The Dalai Lama arrived in Seattle today for the Seeds of Compassion Conference. We’ve been waiting for his arrival and the arrival of our tickets with baited breath. IZ and I caught a glimpse of his motorcade on the news tonight and I think we both exhaled at the same time. IZ and BW’s tickets arrived on Tuesday, mine came in the mail today. Whew. Hotel booked, bus routes scoped out, we have a plan.
It’s a long story and all the details aren’t worth rehashing, but the bottom line is demand for these tickets so far exceeds availability that people have been scalping them. We feel very fortunate to have received 3 and to be able to attend this historic event as a family. Our tickets come from two different sources—which means we probably won’t be sitting together. Considering how many people asked to go and were turned down, I don’t even see that as a deficit. My ticket was reserved for me as a member of SDI and I just feel so blessed that Seeds of Compassion had two more for my family. This is the sort of thing that I usually attend by myself; it’s amazing to be going with IZ and Boy Wonder. That the event is in Seattle is icing on the cake.
And I needed cake. I really, really did.
So, we will be in Seattle very, very soon. I can’t tell you how much I have to do between now and then. Everything converges on the 15h; my ad with Modish, my fund-raiser for the Women’s Resource Center, and of course this event. The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity and I find myself a bit overwhelmed by it all, if in a good way. I keep reminding myself: BREATHE.
Obviously, I will be writing more about this conference and keeping you posted about the fund-raiser as next week approaches. But I hope in the meantime, you’re feeling blessed by the miracle that is your life… and that you’re remembering to breathe.
Dolly Mama!
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Heh… I’m so excited. I can’t tell you. ~W
That sounds exciting – I’m so happy that you were able to get tickets. I want to read all about it when you get back.
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I’ll keep you posted. ~W
Enjoy every moment. I look forward to hearing what you experience there. Very cool.
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It should be interesting. We’ll see what happens. However, I might be just as elated to be in Seattle, if I tell the truth. ~W
oooooh…
We’re all waiting to hear.
And not getting an autograph or a signed t-shirt is perfectly acceptable in this instance. Just be there.
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That’s funny. Security will be so tight, we aren’t allowed to bring ANYTHING in. No purses, backpacks, cameras. Considering tensions over the Olympics, I suspect we’ll also be going through metal detectors. Which, feels odd at a symposium for Compassion. ~W
Congratulations! I would love to see him, we have a good friend that is getting an audience with him…and my stepfather was lucky enough to see him twice (in Nepal) years ago. He and my father used to go over and “help” out the native Tibetans with things like visits to the hospital. I think they could take a van load of people to go get health check-ups for like $5 or $10…
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As excited as I am to be there… this part of the conference is jam packed with religious dignitaries. It’s going to be stunning to just to see all the names involved in ONE ROOM. Even if I need binoculars to actually SEE them. Heh. Maybe they’ll simulcast on the jumbotron?? ~W
Have fun, Wende!
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I suspect we will! ~W
You got tickets to the Dalai Lama?? I had heard that they were nearly impossible to get. (unless you started a few years ago) Yay for you! I imagine that it will be an amazing experience and you are to tell us ALL!! Hugs. Keep breathing.
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We did get tickets. Mine was reserved for me through SDI. But we requested two more tickets from Seeds of Compassion the first of March. In retrospect, we should have asked for 3 tickets and then donated mine back so a different Spiritual Director could go. But we weren’t thinking, we were just so giddy to be going! ~W
Namasté
I hope the big event is all you hope it will be. Enjoy it. I’ll have to wait until the Dalai Lama’s next visit.
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Yeah, I don’t know what to expect of this. It’s been such a rollercoaster, waiting to see if we actually got tickets. Initially we were told we would get them, and then were told that demand was so high, we might not. So, we’ve just been hanging out—going with the flow. It’s not a bad thing to be in Seattle. We’re just taking it easy and seeing where we end up. It’s a laid back adventure, which is just what we need right now. ~W
What a blessing to not only be able to go, but to go as a family! 🙂
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This has been an amazing trip so far… as you can tell from my over use of that word in all the comments. But, yeah, we’re excited to be here together. ~W