Here I sit reflecting on my memories of what I have gone through over the last four weeks. As I ponder the recent memories an even bigger and broader scope appears, a scope of my entire life. The word that comes to mind, without a doubt, in the context of this scope, is extraordinary. My life has been extraordinary. I feel I wear these colors, like a rainbow, in the way I cook, communicate, and connect with others. Its so much a part of who I have become, and what makes my smile so large.
A quick glance into a realm I consider extraordinary: Climbing above 16,000 feet on a glacier, the last 500 feet solo on ice, with ice axe and crampons, no ropes, only to slip and fall on the way down and nearly not stop, with crevaces deeper than an imagination trying to swallow me, all for a glimpse of one of the most beautiful mountains in the world- Alpamayo, located in the Andes Range, Cordillera Blanca, Peru. I remember considering how much my life meant to me then. I felt like I could see forever, yet the end was staring me in the face. Thankfully I made it to safety and the experience taught me a great deal about how to appreciate life, not to mention the serenity that accompanied the phenomenal views.
The first distinct view of Alpamayo.
Alpamayo's most famous view
The third and final view. Notice how each face is completely different.
Surfing the Mentawaii Islands, off the coast of Indonesia, while living on a boat for 10 days and exploring reef breaks of epic proportions also comes to mind. I remember one afternoon at PB+J's (name of a break) and these giant sets were coming through. There was no hope duck diving, so we would just ditch our boards, swim deep, and hope for the best. About the best we got was the feeling of being a sock in a washing machine, except imagine the motor is broken because the cycle is going about 20 times as fast as it should, so the sock is flopping around helplessly. Meanwhile we are getting pushed into a razor sharp reef known to slice open flesh with the slightest touch. The questions about life begin to arise yet again.
The smell of the morning dew and the natural aroma of the Sacred Valley with Urabamba river below, at dawn, as the clouds break and reveal a timeless treasure in Machu Picchu. Still the most beautiful site I have ever laid eyes on, a masterpiece of human ingenuity, a treasure of brilliance, the wonder of the human mind landscaped on a steep and dangerous hillside. Climbing to the top of Wayna Picchu (the large rock hill attached to Macchu Picchu) revealed the setting from a whole different perspective, just like meditation can do with our lives. The way up and the way down is incredibly steep, and so it goes with our paths toward realization.
Aside from these monumental adventures, there is so much to mention, such as: surfing perfect waves in Bali just two weeks after a large bombing.. traveling solo for a week in France not being able to speak a lick of French.. a quick trip to Spain where I feel in love with Barcelona.. the countrysides of Italy and the delightful food and wine that adorns the culture.. the rental cars, Foosball games, epic waves, and all around good times/romances in Costa Rica.. that three day greyhound bus trip, round trip, from Whitefish, MT to NYC.. attending 14 years of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, seeing 77 Phish shows, including the travels to and from, full of wonderful people and stories.. the lady boys in Singapore that nearly fooled us into thinking they were, well, you know..
So these are a few examples of this extraordinary state I am contemplating. Obviously there are many travels mentioned above, yet as I think of my career I hold the same amazement at what I have been able to accomplish. Its literally quite fascinating that I am flooded with these fruitful memories of my life. I am delighted to be able to look back with a deep contentment of many of the choices I have made. Its not all chocolate and roses though, such is life, I have sour memories of mistakes I've made over the years. One of my favorite things about sour thoughts is that, over time, the sour-ness breaks down, the memories become sweeter as we accept them for what they are, as necessary occurrences for us to become who we are today.
My first experience with Acupuncture was tonight. I can't believe its taken me this long to actually try out this ancient healing technique. The feeling I had was that my body was a harp, each needle was playing a string in my body, and the chi in my body was the sound of the music. For the first time since the accident I could actually detect and feel the injury in my body, as if I had a cat-scan delivered to my brain and nervous system explaining what exactly was wrong. It was bizarre to be able to isolate the injury and have the feeling be amplified, while at the same time energy was moving throughout the rest of my body.
