It rained cats & dogs all the way from Vienna Airport to the group at the Mader Hotel (been going there for many years),
and it hardly let-up right up till we arrived back on Sunday night in Kritzendorf on the other side of Vienna, where my hosts Sandipa & Anuradha have their home. And where I always stay over till Monday.
But in between…
We had 5 new people, Matriya brought two new interesting ladies with him, both ending up with Path Names. Then a newish Wild Goose brought a new lady friend with – turned out she was a well-known Austrian actress; in fact Anuradha said he had just recently read an article on her, her life and work, and thought, “She sounds great, I would love to meet her!” and so a few days later he did. Now she has an extra career as a Wild Goose. Another Wild Goose lady – first visit for 8 years – came again and brought her husband, a real novice, but in no time he was flying, and now also as a Wild Goose.
The seminar was so complete, so rounded, that I thought, I can’t write a blog about it, because I cannot capture our time there together in words – impossible, so as you can see I’m just talking ‘around’ the event.
Just to say that the Goodbyes on Sunday were full of tears and gladness and gratitude, and when I left the grouproom after the end of Q&A, the whole group sat, on & on, before getting up and leaving. And saying their Big Bye-Byes to me and to one another.
Later, the Italian restaurant where we always eat Sunday evenings in Kritzendorf had closed down – after we’ve snuggled in there after seminars for donkeys’ years, so it was instead to a new Greek restaurant – where Anuradha had a dish with lamb – which I tasted, and found to be the very best I’ve ever tasted – even better than the lamb we had eaten at Mishka’s 50th birthday party the week before, when Cicero, here from Denmark, baked it underground!
Next morning Anuradha and I were once again on the tennis court, despite all the strains on my body there had been in the past month, but always it’s: as long as I can, I will. Body managed it but as it was my first game in 6 months, and before that one another 6 months, I failed to press him like I usually do (he plays regularly) except on a few occasions.
Later, after lunch, and sitting together and ‘letting the grass grow by itself’ (wonderful!) we left for the airport. Mishka met me in Basle, a curry in Freiburg and so home.
But ‘the weekend’ was not yet all over. On the Saturday of the group my team Arsenal had played in the English Cup Final – still a big thing in England, much more so than elsewhere in Europe – and Tuesday morning was my first chance to see it, so I was up early and off – with of course the recording. Two down in 8 minutes, it all looked bleak, but they fought back, got 2 goals back, and then right near the end of the half-hour extra time they got the winner. What a relief! This team of mine (saw my first game as a six-year-old) had gone nine years without any ‘silverware’. Now the wait was over. And now it also meant they had over the years won the Cup more often than any other team. And they are in the Champions League again next year for the 17th successive time (though yet to win it).
What has all this to do with ‘the Work’?
Everything!
LOVE Michael
