Heading north up the beach, this is what the sky looks like.  I just hope that Mother Nature decides to wait a bit before releasing her fury in the way of big, bone-chilling raindrops.  Right now it is not looking too promising,

I decide to make a stop at the Meditation Gardens at the Self-Realization Fellowship on my way up the beach.  Looking up at it from the beach, it appears as a little oasis on the hilltop, and it is. The real treasures are hidden inside the grounds, lush gardens of flowers, burbling little waterfalls cascading over rocks and koi awaiting feeding time.

After spending a little quiet time I continue up the beach, enjoying the beauty of the constantly changing colors of the sky and the ocean, as the sun shows herself for brief periods.  When it is time to turn and head towards home, the sun decides once again to make herself known, this time in the most unusual of ways.

With the sun shining on foam that has been washed up on shore by the churning of the ocean, a rainbow of colors appears.  I am instantly taken back to my childhood, standing outside on a warm sunny day, blowing bubbles. This image brings a smile to my lips, no matter what the weather outside.  And the best news of all, I am still dry when I step back into the RV.

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Saint Valentine’s Day was originally established in 496 AD by Pope Galasius, honoring early Christian martyrs by this name.  In 1969, Pope Paul VI removed it from the General Roman Calendar of saints, perhaps because our present-day celebration of this holiday no longer resembles its original intent?

In the Middle Ages Chaucer was the first to associate February 14th with romantic love.  As early as the 15th century, Valentine’s Day became an occasion when lovers expressed their affections for each other with flowers, sweet treats, and greeting cards.  Not much has changed over the years, except maybe the amount of money shelled out on this holiday.

As has become the case with other holidays, sometimes commercialism gives us an easy out, by expressing for us through a greeting card or a gift what we don’t take the time to say ourselves often enough, just a simple ‘I love you’.

I have had the good fortunate to be married to a wonderful man for the past 21 years, a devoted husband who, for whatever reason(s), has put up with my crazy, neurotic ways.  In spite of them all, he respects my individuality, as I do his.  On this most romantic of holidays, it seems a fitting time (perhaps not the most conventional way), to honor the man he is and let him know how blessed I am to be his wife.  I love you honey!

Although this is the day devoted to lovers, shouldn’t every day be about honoring those we love?

Happy Valentine’s Day!  ♥

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So, my question of the day, and one that comes to mind quite often, is why are some people so mean?  We all know the Golden Rule, right?  Do unto others as we would have others do unto us.    It seems like such an easy concept but much more difficult for many to put into practice.

I remember back when I was a young, eager manager, working with the public.  I decided to have a staff meeting and one of my first reminders to the staff was the importance of treating others as we would like to be treated.  Something our mothers taught us and simple, right?  Everyone should just nod their heads in agreement now and I can move on to other business.  What I got instead was the big eye-roll.  What the heck?!

We certainly can all theorize over why people are so mean.  So let’s start by laying out some of the reasons for this behavior:

• unhappiness with our own lives
•  emotional or physical pain
• fearfulness
• jealousy
• anger
• low self-esteem

There are any number of reasons, or excuses, some might say, for why we are mean.  It is true we are products of our upbringing but this becomes a tired, worn-out expression, doesn’t it, when we use this as justification for being so hateful to others.  To me it just feels like I expend more energy being mean (and yes, I can be) than when I practice compassion.

Martha Beck, PhD and columnist for O Magazine, wrote a very interesting piece on the subject, addressing how we can and should respond to those mean-spirited people we meet in our lives.  No, you guessed it, we shouldn’t slap a “Mean People Suck” sticker on our back bumper and call it good.  There are much more fruitful ways of empowering ourselves.

Given the world we now find ourselves in, it is not surprising to hear more reports about bullying, domestic violence, hate crimes, and child abuse popping up in the news.  Sometimes I’m shocked I don’t meet more hateful people than I do!  I’d like to think that maybe it has something to do with how I treat people (for the most part, lest you think I have a Mother Teresa complex, or something).

Since I can’t fix anyone else (and goodness knows I’ve tried!) I choose today to practice compassion with everyone I meet.  Given that it is an overcast, chilly day (a good day to stay indoors), one of the few I will see today is my husband.  What a lucky man he is, at least for today!

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I have added another tab across the front page of my blog for these times and I would love, love, love to hear your thoughts as well.

