A Contemplative Kind of Day

Spiritual awakening is about waking up from your ego. It is not about awakening the ego.   ~  Sampo Kaasila

The day started with a 45-minute sit and the instructor discussing the practice of Drishti, which is a technique that develops focus.  She asked us to focus not just on what we wanted or needed for ourselves but for compassion and abundance for all of humanity.  Imagine what our world would look like if we awoke each day thinking about others instead of ourselves, particularly those who we struggle to understand or even like.  Imagine a world where we attempted to see another’s point of view instead of holding on so stubbornly to our own.  This was a great way to start my day.  Yoga and a walk on the beach followed.  Ahhh, utter bliss!

Ever since I read the book Autobiography of a Yogi some years ago, I have wanted to visit the Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage in Encinitas, CA.  This is the center that was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1937, the revered yogi who brought India’s great science of meditation to the West.  He tirelessly devoted his life to uniting East and West in spiritual understanding.

Terry and I walked into Encinitas from our campground, toured the meditation gardens and the temple.  It was a lovely extension of my morning and I am looking forward to participating in some of the meditation sessions offered.  Our walk back proved to be just as joyful, as we were able to watch a pod of whales spouting offshore and a school of dolphins playfully riding the waves in.  I think we could get used to this place.

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Sunset and Surf

As I stand looking out over the ocean, I am marveling at the vastness  and beauty of it all.  The smell of the salty air, sandpipers running along the water’s edge for whatever coastal treasures they can find, a pair of pelicans flying overhead together as if mimicking fighter jets, wingtips aligned, and sun and sea melding into one. This is what Terry and I are mesmerized by now, while sipping on a chilled glass of wine.  This is what we can see from our picture window.  Yes, we have landed in San Diego, Cardiff-by-the-Sea to be more exact, where we will enjoy the rest of winter.  I feel especially blessed at this moment and hope that all of you are experiencing a sunset and surf kind of day, no matter where you find yourself.

Tomorrow promises to be a great day too, starting with yoga and meditation.   Life is good.

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Meditation and a Hike

For many, hiking is a form of meditation, getting in touch with nature.  This is certainly true for Terry, and I love hiking myself, but I need a little more.  That is what took me to the Tucson Community Meditation Center last night.  It came highly recommended to me by our friend Kevin.  A 30-minute Q&A, followed by a 45-minute sit and a Dharma talk about how to merge tranquility into your meditation practice rounded out the evening.

The speaker for the evening was Upasaka Culadasa, a lay-practitioner who has practiced Buddhist meditation for 35 years and is now devoted to helping students master meditation skills.  It was a very welcoming group that I spent the evening with and I felt blessed to have had the opportunity to sit in the presence of this revered teacher.  What I didn’t realize until this morning is how much his talk  on serenity spoke to me.

You see, for the most part, I tend to see myself as a tranquil person but I have discovered that I have been anything but serene for the past week or so.  What I have been is restless, with a somewhat uneasy feeling about me and not quite sure why.  I think I may have gotten to the crux of the matter.

When I retired and started this blog, it was with the intent of keeping family and friends informed of our travels throughout Mexico, but also with the thought that I would now have time to pursue my spirituality and write with a more philosophical bent as well. After all, the front page of my blog does say a ‘Journey of Self-Discovery and Adventure” and in my post on Ringing in 2012 I said to be true to yourself, so I guess it is time I do just that.

I enjoy writing about our travels and will continue to do so, as I want to share another great hike we did today in the Santa Catalina Mountains, for those who might like hiking and find themselves in the Tucson area.  Hopefully my occasional philosophical musings will not scare anyone off but if you think they might, hit the back button and get out while you can!  Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t  warn you.

The Santa Catalinas are so beautiful and so vast that we decided to do the Pima Canyon Trail, on the other side of the mountain.  We completed 8 of the 14 miles of this trail before turning back, and with an elevation gain just shy of 2000 feet, we said “good enough”.  Truthfully the literature warns that once beyond the 3-mile mark, the trail becomes noticeably more rugged and steep.  For me that means treacherous on the way down.  We did a lot of boulder-hopping after the 3-mile mark as well and had to stay alert to make sure we did not make a wrong turn, as the trail was not well-defined beyond this point.

I mastered the descent down the mountain, well almost.  We always carry a first-aid kit with us, mostly for the benefit of Terry, as the standing joke is that he seems to take any opportunity he can to injure himself in some way.  But today, this first-aid kit was to be all mine.  I got through the worst of the loose, steep descent, stepped onto a granite boulder, and slid down the other side, whacking my forearm on the way down.  I hit my funny bone (can someone remind me why they call it that?) and drew just enough blood to invoke sympathy from Terry, as he rounded the corner to see me laid out.  Thank goodness for an ice pack in our lunch sack, to reduce the knots that began to appear on my arm.  After a few minutes of easing the light-headedness I was feeling from where I hit the nerve in my elbow and my embarrassment, we were on our way once more.

Except for my minor mishap today, with enough trails under my belt, I think Terry may just make a hiker out of me after all.  Now, if he could just teach me how to pee in the wilderness without getting my boots wet!  Not happenin’.

