A FANTASTIC DAY IN SOCIAL ISOLATION IN MIAMI ...

A FANTASTIC DAY IN SOCIAL ISOLATION ? NO ANXIETY NO FEAR BUT SHEER JOY OF FRIENDS FROM NEAR AND FAR.  30 APRIL 2020 IN MIAMI WHICH IS UNDER LOCKDOWN

The Old soldier who had fought in Vietnam had died, carrying with him knowledge and memories. I was sad, lit candles and said Kaddish for his soul. The Jews and American Indians share certain funeral traditions, like covering the mirrors, sitting Shiva (for Indians it is 4 days) and a sendoff to the other world.

My Cuban spiritual sister from La Habana, asked me to light candles for the next three days, keep a white glass of water.

I slept very well and woke up feeling extremely well. In the words of the UmonHon Indians, I was being blessed by the departing Indian. It was almost an euphoric feeling which persisted throughout the day.

My friends always have lived in other countries. Ever since I finished my education, I have never stayed in one country or one place for one month at a time. These are challenging times of course.

A friend from Linz, had sent a message saying, that shops had been open in her town and her first purchases were two books in the Spanish language.

Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, took my heart away for a whirl of a journey.

I had just become consultant to the Traditional Kickapoo who maintain homes in Mexico, in the northern state of Coahuila ans Eagle Pass, a dusty little Texan Border town of no memorable character. On one of my visits, someone was visiting the tribe from Dallas and she invited me to come to Dallas if I am in the neighbourhood. I am sorry I do not remember her name nor what organization she worked for.

She treated me to a reasonable Tex-Mex dinner in Fort Worth, and suggested that we go to a Mexican movie which had been reviewed well over the years.

It was Like Water for Chocolate

Its effect on me was immense and immediate. The story takes place at the time of the Mexican Revolution, the place was the northern part of Coahuila which I was familiar with and also there is a connection to the Kickapoo in the film.

Food as Emotion, particularly remember when Tita the tragic heroine bakes a cake and all those eating them, because she had put so much of her emotions into it, begin to cry uncontrollably.

I felt close to my friends.

I wrote to a friend of mine in Cologne.

Books, Literature, Films, Music when shared and enjoyed together, bring friends closer. It is not something new, people have known about this for ages.

As Pablo Neruda had written in one of his poems:

I have never seen people so happy.

On this day when someone called me Joudi Joon

I felt such happiness

I felt that the old Indian wanted this for me, his parting gift

And I received confirmation from the Spiritualist in Cuba.

Claro si todo sale y tengo fe yo lo eleve y pedi por ti como gran amigo y te iluminara y que se encontrara con sus seres en otro mundo y te iluminara y al igual y yo queria que el entrara en mi cuadro spiritual.

Minutes were flowing fast, and the stream took the form of hours. I felt good toward my friends with whom I correspond regularly, as has been my custom. 

These days, I wake up when my body wakes me up. I eagerly and mindfully make Cuban coffee, the coffee actually ground by hand in the mountains of Eastern Cuba by a family that I know.

Attend to messages and if any medical advice is sought, take care of that.

Soon enough, the noon hour is here.

I go for a walk in the neighbourhood.

It is pleasant

As I was turning the corner, I noticed the skies, getting darker by the minute

I did not want to run

And the downpour was so sudden and so strong and I was wet thoroughly within a minute

I did not mind

The temperature continued its march towards the usual hot summer

Catching up on the medical literature

Noting down exciting new information

The research coming out regarding the immunological aspects of this disease would change the way the doctors will have to think in the future

Obesity is the highest risk

Apart from being Black or Poor or Both

Then comes the dietary habits

Poor quality nutrition suppresses your immunity

It may take years of good quality nutrition to reverse that

So, don’t expect immediate results with going vegan or vegetarian

What are the anthropologists thinking ?

Peruse a few journals

Light meals

Another gift

A colleague and friend, had a delicate endocrine dysfunction

After much discussion we embarked on a course of action

Within two weeks we had the results, how we could influence the precise mechanisms of the body with changes from the exterior and with helpful thinking

Without resorting to medications.

I knew it I knew it I shouted when she wrote to say: I have some news for you ..

Just wonderful

In between all these, I managed to read a few pages of the Book

Havana Red by Leonardo Padura of Havana

I have been looking forward to meeting him

Wait for the viral detective to leave us before a face to face meeting with this popular writer from Cuba.

Messages from Cuba, all very strong and optimistic . Cuba is doing a wonderful job of containing this virus. Majority of the positive  Corona virus tests are on people who are asymptomatic. That means the surveillance is excellent. A colleague of mine had to go to an isolation centre with her grandchildren when it turned out that her daughter who is a director of a hospital turned out positive. After my colleague’s test came back negative, she was allowed to return home, for 14 days of compulsory isolation and work from home and each day someone or other from the Public Health comes to enquire about her.

Good Luck Cuba, you with your just sense of caring for your people.

A nice conversation with my erudite psychiatrist friend who lives in Buenos Aires

What all happens in the course of a day?

I thought of my illustrious friend Dr. Tan

President of the International Zheng He society, based in Singapore

I found a book amidst my electronic collections

What a coincidence!

Hormuz! Jews in the Persian Gulf.. Iran and its dynasties

All the things I love

I won’t be allowed to visit Hormuz by the bearded ones of Iran

Dr Tan had wanted me to take a group of Zheng He enthusiasts to Hormuz and Oman

I had visited, more than once, the harbor Zheng He stayed while his boats underwent repair

The Magical Salalah in Dhofar

Chinese porcelain discovered in UAE shows 700 years of Relations

Experts find early evidence of diplomatic relations between China and Julfar, the medieval predecessor of Ras Al Khaimah

how nice to find this chapter about the jewish presence in the Persian Gulf countries from the 7th Century onwards. Jews have been present in Iran since time immemorial.

Rains had stopped as is their custom in these parts of the world

People have been fast asleep for hours in

Cochin Kuala Lumpur Sriracha Karaj Haifa Linz Bruselas Cologne
Had to explain to someone in Thailand that the danger is on its way out

An Indian elder called, he just wanted to say Hello

Elders of the Indian tribes are treasures of Humanity

It is my duty to protect them

“Um ancião indígena que morre é uma perda para toda a humanidade”, diz Márcio Meira

Today has been an extraordinarily euphoric day

Thank you, the Old Indian Soldier of wisdom

My spiritual sister in Havana, Cuba

My friends near and far .. Love you all.

My good friend the psychiatrist from Buenos Aires sent me this video

Here is a video from Buenos Aires

We say, Family you cannot choose but Friends certainly you can choose .

The clock has struck midnight
I have been up since 9 am 
This has been such a good day in the Isolation ? in Miami

Feel very grateful 
Including the music that I can stream on line 

 Okay, Habibi, move over.. thanks for the Flower..

ah mi buenos aires querido..

I usually take my blood pressure at this time of the night 

This is incredibly good.
Life has become a meditation 
Mindfulness of the present
Cant even plan a trip? a visit to the Indigenous people of the Amazonia? Not possible at the moment
Very content ..Very grateful
I want to thank all of you 
Meus amigos 

Little bit more of Havana Red before falling asleep ..