David Lynch (a well known director) died in January and it impacted me in rather surprising ways.
I mean I know David Lynch. I watched Twin Peaks when it came out and liked it a lot. But I can't say I've seen much or any more of his work. But I know it. Or know of it. And I know him and his persona.
The loss of him was intense. There was an outpouring in my artist based social media feeds that made me feel like I'd missed out on knowing more about this person. I myself was saddened by the loss of this eccentric artist. This larger than life personality. That face. That hair. That person. That vision. And somehow it was through his death that I learned he had a long standing connection to transcendental meditation. (And it was said that he perhaps passed away while meditating which seems like a lovely way for him to have gone if true.)
So on the day he died, after reading many tributes to him, I found a "guided transcendental meditation for beginners" video and did me some "TM".
I did also look in to learning 'properly' but it's a cost beyond what I'm willing and able to pay. Plus that felt weird to me personally. So I have put that idea aside for now and even though I've had a meditation app for years, this is the first time I've really settled and worked it in to my day every day. It's been interesting.
I used my library card to use a site called Kanopy to watch a documentary about him last week. He is/was intriguing and interesting and had a lovely, warm, genuine smile. The most touching things to read post his passing were the tributes from his close collaborators and muses. Those made me cry.
It's been a couple of months since his passing and so that intense swirl of memories about him has faded but I'm thinking I'll try to keep up the meditation for myself, so if that's how his life impacted mine, that's a wonderful legacy to have left.
And a funny anecdote. When I was sick there in January, I actually kind of fell asleep while meditating. Upright! Like I was in the middle of it and felt my head do that "nodding off" thing. More than a few times. I googled it and word is that if that's what your body needs, that's ok. But I don't think I've "head bobbed" since I was maybe a kid trying not to fall asleep!