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A Bird’s-Eye View

Advise from a Hawk:  Soar to new heights/Be a keen observer/Swoop down on opportunities/Rise above it all/Spread your wings/Find a field that suits you/ The sky’s the limit!  ~ (c) Ilan Shamir http://www.yourtruenature.com

We spent the bulk of the day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, founded in 1952, and part of the pristine Sonoran desert in Tucson.  It encompasses 21 acres and is primarily a walking experience, with two miles of paths winding through its boundaries.  It is very unique in that it is part zoo, museum, and botanical garden and is one of the most visited attractions in Tucson.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has garnered a worldwide reputation in the scientific community as a foundation dedicated to research and conservation efforts directed at the land, plants, and the animals of the Sonoran Desert Region.  Their mission is to inspire others to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering an understanding and appreciation of the Sonoran desert. This facility was also the pioneer for the creation of naturalistic enclosures for its animals.

Although the desert this time of year does not have the brilliant color that springtime brings, there has always been something very appealing about the desert for me, and the cooler temperatures are a welcome respite from what is soon to come.  With more than 300 species of animals and 1200 types of plants at the desert museum, you could certainly spend an entire day here and this is the perfect time of year to do so.

This facility is a wonderful haven for birds and there is a fabulous hummingbird exhibit on the grounds, giving visitors the opportunity to walk freely amongst these inquisitive, brilliantly colored little creatures.  Granted, it is difficult to capture these smallest of birds in a photo as they are buzzing you in midflight, but Terry was able to snap a couple of good shots.

We had the opportunity to view a couple of wonderful programs at the desert museum, the most remarkable being the Raptor Free Flight program.  We got an up close bird’s-eye view of a family of Harris’ hawks on a hunt.  The narration was terrific and it was so thrilling to watch this family of four soaring overhead and alighting on saguaro cactus.  How do they do that?  Very carefully, of course! Many times their flight paths took them literally within inches of our heads.  This program showcased how these magnificent hunters  cooperatively work in their native environment and they were successful in the hunt!

Running Wild is another program that has been presented for four years running at the desert museum and one that we were lucky to see.  A screen presentation regarding the history of the park, now in its 60th year, was recounted by curator George Carpenter.  At various times throughout this screening, background music was the cue for live animals to scamper or waddle onto the stage, while the curator described the habits of these animals and the conservation efforts that came into play to develop this Desert Museum.  It was amazing to see a hooded skunk, ringtail, Gambel’s quail, brown pelican, and porcupine sashay on stage and exit on cue.  We learned that it takes several months to train these animals to walk across the stage.

Last, but certainly not least, was the cute and cuddly prairie dog exhibit, always entertaining to watch.

Wait! Don’t take the picture yet! This is my chubby side.

Time for us to move on as it is now siesta time at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  What a great day!

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Wishing on a Star for a Hot Tub

This was my initial thought after the effects of our hike today settled in.  Given the clouds moving into the Tucson area, seeing any stars tonight did not look promising and finding a hot tub in Catalina State Park was not going to happen. Settling for a nice hot shower seemed the most appealing alternative.

We enjoy staying at state parks when possible as they usually provide more wide open spaces and great views.  Catalina State Park, located within Coronado National Forest, sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains.

Sitting at an elevation of 3000 feet, this 5500 acre park is a haven for desert plants,  wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros.  Miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails wind through the park and on into the Coronado National Forest.  Mount Lemmon is the highest peak in the Santa Catalinas, standing at 9157 feet.

We opted for the Romero Canyon Trail hike today, a moderately difficult hike. We did not make it out to Romero Pass at 7.2 miles, choosing instead to turn around at 5.5 miles.  This round-trip 11 mile hike, with elevation gains of 2000 feet was enough for us.

Two happy hikers at the turn-around mark

It offered some stunning views, with lots of running water in the canyon.  It would be interesting to see how fast the water is moving through the canyon after the spring run-offs.

Most of the hike out was up, so the good news was we could cruise downhill on the return trip, but admittedly a little harder on the knees, as I watch my husband gingerly walking around the rig tonight.  If I am honest, my legs are protesting a bit tonight as well.

View towards Tucson hiking down off the Romero Canyon Trail

About 3/4 of the way back, we started to see paramedics and other rescue personnel hiking up past us.  There were a total of eleven rescue workers pushing up the mountain, and two staged with a bucket/gurney nearby, as well as seven rescue vehicles standing by to assist.  We never did learn what occurred, and watching the local news tonight did not provide any answers either.  We can only hope that whatever happened in the canyon today, it was not serious.

As we crossed over the stream at the end of our hike, a little boy, clad only in a t-shire and Superman undies, came racing around the corner dragging a toy truck. He stopped abruptly right in front of us, dropped his undies, and proceeded to water the grass along the trail.  Ah, the innocence of children!

Looking into the canyon from the Romero Canyon Trail

First sign of poppies along the trail

With some clouds rolling in, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the Santa Catalinas tonight.

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