I am time traveling in my head a bit right now. Reflecting, stepping, tripping back into the past. Looking back on my first years in Austin and the people who helped to make it my home. I learned yesterday that a friend and mentor of mine is going into hospice. He’s been sick with cancer for years and now. While the tests keep coming back negative, he is showing symptoms of Covid-19 and will not be eligible for the drug trial he was praying for. With things as they are no one will be able to visit and offer their support.. or if need be, say their goodbyes and pay their respects. This man shaped a lot of my life here. He and his wife introduced me to perspectives, people and ways of living that have influenced me in more ways than I can fully comprehend. The idea that there is something in the air that keeps me (and everyone who had the benefit of knowing him) at a distance right now is hard to accept. A grim reminder to be present in and grateful for our time with each other. Around the time that I met this man and got to know his family I was living up the street from Steve Brudniak. He was working on a series at the time that made me feel like I hadn’t really lived yet. Titled, Blood Of A Mentor: Cultivator Of Humility and Benevolence. He was crafting these beautiful sculptural chambers with persevered human blood specimens. The samples were from his family, friends and special acquaintances who had made an impact on his life. Each reliquary embellished with an inscription engraved into a plate describing the attributes learned from the person memorialized within. “Cultivator of Compassion and Tolerance Cultivator of Pragmatism and Independence,” “…of Absurdity and Enlightenment,” “… of Courage and Self-Esteem,” “…of Optimism and Humor” and “…of Humility and Benevolence.” A bit macabre for some but they really spoke to me and made me long to know who my mentors would be. Blind to the fact that they were already there. Today I will write my mentor a letter and struggle to express the influence his life has had on mine.
Day 98: Root Veg Rösti with boiled egg and spicy Dijon yogurt sauce.. I wanted to feel grounded today so I grabbed all the root vegetables I could find for this. Yukon potatoes, carrot, leeks and radish. I whipped some Dijon into some skyr to zhuzh it up.