Speaking of needles, I've gotten really darn good at giving myself the shot in the stomach. I've found that I can go with a slow, steady piercing and a nice even press of the liquid. I am so proud of my new skills that I've tried to show them off to a few people, for some reason nobody is interested in watching me do this. I figure I might as well entertain others if I have to do it anyway.
I am now spending the majority of my day out of bed and either in the wheelchair or sitting on the couch. A week ago I was definitely not ready to spend any more than a few hours out of bed. I feel like progress is going well, as each day there is improvement with my condition. I'm happy to report I am almost free of eating Norco (Lortab/Tylenol mix), and Robaxin (muscle relaxer). My pain management has become a lot more balanced, specifically with some of the natural medication taking the place of the pills.
One of my big challenges of the day is to not sneeze. While I was in the hospital even if my body felt the urge to sneeze, my body would not allow me to sneeze. Whats the big deal with sneezing you may ask? Well, I can feel the damaged areas of my body, its as if an x-ray camera just flashed while I sneezed and highlighted where the pain exists, the image then reveals a wave of pain. Normally I welcome a sneeze and get myself really psyched up for it, as a good sneeze can feel incredibly relieving. Now, however, as soon as I feel a sneeze coming on I begin to try and suppress it, sometimes I even plead with the sneeze. There is a technique where I can squeeze a pillow really tight with my arms, then lean my head down and sneeze into the pillow. The pillow is supposed to keep the body from moving or jolting during the sneeze. Problem is I'm not always carrying a pillow, in fact I hardly ever have one accessible.
Most people that visit me remark how thin I look. It seems I have lost a little weight, mostly I think I have lost muscle mass. I have initiated a personal cause to eat large amounts of food, in part because I am trying to regain some weight. This is also due to the reality that everyone who visits either cooks food or brings some with them to cook. This is fantastic! I've been devouring sushi, pork stews, well cooked breakfasts, quinoa w/veggies, pork tenderloin with cauliflower and artichokes, shrimp and calamari pasta, just a few of the latest dishes that I've been enjoying. Leftovers are common and I am eating like a madman to keep up. Its fun to eat a lot. My body is really enjoying it and my metabolism continues to work overtime- much like my ambition and my drive.
The Restaurant is going well. Tonight we hosted a seven course wine dinner. Here is the menu:
*Tuna Tartare, Oscetra Caviar, Lemongrass, Bottarga, Quail Egg, Saffron
*Poached Salt Prawns, Heirloom Tomato Water, Basil Mayonnaise, Crisp Brussels
*Roast Foie Gras, Preserved Kumquats, Vanilla-Maple Foie Emulsion, Spiced Brioche, Microgreens
*Cured Elk Tenderloin, Celery Root, Apple, Crisp Prosciutto, Collard Greens
*Braised Lamb Scalopini, Roast Garlic, Rosemary-Burnt Tomato Creme, Truffle Whipped Yukons
*Kobe Beef Ribeye, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Heirloom Tomato Oil, Spinach, White Balsamic, Brabants
*Ginger-Carrot and Cream Cheese Cake, Fresh Wasabi
This required a good deal of time and energy from me. It was also a tremendous building exercise for the back of the house crew to execute a menu that they are far from used to. I felt as if I was operating from a satellite location, giving instructions, discussing techniques, still orchestrating the event. There is only so much I can do, and I am so proud of my staff for being able to pull off the dinner with flying colors.
I suppose I will not have to ever return to work, since my staff has been able to handle my absence. It looks like another Phish tour may be on the horizon, or at least some extravagant trip to somewhere exotic where I might be able to burn a few more of the nine lives I have. I probably only have a couple left. On second thought, maybe I will save those for a later date. Surely there are plenty of other extraordinary experiences to immerse in.
In light,
andino
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