Ich sitze und schwitze hier im Hotel! Last week, a certain website, and by "certain" I mean "Satan's own weather(dot)com", mentioned that it might soar into the high seventies here in Vienna. Exactly one week ago in Vienna, the high was 60 degrees. Wow! I packed an umbrella and tights. TIGHTS! In case it was chilly in the evening! Now I'd kind of like to use those tights to slowly close off some forecaster's airflow as the temperature gaily heads over NINETY for the third day in a row. I admire the Europeans as they eschew air-conditioning, but on the other hand I am a weak little American about to start crying for my own meat locker to sleep in. There is an orchestra rehearsal of Tannhaueser this afternoon in the uncooled theater, starting at 2 pm. Whimper.
The weather is perfect for day five of the trip: oppressive, overwhelming, makes me want to take a nap (in the aforementioned meat locker). Now I've been here long enough to run into all the big city problems. Apartment hunting, building relationships at work, everything will take longer that I wish. At this point I must begin fighting off my usual demon, who in such cases hisses into my ear that things need to happen even faster than I planned. You know the one or two big lies that your head will always tell you? That's my best one.
So far I'd say I'm doing OK with what Thich Naht Hahn calls "smiling to your fear" - I just love that phrase and that image. You hold your fear in your arms like a child and smile at it lovingly - oh, little fear (or anger, or impulse to burst into tears in the Kantine, or desire to strangle the weather guy with your tights), aren't you sweet, don't you need love and attention! It's such a compassionate way to view the foibles of one's individual hardwiring.
So my fear is in my arms, I promise not to strangle it with my tights or anything else. I'll sweat through this day and try to remember that cooler weather will come. Och wenns jetz viel zua häääss iss.
dkz
3 comments:
Well, crap. 90's huh? Sounds rather, um, Houston-like. 'Cept we've got the a/c. Cool, dry, luxurious a/c. And no tights as far as the eye can see. Plus, we don't speak furrin'.
Just sayin'.
I'd let you sleep in my basement if you were here. But if you were here, there'd be AC so the need would be removed. Keep smiling at that fear and start telling that lie in your head, "I've heard you before and you're always wrong, so just shut up and let me deal with this in a better way."
It will change. It always does.
Just remember to say "Mir ist heiss" and not "Ich bin heiss", or you'll get a different kind of reputation.....
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