The Mountain and Me



Every time I come to this place I am always mesmerized by the many changing faces of my mountain.

Sometimes a brooding giant laid heavy with clouds of snow and rain, sometimes a lofty spectacle of sun and wind again, but always solid in it's stance and ever more a friend.

To be apart of its silent synergy is a lasting love and to breath its lithe air combed clean by the pines is a delight indeed. Of granite made yet gathering within its embrace the many and varied desert flora and fauna it stands ready for the day.

How many times have it felt its strength in the morning hours when, awaking to the desert sun, it's beacon ignites and sets the valley on fire with its reflection.

How many more moments have I looked in aw at it's staggering peaks and rocky valleys punctuated by bristles of cactus and yucca, bringing a prickly softness to its otherwise austere face.

This time I know it intimately, and this time I feel it more profoundly. In a few days I must leave its domain but I will feel it all the same. Whether in the desert or back in the plains, my mountain will be with me all the same.

You see, what I have discovered, and it was a surprise to see - I am the mountain because the mountain is in me.

High Flying Adored

Ah, to be in the air again! Winging my way to the sunshine of the desert and clearing my mind of all the mundane challenges of the past weeks is a wonderful feeling indeed.

This time however is very different. This time I feel as though I am traveling with my entire life in my pocket. I have often talked of change before but this time there is an urgency to it. As if time has whispered in my ear "it is your moment to shine again - cast off your earthly mantle and fly with me"!

Time can be either a formidable predator or a close and loving friend. Over the years I have experienced both. Now, in what I have come to call "my Fifth Act", I feel a certain freedom in the knowledge of just what I have accomplished. After all it is not every one who can say that they have survived over six decades, managed a successful business for over 35 years, survived three long time relationships, and written four books.

Now in my fifth Act, I have actually entered into a new a wonderful relationship and am fully expecting to begin life again, one more time, and with all the gusto I can manage. Armed with a loving partner and overflowing with the promise of tomorrow, I feel as light as the air around me.

So hello desert, here I come. Hello desert my long time mentor, make your magic one more time for me and cast your spell again. I am such a lucky person to have been privy to the best, and wors,t in life. So fortunate to be apart of it all. Pardon me but I really do feel "high flying and adored"!