Report of 10 Dec 2023

 Good morning!

It is Sunday morning, I have got in an early morning swim at our complex's pool.  That is always a joy.  I had not swum in a while and a few days ago, panted during my swim.  Getting better now.  My "This is motherhood" body looks like that in my swimsuit, but I am 60 and a little past caring.  It's an outdoor pool and my cool-off is doing a back float with goggles off.  The sky and birds and dawn are all beautiful.

We are well.  Getting ready for Nat's wedding.  A cyclone hit Chennai last Monday and many neighborhoods are flooded.  Vaishnavi, one of the 2 founders of the Banyan, replied to one of my messages and said she had been busy with cyclone work; that is an understatement.  In past years, she has easily organised volunteer groups and a control center, getting relief materials and much-needed succor to the affected.  In May 2021, we returned from the U.S. to find the country reeling under COVID; a helpline organised by Vaish helped me feel involved.  We would get 138+ messages in the morning, which would be triaged by volunteers and then the calls would come to the docs.  Messages were often heart-rending: we need oxygen, we need an ICU bed for my Mom/Dad, thank you for calling our family member just passed away.  Vaish and crew organised all of it: oxygen, hospital bed, ICU bed.  It was nice.  The deaths were difficult for all, especially our young volunteers.  When we slept at night, volunteers in other countries took over the helpline and triaged; it was magnificent.

We managed to venture out the day after the cyclone.  Roads in our neighborhood were blocked, and we were sent a different way.  So we came home and spent the next 2 days without venturing out.  We attended a colleague's daughter's pre-wedding event last night; I enjoyed meeting Scott's colleagues.  

The Banyan is helping to organize the wedding and we are very privileged.  We were there 2 days ago; checklists were made, venue overseen, decorations planned.  The people there are good people.  

We hope you have a good week.

Unw -

R