deep and simple

This past week was humbling and exhausting.

Was it the slightly punishing summer weather with its windy afternoons and sneezy nights? Was it the car engine hiccups and worrying commutes between appointments and visits to the vw specialist, or was it my teaching week?

Earlier this week, I wrote a letter of recommendation for a student interested in volunteering to counsel at a teen suicide hotline. She's 14 and has been volunteering for several years in different places. Midweek, a student shared that middle school was a tough adjustment. Peer pressure was a burden that made her sad and I could feel she was controlling her tears when she spoke. I saw how delicate and strong she was. Remember middle school? I told her that if she asked any adult, many would tell her it was an awkward place, sometimes miserable. She is doing all the things I did to survive middle school; journaling and diving into hobbies that give personal satisfaction. She's discovered photography as I did at her age. And she has piano lessons with me twice a week. Lastly, I had a lesson with a mother who missed her son. He had reached that stage where he had outgrown hugs and won't enjoy mom/son duets at the moment.

And each of these students made beautiful music despite the circumstances that weighed into their day. They may have fumbled a note here and there but they were graceful and gracious through the dissonance.

I was present to some gorgeous poignant moments. I hope you had a few. Moments where you are a soul watching time stand still while being with someone who needed a witness to their sadness or their fears. Live deeply and simply.

I hope you were able to bring comfort.

It was a beautiful, humbling, and exhausting week.

JNET

"Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex." (Fred Rogers)

fire engine red beauty says hello

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My bug handled the drive to SD like a champion but I felt it cough while taking on a final steep climb on the freeway. That was a bit nerve wracking after 3 hours of driving. My legs were shaking when I finally arrived at my destination. My right arm scolded me for the stick shift workout and the tremor was more pronounced.

The drive was my attempt at fighting off any post accident fears of driving before emotions had a chance at hijacking my sense of happy independence. I still feel rough around the edges but enjoyed my family time. I planned to visit a mechanic before heading north.

I visited downtown San Diego's Griffin's Auto Shop in Little Italy for a diagnostic test and found a fleet of classics visiting their auto doc. The red VW camper greeted my arrival. The shop was busy. I wasn't the only one impressed by their reviews.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/griffins-auto-repair-san-diego?start=20

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Griffin's Auto was kind enough to put my car on top of their queue when they learned I was from out of town and was trying to get home safely. They gave me a free coffee voucher to visit a neighboring cafe and encouraged me to play tourist and go enjoy a stroll.

This decadent coffee had Nutella.. its hard to say no to Nutella. It was yummy!

My car was road ready within an hour. They didn't find any major problems and gave me a small list of homework for my mechanic to do before I make another big drive. They discounted the diagnostic test, gave me peace of mind and Griffins became my new official shop that I will go to for my VW needs when in SD.

Next visit is slated for next month. I'm already battling fear talk in my head. I'm planning to win. Here's to healing body and soul.

JNET

ambulance chasers

They've been the brunt of jokes. Is it an American thing or do other countries also have humor that looks at attorneys with disdain?

I have quite a few attorneys in my life and I've never really needed one. Maybe I will call upon a friend for advice every blue moon or refer a friend to an entertainment lawyer. I am close to them mostly due to their other interests like music and their families. We talk about LIFE like normal people. They tell me of concerts they have attended; their favorite pianists. I hear how they studied music aI'm s a child and didn't get reading music down and want to make sure their child can read notation with ease. They lament at their child's pop music fascinations and we rally together to broaden their classical training while fitting in pop.

So when my roommate decided to rib me on now having an "ambulance chaser" who's a dear friend of a student's family, I took pause and asked him who's side is he on?

There are attorneys who take on companies advocating for people that could easily be swept away if they didn't have representation and there are attorneys who fight on behalf of company entities. Why make a huge sweeping judgement on a whole group of people when there are a lot of compassionate good professionals willing to go to bat for an individual?

This ambulance chaser joke stops people from seeking help navigating through complex terrain. Believe me, I had no idea how tedious the process is. My car got rear-ended before Christmas and I've been waiting on reports before I can sort my car out. Meanwhile, I also hurt and am finding that the pain is not going away as fast as I'd like.

Today, I finally get to take my car in to begin repairs. I couldn't be happier with who's on my side. They are kind and they are fierce. They are the kinds of people and energy this world needs to create balance in a sometimes dark and confusing world.

Stop with the ambulance chaser jokes. It will make you sound like you are siding with Goliath.

JNET

my fierce kind world

I had to prop myself against the wall while teaching a piano student last week. I saw her yesterday happier after seeing a chiropractor. Her dad had a less than sparkly opinion of chiropractors. Despite my trust in chiro treatment, the question came up of what if something is wrong inside of me that a chiro can’t catch without equipment like MRIs and X-ray machines. What if I bend to pick up a sock in a month and really start to feel pain?

Oh.

My student’s dad insisted that I not go through the insurance process without an attorney. I called his friend/colleague and I feel better that the tedious communication with the insurance won’t be so tedious if someone who knows the terrain speaks for me.

Save your receipts and send them after treatment was what the insurance advised. I’ve been conservative with how to take care of myself. I don’t exactly have loads of cash to dole out and I don’t want to cash out my crypto. I don’t have a lot there either. (I’m a crypto baby.) With the current dipping trend, opening my blockfolio makes me sad. So….hip pain and stiffness….. what to do??? stretching is free. Staying in bed, sleeping under a infrared lamp like a baby chick, have been my way of taking care of myself. But it is not enough to hope that I will be okay in a couple of weeks with stretching and chiro adjustments. I don’t want to pick up that proverbial sock that will scream JNET is broken inside and I find my health and quality of life in a downward spiral.

As a rule of life, I’ve avoided doctors save for physical checkups. I’ve received gleaming reports and have taken good care of myself through healthy lifestyle choices. I avoid toxic people and bottleneck conversations. This car accident has put a spanner in the cogs and I’m not feeling right with my body. I’m off my routine. I want my car fixed and I want to feel better and my friends want that too. They are making lists of people I need to see now.

Meeting new people. Eeek! Meeting new people connected to the kind people I know….less scary. I mentioned I’m INTJ. Joy for me is solitude. Sadly, my body is messing with my joyful solitude.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have so many good people rally for me. I’m surrounded by kind people who love fiercely. When all is not right with the world, it means a lot that people care to make it right.

Be kind always and love fiercely.

JNET

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