Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of my darling family and dear friends a very merry Christmas day! I hope it is warm and special and magical for all of you. 

It's about 8:30 Christmas night here. All of you back home are still snuggled in your beds, about to get up and find out what Santa left for you. 

I am sitting in my sweet guesthouse with the double doors open wide, watching the rain pouring down. I love the rain showers here in Bali. They come each day and wash things clean. Sometimes they are so powerful and so intense. Some days the rain has lasted for hours, but its usually a quick shower and then it's done. Like jumping in the shower at home and rinsing things off. 

My day has been very quiet. I went out to dinner with a friend last night and unfortunately we both got sick from some bad tuna. It tasted fine at the time but the after effects were no fun at all. I was up most of the night with terrible stomach cramps and dark bad tuna dreams. So today was spent in a very quiet way, reading, napping, watching a movie. I had to watch Eat Pray Love again, now that I'm here. I wanted to watch the Bali parts carefully to see if I know any of the areas they were. And I did. Very cool.

Speaking of EPL, I was coming back from a meeting in Sanur yesterday with a driver named Sonny and it turns out that he works with Ketut Lyer, healer from the book and had a lot of insight into the man and the many other healers in Bali. It was a very enlightening, very interesting conversation. There are certainly many very gifted healers here in Bali and there are some complete fakes. I have come across both, and it taught me to be aware and be careful. Good sense for all of us in all we do. Be aware of what's around you and be aware of your place in the world. 

After a nice nap today, there was a knock on the door. The sweet staff at my guesthouse brought a little flower arraignment with a Merry Christmas note. A very unexpected and very delightful gift. It made my day. I love where I'm staying at Ubud Aura. It's a special place with a wonderful energy. I am very at home here now and the staff of 20 something kids are my friends. We talk each day about Bali and about America, music, family, customs and cultures. I learn a lot from them. 

Counting my blessings tonight, missing my family and friends and wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!