Hack

I can't seem to shake the broncho-laryngeal issues I've been having pretty much since the first week of teaching. It is common for me to have an autumnal bout of cough, but seldom has it stretched on like this! No sooner do I think it's gone then it swings around again! And it can be no coincidence that my affliction is centered around the throat chakra - my voice.
Struggling to find and use my voice has been a life pattern. I could draw a map of my life and I'm sure most of the major intersections would be connected in some way with singing, speaking, or illness of the throat.
I was supposed to have Thanksgiving with some cousins I've never met, but their mom, who I guess is also my cousin, is struggling with illness and they have decided to lay low. So I'm on my own for Turkey day! I did that once before by choice, and it was fun. But I am on my own so much these days that I was really looking forward to being part of some holiday bustle. Oh well, I'll think of a way to mark the day!
You may know of my obsession with counting birds as omens. I cringe inwardly when I see the single bird, the sign of sorrow. On my Sunday walk I saw a lone quail on the wire and I just stood and took it in. I meditated on his solitude as a strength and a wholeness. As I was driving to a home visit this afternoon, I saw a pair of huge crows sitting on a very low wire by the road. They didn't fly off as birds of any number so often do, they didn't even stir. They even seemed to look me in the eye!