2011 the year of Oxygen

From the moment of conception all living beings are  subject to a process of continual change.
Every individual is personally responsible for their own self-awakening and liberation, as they
are the one's responsible for their own actions and consequences ...... this  is the Buddhist concept of cause and effect, or causality (Sanskrit word: Karma)
This concept  of  Karma  can be used to question and investigate the nature of suffering.

2011 has been the year of  SiLas needing to be on Oxygen full-time,  the year Si went thru all the battery of tests to see if he would be accepted  and then placed on the lung TX list, which he was. He  made the decision to go "active" on the list a little over 2 weeks ago.

We have lived with an Oxygen Compressor in our small apartment, which makes a bit of noise and has a presence of its own. It kind of looks like R2D2  to me. When Si leaves the house he has to make sure he has enough tanks with him, this was something new to have to think about, but we all got used to the new routine pretty quickly.
The first time Si and I went for a walk at the Arboretum in the snow last winter I thought he looked like the man on the moon, with his oxygen on his back, exploring  new frontiers, all that was missing was a helmet.
As Si likes to say"If he wasn't tethered by these tubes he would be slappin the  pavement"
Si never let CF define him and he wasn't about to let Oxygen define him either..........The only time CF cramps his style is when his lungs get sick and he needs a course of IV drugs..........but now unfortunately the drugs aren't working so well and his lungs have seen better days, so he is excited and optimistic about
the TX in 2012...... OM MANI PADME HUM..........
Happy New Year! ...... may all sentient beings be free from  suffering....

Robots at the Beach

As I watch the rain turn into huge plops of snow today, my mind revisits  hot days relaxing at Spirit Lake (devil's lake) last summer drinking tea with Si and Dan in the sunshine. Si had a double backpack to carry his oxygen in, which allowed him to wade out pretty far to cool off.  It is wonderful that such a fantastic lake  is only a 45 min. drive from Madison. 

Today Si is working on his latest painting "Robots at the Beach" for his SiRealism show at Anaba Tea Room ...... Opening Reception 1/12/2012......5-7pm

Oh yeah, the phone rang this morning and woke Si up >>>>he kinda freaked out because he didn't  recognize the #.

 It turned out to be the O2 delivery guy... like I said, kind of maddening, waiting for the call.

       There is not a specific # that we can expect to get  the call from....ambiguous indeed.

              

Natural Liberation of Habitual Tendencies

You may be wondering, why the Lizard's journey to TX?

When Si was painting the"Lizard's Journey",  he was thinking alot more about death. He said that  the Lizard, who  symbolizes himself, is facing this   ominous vortex of the unknown,
which  to him represents the lung TX process and the ever present anxiety of not knowing how you will come out  the other side.
The  partially frozen tidal wave represents  impending winter which for him can mean more lung infections. The caged society symbolizes the sterility
and isolation he feels when he is hospitalized and  this extends into his post-hospital life due to the fact that he  must be dependent on doctors to keep him alive and well with  medicine.  He feels caged in this way,  he can't just go live off the land , or travel freely.........






Before SiLas started The Lizard's Journey" painting, he painted the words" Natural Liberation Of Habitual Tendencies"  on the canvas which is a quote  from The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Waiting for "THE CALL"

This  is maddening because every time Si gets a phone call, we wonder if it is "THE CALL".............
TX  is short for transplant
THE CALL  is when  there are  a set of Lungs for Si that are a match........... right blood type, size......