner at Boston College's Bellarmine Villa. I also love haddock, swordfish, sole, and salmon.

I'm still amazed at the benefits of yoga and exercise. I've been with pain for three years already and within one week, 85% of the pain has been alleviated. This morning, I used the hip abductor and adductor and I allowed my hips to be stretched. Wow! Great pain that felt so good. I feel much greater mobility. Why did I wait so long?

It must proves that we have to enter into our pain if it is going to be lessened. Pain always wants to be acknowledged.

I'm enjoying silence at night. No early morning muezzin or setting up/tearing down Abdali souk - just silence. Wonderful. Ah, and the smell of fresh ocean air is intoxicating.

I'm enjoying my art class and I painted another watercolor this week. A friend of mine took me to Michael's Arts and Crafts to frame my first watercolor painting. It is fun to explore this. I also visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston with a friend from Maine earlier this week.

All is good. I miss Jordan, the parishioners, many good people, and I continue to pray for more than peace between Israel and Gaza, for Syria, Iraq - especially the Christians, Turkey, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. And of course, my dear Jordan.