Together again

Dear mother... My first visit after the two-month lockdown. I could have, but did not dare to come spend time with them out of fear of being a healthy virus carrier. 

Being happy to be together again. Only the present moment matters. The rest doesn't have to makes sense.

So my dad gladly took the opportunity to rest and relax in his room while mother and son talked the afternoon away.

Ash and Thỏ

I dreamed last night that we were beginning the shooting of Ash Mayfair's new film, and that I was composing the music as she was filming... with a set of yoghurt cups (naturally, what else?) with the help of my stuffed rabbit Thỏ (he exists in real life) who was sitting next to me, commenting and speaking to me in the Huế dialect (that... may not happen in really life, but who knows...?)

Beside that, I think I'm fine...

In Paris

So I went back to Julia's flat today to keep on with the (spring) cleaning. I was happy to see that she was in a much better state than the first time. I brought her some masks and some supplements to boost up her vitality - and naturalmente, a couple of cakes - we love cakes. 

The bike ride back home through a nearly deserted Paris was simply gorgeous - nothing beats a Parisian sunset, and it was simply marvelous to be in motion, to feel one's muscles working. Little things that feel like miracles. 

"L’art est éducatif en tant qu’art, et non en tant qu’art éducatif, car en tant qu’art éducatif, il n’est rien, et le rien ne peut enseigner."

Antonio Gramsci

(one more) dream that makes sense

... and the second part of my dream involved a few friends of mine - including Dennis, Jan and Thomas, where I was tidying up the house and preparing a cocktail which turned out to be the choreography for a new version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker commissioned by the Paris Opera House for a group of children (didn't our French President say that artists should spend their summer educate and taking of children?). And that new version of 'Nutcracker' was to have its music replaced by 'Swan Lake'... and the children were to help me by providing electronic elements to the music... 

No, my stuffed rabbit wasn't there, speaking the dialect of Huế, but I think I will not take that dream too literally... 

Other than that, I believe that I could think that I'm fine...

Faraway land

I made a dream where I was on a big boat with Captain Harlock and three friends from Vietnam and Taiwan. We were to go home after a mission. But because I didn't know what trousers to wear - the wardrobe kept changing each time I would blink, I suddenly found that I had missed my stop and was now far, far from 'home', reaching a remote Greek island... 

The symbolism isn't too hard to understand...

Julia

One thing which is allowed during lockdown is to go help people in need : sick, old or disabled. 

My singing teacher Julia is a 81 year-old lady who's been living all my herself since her second husband left her. All her time and energy since then had been dedicated to her students. With this lockdown, solitude can be lethal to the elderly. Our past conversations on the phone had me deeply worried. Even though she claimed she was more or less managing "Pre-WWII quality" she likes to say, I could barely feel her usual energy. So I decided to come and help. Cleaning, vacuuming her flat (that was badly needed), but most of all, offer her some company, a physical presence in the house, lift up her spirits.

 

The person who opened the door to me was not the same person I said goodbye to a few hours later and I was relieved to see her come alive again, smile and regain a bit of her former self. (Her two cats were also very glad to see me, and would come meowing at me)

Good state of mind = good health.

Next will be my parents. Why did I wait so long... I guess I wanted to be sure I was in perfectly good health myself. And I surely also needed some time off myself.