Rainy Day

Today my tour was canceled. Apparently 2 people didn't show up at their meeting point, so they canceled the tour so they wouldn't spend more money on it than they were able to generate in tourists. That made absolutely no sense to me, seeing as everyone booked the tours online and therefore have already paid by credit card in advance. But whatever - it's Morocco. Who knows and who cares?

Perhaps it was the will of Allah.

I'm actually glad that it was canceled. (Ok, I just have to stop here to say that I'm amazed that I never realized I've been spelling "canceled" wrong for my entire life...thanks Blogspot spellcheck for finally correcting my long error of using two l's when there is really just one). It rained a bunch, and I sat in my hostel and finished the second Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants novel. I love that series. I watched the movies first, then started reading the books completely out of order (3, 4, then 2. I haven't gotten to 1 yet). I really wanted to sit on the rooftop but the rain was just too much for my laptop, and even sitting with my book got annoyingly wet. I laugh at myself now for purposely ditching my rain gear in Oxford thinking there was no way in hell I would need it in Morocco. (This is the second day it has rained).

I finished my souvenir shopping in the medina today, after the weathered cleared up. I had a very satisfactory retail experience. I'm much better at bartering than my first day. I'm proud of myself for that :)

Still probably spent too much money, though. Oh well. I'm only in Morocco once.

I can't believe that as soon as I get back, I'm packing up and taking a road trip up to Washington / BC and then going to Australia for 5 friggin weeks. What??? I don't even know what we're going to do the whole time...ha ha.

Then I have no clue what I'm doing when I get back to the states! Other than living somewhere in Washington...and hopefully finding a job very quickly.

My writing feels so loose and informal right now. I feel really carefree. Something in the air here.

I had a spiritual adviser / guide tell me that my trip this summer would be full of joy. Gosh. It has been. I mean, it's been full of a lot of emotional release, too...I've definitely cried a lot. Probably every day. But it was just release. So many of my knots have come untied this summer...knots I have had for years and years without a clue. Something has shifted. My mind doesn't know what to do with all of this...peace of mind. It's like an emptiness. A good kind of emptiness. The kind you get when you've just cleaned and purged and rearranged...the room feels more inviting with the extra space.

I've been listening to Moon Over Morocco (thanks for emailing me those tracks, Aunt B) and the philosophies embedded in that enchanting story are resonating with where I am spiritually and emotionally. Here are some poignant quotes:

"You must not allow your fear to be your guide..."
-The Gatekeeper

"Whatever I do to another I also do to myself."
-Mojo Sam

"You can't produce no thunderstorm unless the materials exist in the air. See?"
-Mojo

"The darkness is my own shadow. Now I can see the inscription: 'Standing in the way of our own light.' The way. Those were the words hidden by the shadow. I couldn't read the words because my darkness covered it. It means I've been standing in the way of my own light...blocking my own light."
-Jack Flanders

"Having opinion of zings you do not know is shameful miz-use of energy, no?"
-La Comtesa de Zazeenia

I really like listening to Moon while in Morocco. Sometimes I can't tell if the sounds I'm hearing are the recorded soundtrack or the actual ambient sounds around me. Incredible.



I just discovered a fatty cockroach in my room. He's hidden himself under the dresser so there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Yuck :(