Monday, July 29, 2024

 Monday, July 29, 2024  

   Every Monday morning at 8 a.m., I do Chi Qigong on a bluff overlooking the tide pools at the shoreline at Old A, the site of the original Kona airport. It was probably suitable for prop planes. We now have a full-on international airport a little further to the north.  Where the area must have been hectic when it was an airport, it is now lovely and peaceful.  

   Again, only Clyde and I were there for the session. I arrived with a disturbed mind; I managed to quiet it. I have been getting better at doing this. What a relief! Afterward, I went home to do some housekeeping in anticipation of Damon’s visit.

   Damon, Cylin, and August were scheduled to arrive today at 2 p.m. They were supposed to come last week, but Cylin got Covid. I learned August wasn’t coming this morning because he was sick with something, probably not Covid. 

  I met with a new client, a young boy, and both his parents. I will not discuss this in my updates because there are people who read it who will recognize who I am talking about. It was an interesting encounter. I discovered the father’s mind works much as mine does. He is also analytical. He looks for the core principle underlying something, just as I do. It was exciting to have such an encounter. He also knows about neuroscience. Amazing. I have yet to find out why he’s interested.

   Damon called when he arrived at his AirBnB, and I drove there. Damon doesn’t do well in other people’s space or having people stay in his space. When Mike and I visited LA, we could only stay at Damon’s house for three nights. If we wanted to stay longer, we had to find other accommodations.

   His Airbnb had a pool and a sauna. Damon can’t live without a pool. He has a hot tub at home and spends many hours in it. He often calls me while soaking.  

  When I met up with Damon and Cylin, it was their dinner time by the LA clock. We went to Huggo’s, arriving at four. We stopped at Huggo’s on the Rocks, and Cylin got a drink. Then we wandered over to the restaurant, which had just opened. We could only order pupus (appetizers) until 5 o’clock.  I ordered their poke tower, which I love, and a lemonade. I ordered a salad, too. It was skimpy.  Damon ordered garlic bread, which was sensational.  

  At five, Cylin ordered a pasta dish, which Damon shared, and I had a bite of it.  I hoped to order some dessert but was too stuffed to finish all the poke. At the end of the meal, 

      Damon declared I was not to touch the bill and then walked away. I followed, realized I had forgotten my scarf, and returned to get it. I ran into the waiter, who asked if Damon would be returning to the table. I assured him Damon was not a runner. The waiter brought the bill to the front desk just as Cylin emerged from the bathroom. Damon was a few seconds later. 

   Damon wanted to go to Safeway to pick up food items for the morning. I persuaded them to go to Old A to see the view of my Chi Qigong site, which I so loved. They found it as remarkable as I did.

   We ran into a couple there who were locals. They lived up Kaloko, the same street Damon’s Airbnb was on. Damon’s house was at about 1200 feet; their house was at 4,000. They said their home was the second from the top. That’s the top of the road, not the mountain. The mountain is a total of 8,300 feet.  It’s wet and cold at 4,000 feet, but they love it. Damon’s Air BnB was damp and chilly but not plagued with mildew as the houses at the higher levels.

  Our next stop was Safeway. I waited in the car, meditating and dozing. Their excursion took about half an hour. Damon called me from the checkout to ask if I had a Safeway card. Yes, what’s the telephone number? I was pretty sure it was the landline number we had when we first moved here. I thought I could find it under Mike’s name in my address book, but it wasn’t there. Damon checked it in his address book. Bingo! He said he saved $25.

  We drove back to the Airbnb, where my car was parked. I drove myself home. I opened the chocolate-covered almonds Cylin gave me. I had put them on the front seat of my car when we left for town earlier. The chocolate had melted. I still dug in, getting chocolate all over my hands. I felt like a kid. They were delicious, better than the Costco brand I buy. I never watched TV. I went to bed and slept well.