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There are times on this trip when I really dig what I see. I feel exhilarated by the place; inspired. It’s a great feeling and I say to myself, “Yeah! This is what it’s all about. This is living the dream.” Then, sometimes, some detail enters my awareness and I feel this great disappointment. I might see a grocery bag wrapped up in the branches of a tree or dog poop on the sidewalk. It doesn’t take much to shift from euphoria to disappointment. And then there is that phase of slowing down and seeing if I can hold it all in one breath and thank it for just being here as a part of this big, wonderful, crazy life. In Writing Down The Bones, Natalie Goldberg writes, “Original details are very ordinary, except to the mind that sees their extraordinariness… We must remember that everything is ordinary and extraordinary. It is our minds that either open or close”.
Thanks to my college friend, Laura, we got the idea to go to Gates Pass in Tucson. What an incredible place and I definitely would recommend it. The mountain views and the variety of desert plants were splendid. The sheer expanse of the land was impressive and made me realize how tucked into hillsides and valleys we are in our section of New Hampshire. There were a LOT of people traveling the same route as we were and that was a disappointment but it’s all about perspective, right?
Every once in a while we have to stay at a campground to empty the tanks, use wifi and do laundry. Staying at these places is hard for me especially after having been in some quiet remote space.
It gives me great opportunity to just be present and to be grateful for the service the place offers. I can’t say that I am all that good at that. The morning we left, I read this in a morning email. Thank you Universe!
Any place is sacred ground, for it can become a place of encounter with the divine Presence. –
BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
I created this meditative drumming while sitting on top a hill at the BLM land in Tucson. There was no one around and it was early morning in the desert. The mountains in the distance were beautiful. I had a heck of a time just being with the space when part of it included the hum of a grader a quarter mile away that was working on the side of the highway. That DID NOT belong in my space! Ha Ha! Enjoy! Click here
When you see trash left behind please remember “ Alice!s Restaurant “
It is so easy to get distracted (angry, frustrated, judgemental) by the dog poop. I fight those feelings as I walk and pick up litter. But, it’s all part of the story…and reminds me to be grateful for the creak of the wind in the trees, and the three crows in the road trying their best to help me.