parents

wow, it's sunday already, again!!

Last sunday was good. I really enjoyed the service at the unitarian church. I learned about the legend behind the easter bunny, and the phoenix, and we did a meditative exercise and then had potluck, which is of course a fantastic opportunity to conversationalize with new people. The woman who did the presentation is mennonite, and has family from my hometown, so we were able to discuss the complications of being..... well..... us, in a mennonite family. It seems like every woman in that church has read "Complicated Kindness" by Miriam Toews. That book is about my hometown, so they know a little of where I'm coming from.

So, my parents are in town, and so far so good. Last night we ate tacos and I got them hooked on Joan of Arcadia. I think it's close enough to their own concept of God to crack them open, and then just different enough to maybe broaden their view a little. Sure, the Rob Bell book was too much, but this I think will be juuuuuuust right.

I'm doing them a favor..... really.

I've been reading "How to Meditate" by Lawrence LeShan. I like it's logical and straightforward approach, instead of that touchy feely mystical language that you'd expect in such a book. It describes a number of different ways to meditate, outlines the benefits, pitfalls and difficulties in each, and does it by drawing examples from all the different schools of meditation, everything from christianity to zen. Though he hasn't mentioned the ninjas yet.

So, I've been really trying to consistently make time each day for some meditation. After my Buffy-athon, that is, two full months of watching nothing but Buffy every evening, I decided against watching TV this week, and it's been nice. I got reading done, and exercise. Anyways, with the weather getting nice, who has time for tv? Nevertheless, I was sad to see Buffy end. I watched season 7 twice simply because I wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Last night, while me and my mom made dinner, I let my stepdad watch my Ani Difranco concert DVD. After a while he asks me "Is she a feminist?" in that tone that makes it clear that feminists are a very small group of alien subspecies who can be identified by their uncompromising song lyrics, amongst other things. Sometimes I forget how limited their experience is. I mean, these days, who isn't a feminist? Mostly just fundamentalist christians and rednecks..... or maybe muslims. I don't mention to him that she's also bisexual.

Today I'll meet them at church and then we'll go to the spa in the afternoon. My stepdad actually requested to revisit the restaurant that he grudgingly allowed us to eat at the last time we went to the spa: Nit's Thai. "That weird chinese food" He's come a long way. Maybe one day they'll learn how to use chopsticks.

Well, I can dream, can't I?