Ringing in 2012

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” ~ Buddha

Many of us are sitting back right about now reflecting on our lives, perhaps having some regrets, or maybe even wondering what the heck we should be doing with the rest of our lives.  What is our purpose?

I have always admired people who seemed to know, from a very early age, what they wanted out of life, who they wanted to be when they grew up.  I was not one of the rare few who had these laser-focused goals.  As I have grown older and encountered more people along life’s journey, I believe that many (maybe most) of us have had more “fluid” lives, changing course along the way.  Job changes, loss of a significant person in our lives, health issues, financial struggles, etc. create hardships that tend to derail the best of us.  Perhaps more tragic yet is not being true to who we are, out of fear of failure or fear of ridicule.

My hope for all of us as we ring in 2012 is that we are true to ourselves, for that is where the courage lies.  Let’s find out what it is that makes us come alive and go out and do it.  Let’s paint our landscape, creating the life that will fulfill us!

Happy New Year Everyone!

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  ~  Steve Jobs

If you liked this blog post, why not subscribe to my blog via feed reader or e-mail?

Red Rock Beauty

We plan to spend the next couple of weeks in Sedona, where we previously owned a home.  No matter how long you live in this area, it is difficult not to have a jaw-dropping experience when you turn off the highway and get your first peek at the red rocks.  There is a real beauty here and some would say it goes beyond the physical, if you read any number of articles/books written about the vortices and paranormal activity that some feel is pervasive here.  Whatever resonates with you, I don’t think anyone can come here and not feel the magic that has been bestowed on this area in the way of nature.

We spent Christmas day with our good friends Rosie and Jim, taking a hike into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness area, 56,000 acres of spectacular red, orange, and cream-colored sandstone cliffs, dotted with pinion, juniper, and cypress trees.  The glassy, Verde river snaked through the canyon, and although something we would not entertain in December, swimming holes found here would be a welcome respite during the heat of the summer.

In prehistoric times, the canyon accommodated the Sinagua Indians and as you descend further into the quiet of the canyon, you can almost hear the whispers of these ancient peoples as the wind weaves its way through this vast wilderness.  Or perhaps, as some believe, it is a transdimensional being that has descended from a UFO, or Bigfoot moving through the shadows.

One Sedona author, Tom Dongo, finds Sycamore Canyon to be “just a flat-out weird place”, stating that he “wouldn’t spend the night there by myself”.  Dongo says that “people from Sedona often see things going in and out of the canyon.  I’ve seen UFO’s many times.  There seems to be an alien/government tunnel system there, too.”  Whatever you believe, Sycamore Canyon, in the light of day, is an amazing slice of wilderness but alas, we did not sense any unseen beings walking next to us.

Golden shrubs against a backdrop of verdant willows

Red rock reflections

A Holiday Message

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.  ~Dr Seuss


Well, it is that time of year again when the commercialism of the season besieges our senses.  My prayer for all of you is that you can take a little quiet time for yourselves and reflect upon your blessings.  It is so much easier it seems to look at what is wrong with our lives instead of everything we have to be grateful for.  So many of us are struggling with work, family, health, etc., etc., etc.

Loss is something that has weighed on me this year, as I lost my most precious friend Barbara, my anam cara (soul friend).  Although I feel the pain of her absence daily, I am determined to celebrate and give gratitude for the time I had with her and the profound impact she made on my life.  I feel blessed to have had a friend in my life whose energy, when I was near her, filled me up.  May we all have someone in our lives who blankets up with their love and may we do the same for others.

I came across this quote some time ago, and it seems fitting for all of us to reflect upon as we head into 2012:

Faith makes all things possible; hope makes all things work; love makes all things beautiful!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Barb’s Amazing Nutcracker Collection 

Valley of the Sun ~ Phoenix, AZ

We drove into Phoenix on a rainy day, but having lived in Phoenix for roughly 20 years of my life, precipitation is always welcomed by those living in the Valley of the Sun.  Given that we had been in colder climates recently, a little rain was not a deterrent to us.

Most of our time here has been focused on sorting through items in our storage unit and closing that out, with many trips to local shelters, which we are sure will be greatly appreciated as this market was hard hit by the housing crisis.

We also were able to spend an evening with friends Carl and Marcia and felt fortunate to be able to do so, given that everyone is busily preparing for the holidays.  Marcia, always the trooper, had just had knee surgery two days before, but that did not discourage her from joining us for dinner.  We had a lovely time at P. F. Chang’s and caught up on what has gone on in each others’ lives.

Marcia & Me

An event that was taking place while we were in Phoenix was Las Noches de las Luminarias (the nights of the lights) at the Desert Botanical Garden.  These gardens are some of my favorites and we absolutely loved this event when we last attended it.  It did not disappoint us this time either.  It was a magical experience to wander through the 50-acre garden with more than 8000 luminarias lighting the paths.  With 10 musical groups performing nightly throughout the garden and a delectable dinner provided, it was a truly enchanting evening.   Anyone visiting Phoenix should put this on their must-see list, as it is a wonderland of arid plants from around the world, aromatic herb gardens, wildflower gardens bursting with color, artwork, and birds of the southwest.

From here we are heading to Sedona, where we previously lived, to spend the holidays with friends.  Since we had almost no time to get out and enjoy nature this visit, we plan to come back in a couple of weeks and hike to our hearts’ content.

Silver City, NM

Silver City, NM, sitting at the edge of the Gila National Forest, is a high desert wonderland of ponderosa pine, red rock mesas, and deep gorges.  Founded in 1870, it once was an Apache campsite and a silver mining town.  Geronimo had his roots near Silver City, being born just north of here at the headwaters of the Gila River and Billy the Kid made a name for himself here as well, having been arrested twice in Silver City.  His mother is buried in the town cemetery.

We stayed at the Rose Valley RV Ranch for a few days, enjoying some time with friends Kevin and Erin, whom we met initially in Ajijic, MX.  They showed us the lay of the land while we were south of the border and generously did so again during our time in Silver City.  Our only regret was that the weather did not cooperate to allow us to hike this beautiful part of New Mexico, as a winter storm pushed its way through most of the state during our time there.

Terry celebrated a birthday while we were in Silver and Kevin, the gifted chef that he is, made a very special birthday lunch for the four of us.  Thanks to Kevin and Erin we had the inside track on some tasty meals in a couple of the local haunts as well.

Although rain plagued our visit, we all braved the weather and perused some of the more tasteful galleries in town, of which there are many.

Gallery row in Silver City

We can’t thank Kevin and Erin enough for giving of their time as they did while we were in Silver City to show us the flavor of the area.  Given their warm and giving spirits, we were reminded of why we connected with them during our time in Mexico and why we chose to spend time with them again in Silver City.

Kevin & Erin