It's October 3rd in Current Events

On the first Thursday of every month, my organization has a piping ceremony. Andy took me to that first thing this morning. It was beautiful. This is what I wanted when I first applied. I wanted this connection to my culture. The elders spoke, everybody sang ancestral songs, smudged, made tributes to our ancestors, and then feasted. Andy fasted. I waited until I got back to the office to eat.

Today felt productive. The three of us, on my team, canvassed our October calendar. Andy has the big picture, I fill in the small pieces and smooth it out. Diego has the big ideas, he is the one connected to culture. We are now aiming to do ice fishing with our participants every other weekend this winter. I hate that for me but I love that for them. I’ll be a trooper. I drafted a mini proposal for that one. It’s gonna cost us a lot for supplies. We have $30k to spend by the end of the month.

We have a feasting ceremony this Saturday. We built our drums and now we have to feast them. It’s open to the other programs, to the community, and to the families of our participants. We have an elder coming to facilitate. The one we got one board for our program, he starts with us next month on the second. On the 24th of this month, he wants a capacity ceremony with everybody in the organization. The second highest-ranking person in the organization just moved into the office next door to ours. I have a good feeling about this.

My grandmother is back home. She couldn’t be more happy about that. She didn’t require surgery after all but she got diagnosed with tubercleosis. The woman she shared a room with was an absolute menace to my grandmother. I told her that I would help her around her apartment after my shift today but I feel like I am coming down with something. I don’t want her or my mother to die inside about it if I showed up with a cough or something. I know it is because of the smoke this morning at the piping ceremony. I have had a hypersensitivity to smoke since I quit smoking 8 years ago. I need to build a tolerance so I don’t mind.

I squeezed in some time for the gym this morning. I might actually go back because I want to finish what I started. I was there at 6 and it was busy. It’s okay. My gym crush, I walked in on him standing in the mirror in the bathroom without his shirt. He was feeling his oats and checking out his pump. My gym does not have a locker room. It has individual changing stalls and the lockers are in front of them. It has two individual shower stalls but those are only open during staffing hours. Nothing was going to ruin my day after I got my fill of eye candy. I also feel inspired to work out even harder. However, my problem is mostly nutrition. I have my appetite back so I am on it. Been meal planning and prepping and stuffing my face. I’m going to overdose on quinoa.

I know I have influence. I try to be a positive influence. I explained how I am a natural during my job interview. Andy, my coordinator, I can tell that I get in head. (He’s a Pisces, with a Scorpio Moon/Rising). He stopped vaping for 5 days. He will try again. He is also about to join a gym again. He has trouble with losing weight. He’s on keto right now. He also does intermittent fasting. He’s doing a 3 day fast right now, actually. I got into his head about how the body works, as per terrain theory. The body removes waste and repairs damage, that’s it. When we suppress symptoms, we trap it. The body develops habits and his body stores that waste in fat cells. He is going to deep dive this and start detoxing, mark my words.

This weekend, I am going to my sister’s. I’m bringing my all-season tires that I have left from my last car to wash them down with a hose. I’m going to sell them. They have the rims. I’m also bringing my boxed wine and we are starting Hoa Hoa Hoa season. Brownie points to those who knaurs what that is. I’m lame, so I know. Also, extra brownie points if you get the cultural reference from the entry title =P