Extreme Savasana

Tomorrow morning I get my cochlear implant; the silver spider as I've dubbed it. I have to be at the hospital at 5:45 AM tomorrow (August 16th). They told me to dress comfortably, which seems odd since I am sure they will make me put on one of those silly hospital gowns, so why do they care what I wear?

They will put me completely under general anesthesia. Apparently so general that my lungs will cease to function and I will have to be "intubated," meaning placed on a breathing machine. This, I must admit, completely freaks me out. This is extreme savasana.

Really they are simply putting in a telephone line that will allow the hearing processor (aka HAL) to send bits and bytes through my skin to the silver spider burrowed into my outer skull which in turn sends those bits down the pipeline by the tens of millions per second to my cochlear and then my brain. It's just like wiring your house for cable. All you get is the receiver. I get HAL next week.

Different friends and family from around the world have been showing amazing support for me and for the surgery: me mates at work are cheering me on, in LA I've got a Hebrew thing happening - Peru too; in Minnesota I've got family and friends thinkin' and prayin'; in Middletown OH, the Baptist church that my mother-in-law attends and her Bridge Club have a few prayer circles working on my behalf, in London, New Jersey, San Francisco and New York, I've got Episcopalians and Catholics praying, and at least few agnostic Finns thinking about me in New York and Helsinki.

In New Mexico, I've got two new friends (courtesy of my CA based sister) dedicating their morning meditation practice to me. Here's what Beverly wrote to me:

"we will dedicate our morning meditation to you. sleep well, stay relaxed, and trust the universe to guide you to your best outcome. a friend recently told me this (it isn't an exact quote, but the intent is conveyed, i hope): karma determines only 10% of your life experience. the other 90% is determined by your response to your karma. stay positive, find the gift and opportunity in every circumstance that finds you, and life will be perfect. transcendent wishes."

That is always the challenge isn't it? To stay positive, to find the gift. I am realizing that the gift I am receiving here has nothing to do at all with the silver spider or HAL.

So while I am being wired for sound in the morning, I will practice extreme savasana, and part of that practice - the gift I have found - will be to accept the gifts being given to me from around the world.

"... the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from there. Then there is no problem."

- Shunryu Suzuki



With love and thanks beyond earth and sky to all of you everywhere.


Namaste.

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savasana
cochlear
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