The 24th Beethoven Letter by John Calvi
Dear Friends,
Sabbatical is very wonderful and different. Each month I find a lower gear in resting from overwork. It began with a trip west to see Marshall’s family in Southern California- some time in the desert, some time at the coast, and the start of abandoning my desks, computers, emails, and phones. My sabbatical task is to move all my energies in caring for others towards my own well being. This is odd and I recommend it. I began a news/newspapers fast and focused on painting the upstairs of our little house. A deep blue now makes all the wood trim glow golden in morning and evening light. Remind me to tell you about the wall falling down. I’ve no talent for painting or repair, but delight in every improvement.
To not take care of anyone has been an adjustment. I resist the urge to call any number of people to check on their trauma recovery and instead care for myself- nap, read, or begin the next house project. I changed the toilet seat in the outhouse. This new discipline prepares me for work to come.
Spiritually, sabbatical restores my humor, gratitude, stillness, a quiet mind, and a clean connection for seeking. I can feel my ragged edges reshape to the dovetail of knowing and learning. I have good things to wonder about- how has my leading grown since 1982, can I keep my improved wellness beyond sabbatical, how will age contour my work, what am I learning that others may want to know? One gift of sabbatical is that I can keep the questions, refine them, and await the new learning patiently.
Sabbatical is not only time out. It’s also a health necessity. A hormonal imbalance has been implicated in my struggle of the last dozen years with chronic fatigue, weight gain, and recently a diagnosis of osteoporosis. This discovery is a surprise and a relief. It is the beginning of good resolution with treatment. This sabbatical came right on time! I am feeling better than I have in years, assuring me of good energy and a fit body for the good work of the future. My homework is happily increased.
My plan is for more physical work- stacking firewood, reclaiming the field from an invasive brush species, restoring the abandoned vegetable garden, and painting the downstairs and the exterior. As blood pressure and weight continue to improve, I hope to begin a slow return to my desk to edit a collection of my speeches into a book and CDs. I return to my teaching and touch work in 2009 and include a developing calendar. More information and soon a new journal/blog will be at my website.
I am grateful for all your good care. Your generosity has made this possible. I would greatly appreciate your support now to continue to restore myself. I need your help. Thank you for your gifts.
In the Light,
John Calvi May 2008
PO Box 301 Putney 05346
www.johncalvi.com
IMPORTANT! LAST CALL!
Postage is prohibitive. I need to reduce paper mail to actual live Beethoven Letter readers. I am happy to keep you on my Beethoven mailing list as you wish. Simply send word and you’re in. Please help by sending your e-mail address to calvij@sover.net or a postcard to P. O. Box 301 Putney VT 05346
PLEASE SEND A GIFT TO MY ADDRESS BELOW.
I need your gifts during sabbatical to rest and prepare for another 25 years.
Definitions- tax law says a donation carries the expectation of work for which I am taxed.
A gift is given out of respect, affection, or charity, such as
my birthday- May 14, my wedding anniversary- August 28, or a Christmas gift.
WWW.JOHNCALVI.COM
New engagement dates, new photos, and new writings at my website- also a new journal blog soon.
My thanks to Blake Arnall, Sehoon Ahn, & Sean Conley for website expertise.
UNOBSTRUCTED LOVE- The problem with unobstructed love is that it’s rarely understood. Maybe that’s because it does not appear like any other love- puppy love, romantic love, true love, love of country. No, unobstructed love is unlike anything we see in day-to-day life. It is seen mostly in stories of great heroes. But even then it’s so rarely witnessed that it can seem illogical, perhaps even a sickness or a chronic miscalculation. But when the Light shines through ones soul and there becomes a certainty of what one must do, even after all the tantrums of asking that the cup pass from our lips, and the horizon one sees is suddenly more broad then ever before- well, it’s not easily forgotten. The rare gift to be one with one’s word, hopes, and faith washes up a dingy day and a mangy life to a spit shine inwardly and outwardly. It holds all of creation within reach of understanding and just far enough away to remain in awe. The surrender does not come easy as it is non-verbal and lacks explanation. Whether it is a visitation, a message, or a simple knowing, the experience is a private one and known in ones heart and deep in the gut. How we shall think about it or which words to use comes about later with time and wonder and our awkward attempts to make sense of another realm. When love has the walls around it lifted so that care and compassion are moved up and out of the rat runs of ordinary living, the transformation resembles water seeking it’s own level. The rules of gravity have been changed and it might be that there is no downhill and yet there is great motion and new movement and expanse. THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE IS ON WWW.JOHNCALVI.COM
PLEASE EXCUSE ME IF I AM DIFFICULT TO CONTACT DURING SABBATICAL, IT’S INTENTIONAL.
PO Box 301 Putney VT 05346 www.johncalvi.com