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One of our first official duties as camp hosts was to clear away an area where we could plant some native shrubs.

Frank in his OSHA-approved footwear & Terry, clearing the site for planting

Bill thought it would be great for each of us to plant a shrub that we could come back to 20 years from now and look upon its progress.  At this point I am glancing over at Terry and see him doing the math.  No, I couldn’t actually see him counting.  He has long since progressed beyond using the finger method.  I could tell by the look on his face that he is looking 20 years into the future and wondering if he will still be standing upright!

Terry & me planting our shrub

Planting these shrubs was such a good idea, as it gave us a solid connection to this state beach.

As a wrap-up to our training, we had a short meeting, followed by a pot-luck and bonfire.  It gave us an opportunity to get to know one another better and at sunset, we all stood at the cliff fence watching the sun slip below the horizon.

I have to shout out a quick thanks to our instructors Bill and Lisa, for hiring us and for providing such a welcoming, supportive training atmosphere.

We have thoroughly enjoyed Bill and Lisa since meeting them several years ago and look forward to getting to know them a little better in this new environment. I love this photo of them, so relaxed, which is how it should be here.  I particularly was drawn to Lisa in this photo, as her expression pulls me back to memories I have of my dear friend Barbara, too soon gone.  Barbara, such a force of creativity, wonderment, compassion, a true gentle spirit, loved by all. Lisa is much like Barbara and her expression, for me, embodies a sense of pure contentment, which draws everyone to her.

We are looking forward to our time here, working with the public, which I’m sure will offer some interesting stories, and exploring the area beyond the campground.

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Our friends Bill and Lisa, who have spent many a year at this place, are passionate about the preservation of the California State Beaches, which has been a concern due to governmental funding issues.  They helped to set up the non-profit Friends of Cardiff & Carlsbad State Beaches for just this purpose, of which Bill is a founding board member.

Yesterday was a short day for training, so back to our rig and a quick change into something more comfy and we are off to the beach for some exercise.  There is so much to see on this stretch of sandy beach, from the surfers at Swami Beach, an area we are told holds the best surfing in California, the dolphins and whales we catch a glimpse of occasionally, the multitude of shore birds searching for tasty little morsels, children busily building sand castles, young and older lovers strolling together, and joggers effortlessly moving (how I wish my jogging was) along the beach.

It is wonderful to start down the beach, then take one of the many long staircases up to street level (which are also great for strengthening your legs), to wander along the sidewalks of Encinitas, window shopping, while I wind my way back home.  There are so many interesting shops and restaurants, that if we are not careful, we could do some real damage here.

Back home, a little more exercise, clean up and I scurry off to do some grocery shopping.  Trader Joe’s is just a couple of miles from where we are staying, as is Whole Foods, Sprouts, and a few other interesting looking groceries.

As I return home, walking up to the RV I hear some great tunes wafting out from the windows.  Terry has figured out how to fix our DVD player and has the Eagles Farewell Tour playing.  This day just continues to get better!

I quickly put the groceries away and after some chopping and dicing, get the pasta sauce simmering.  Terry puts himself in charge of the drinks and hands me my glass.  Ah, the aroma of a glass of good red (which I have not had in my hands for a while) is quite intoxicating.  The song Love Will Keep Us Alive begins to play and I am such a sucker for all of Timothy B’s music!  I look at my husband and motion for him.  He complies, because that’s what he does (sometimes) and we dance. Shame on you!  You thought this was going to be a post tagged for mature eyes only, didn’t you?  Nothing like the Eagles, the ocean, and a California sunset to get you into the mood to dance.  And I would say this is true whether you have a partner with you or not.

After dinner, with a nearly full moon to guide us and the pounding surf as our symphony, we strolled down the beach to round out a most enchanting day.  Love truly will keep us alive, wouldn’t you say?

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

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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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]]> http://paintyourlandscape.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/meditation-and-a-hike/feed/ 14 paintyourlandscape Pima Canyon Trail #3 Pima Canyon Trail #2 http://paintyourlandscape.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/a-birds-eye-view/ http://paintyourlandscape.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/a-birds-eye-view/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:59:38 +0000 Paint Your Landscape http://paintyourlandscape.wordpress.com/?p=3626 Continue reading →]]> 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!  

~  Earth Sun Moon Trading Company  

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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