I abstained from Christmas for the second year in a row. It was fun to watch it all go buy and not participate. I had a few flashed of positivity that made me think next year I could get into the season again. I had papers in hand for the first time in 4 years to go to Canada and back but my aunt said I couldn't sleep in her basement so... I just declined to return.

I found a retreat to go on at Manzanita Village for 10 days. I was not quite thinking it would be about 6 1hour+ sits each day - this with meals and a work shift left little time for myself. All that meditating and eating in silence was GREAT though. Of course they didn't mention Christmas at all (Even though I was there for Christmas) but we did all 8 nights of Hanukkah and 7 of Kwanzaa. I should add that not mentioning Christmas at all was sad for me - I generally think of myself as a happy Episcopalian and I get tired of inter-religious meaning 'everything but christianity' in California.

I got thinking about our community around identity while there because there was several non-binary-gender choice folks who were also meditating. Are we going to build identity systems that are inclusive of non-binary gender choices?

I sat beside a young Transwoman named Hanah, beside her was a woman named Fred who by the end of her stay was wearing a bright orange button that said I might be transsexual. There was a Transgender Man named Jaran. It is not to surprising that there would be some transgender folks at the treat because Caterian Reed one of the Dharma teachers there is a Transwoman. In the end sitting there meditating - people are just people.

It is good to be back now. Everything is moving just a bit slower. I am breathing more consciously and overall refreshed. I just did a sidebar revamp that includes events that I am going to or might go to all the way to October (you have to scroll down to get it).