from the BonnieSphere

Today I met four people I didn’t know yesterday, and am very happy for it indeed.

But let me preface this by saying that last night I read the first pages of a book by Neale Donald Walsch (of “Conversations With God” fame) called… “When Everything Changes, Change Everything.” In this book, he offers exercises – or clues – as to how to take advantage of a situation in which one finds that life is suddenly not what it had been… Sounds like just the right book for me right now, non? I had bought it some days ago, and in my time-honored fashion, was putting off starting it. But yesterday as I was cleaning and puttering in my room, I bent over near the TV and the book actually fell off the television and hit me on the head.

I got it, I’m not stupid.

So I started reading it last night. And the very first thing he counsels is not to try to “go it alone” when one is in this kind of floating place. “But I’m NOT alone, I thought, I have all those great people who have supported me all this time.” And yet I also realized that I was craving some “copine” contact – not many of the people in my life have much time for just hanging out, and I don’t have many people I can just call and say “hey, let’s do a movie”. There are some, yes, and perhaps even some that I have been neglecting – I shall explore that issue in coming weeks!

But meanwhile, today I met four very NEW people that I feel happy about. Well, one of them I didn’t actually meet, and certainly won’t be calling up for a chat, but she counts anyway, because it was a very nice happening.

I went back to church at the ACP this morning for the first time in more than a year. I played a “sub” position for Fred’s Monday evening handbell choir, as he’s recently lost a member, and also directed his choir so that he could play the organ part. That second event was a bit of a hair-raiser for me, as I know how much of a perfectionist he is, and I only had a couple of run-throughs with the choir before the service. In addition, I’m rotten lousy with tempos, and I hate giving the initial tempo to ANY accompanist (I hardly ever use one with Voices) and on top of it, today’s accompanist was that very same Fred. But I enjoyed it very much indeed, and I think the choir felt satisfied that we all managed to pull it off.

I was also very touched to see many people at the ACP who have followed my adventures, prayed for me, and many, I’m sure, who actually donated to help me with my medical expenses… I despair of ever knowing exactly who did what, I’m not sure anyone kept any lists… Somehow, I’ll manage to say the right kind of thank you, some day…

After church I met two singers, one a young woman who has relocated to Paris and will be singing with Voices and Gaudeamus (following her very, very short audition – I almost took her on without even hearing her sing, I felt such good vibes from her) and the other with an older woman (well, younger than me, but you know what I mean!!) who sings with Fred’s choir – she’s an African-American woman specialized in singing (solo) – and teaching about – Negro Spirituals. (She insists that “African-American Spiritual” is a misnomer, as the term would imply that slaves actually enjoyed the benefits of American citizenship… We had a VERY interesting discussion about that.)

Kimberly (the second woman) is coming to Voices tomorrow night – but I told her that I refused to be a “poacher” – she is in Fred’s choir, and there is no question of my trying to woo anyone away. For me, it was both choirs, or just Fred’s. Her response tickled and reassured me: “Leave Fred’s choir?? You’re kidding! I LOVE Fred!” So if she sings with me, she will also stay with Fred. Good, good.

(Photo: Le Figaro) At 3 pm I met a friend of a friend for coffee, and we had a very long talk. She’s a Frenchwoman who feels more at ease in an American context, being a sort of Renaissance woman who hates being put into categories, the way the French somehow like to do. After coffee we took a walk and on the way I saw a woman coming toward us… My brain had a sort of bubble (I’m a bit neuron-challenged at the moment) and I said to myself “I know her, she’s…” And yes, indeed it was. This will mean nothing to most of you, but we met Catherine Frot in my neighborhood, coming home (I suppose) from her shopping. Catherine Frot (Frotelle) is a French movie actress whom I respect mightily; in my mind, she’s a sort of French Meryl Streep. A wonderful woman. I didn’t jump on her, being sort of intimidated by great people, but when my companion stopped to congratulate her on her work, I did the same. It was very much like the encounter that Deb and I had with Olympia Snowe in Maine.

I guess the long and short of this post is to say that things are progressing in a very “right” way – I’m on my feet, more or less, but still wondering what this is all about. At the same time, I’m listening. If anything, the Accident was a way for the universe to tell me to “shut up and listen”… and I’m doing my best to do so!!