A Desert Morning

It is 7am on a beautiful winters morning in Palm Springs. The sun is warming the shade and the hummingbirds are begining to make their rounds. A desert Blue Jay is sitting on the chaise lounge and a lizard is sunning himself on a palm leaf.

As I sit in my chair by the pool I am listening to the wonderful silence that only the desert can hear. The rustle of a distant bird, the whisper of a desert breeze, the gurgle of the pool as it filters and warms. What could be more serene. It is times like this that life seems to be satisfied. Moments of magic that set a tone for inner piece and introspection. It is hard to be lonely when surrounded by such boundless beauty but would that it could be sharred. I think to myself, but I am sharring this moment. I am sharring with nature and time, with the desert creatures and more.

I know that there will be times when my silence is broken by the other sounds of the day and that this tranquil time is brief. Later will come visits from neighbors and friends and the day will take on another dimension. So, I rest my head on the chaise lounge by the gurgling pool and listen to the desert silence knowing that in that silence is the answer to all my questions. If I can just be still like the lizard in the sun, the moment will come again.

The Mountain in Me

Walking toward its face I feel the energy emerge like a fountain head in the rock erupting with centuries old secrets stored in its earth stone crust. From a distance you can see it standing mighty in it's magnificent majesty but being at it's feet is to know the true magnitude of its power.

Casting a mighty shadow on both valley and desert the granite god gives life to all who worship at its alter. Waters springing forth from it's bare rock create misty lakes and streams offering drink to the Flora & Fauna that cling to its side. Pine trees crown it's regal head and clean the air caught in its mane. Ancient spirits dwell in its forests and fields of sage grass gleaning sustenance from it's essence while mountain sprites run through its hills and valleys.

In the desert morning as the sun surfaces over the horizon of neighboring mountains my mountain comes to life being touched by the first rays of solar light. At first the top most peak begins to glow like a beacon announcing the new day. Then as the minutes progress the entire mountain ignites and glows in a morning embrace. The day has begun and as the mountain warms, the entire valley applauds the spectacle as nature itself takes a first breath.

While the mountain watches over the desert day I feel a special connection to its magnetic charm, as though it is trying to tell me that I am safe while standing in its embrace and secure in the knowledge that it will always be there. How many times have I visited its peaks and slept in its shadow, and how many times have I felt its presence in my dreams. Would that I could always be in its protection and play in its forests of pine forever again with my past perfect memories.

The High Desert

There it is again, my friend, my nemesis, my lover! The desert in the mountain, a sea of sand in the air. Walking through it's dunes conjures thoughts and memories both old and new, both happy and sad, but always beautiful.

A serene siren this magical mirage both takes the mind to other places and holds it in suspension at once. Drifting on the cool white current the soul can take time to soak in the silence and heal. To walk in it's wake is to know true bliss but to touch it's surface is to feel it's fragility.

When walking on memories it is best to be aware that while tranquil and trusted the destination can be volatile as well. I have seen times when the sands take flight and in a moment become a most formidable foe. Never deliberate in their destruction the sands of time merely move where the winds of fortune blow them. Their purpose is not defined.

So what of this journey into liquid earth? What reason for the venture into timeless time? Perhaps only just the moment itself. For as the sand can be compressed and liquid glass emerge, so the soul when freed on wings of love can soar higher than the mightiest bird.

Destination accomplished ... My soul is free again

The View From Above

It is truly amazing what the emotions can bring into play when touched upon, like the strings of a celestial harp.

As I am flying over the purple mountain majesty of Bryce Canyon winging my way to the gentle comfort of Palm Springs I find myself suddenly overcome with a feeling of euphoria. The tears begin as I am once more reminded of moments of past perfect bliss. Perhaps I think, I might be able to bring the desert to life with my tears and to rejuvenate life in suspension with a kiss. From above it seems possible since I am not grounded. To float on the lithe air in the clouds affords me a moment in suspension. Seeing the mountains being swallowed by drifting dunes of sand, rivers carving elaborate patterns in the earth like matelasse fabric, and the misty valleys with fret work fields of humanity remind me of another time.

I remember many life times ago a moment such as this. It was the first time that I was physically in flight. I have always been a creature of the air and enjoy nothing better than to be there, but when the physical joins the spiritual magic can happen.

So what is it that I see when I look out at the desert and purple mountains from above? I see my life which has been laid from city to desert and from mountain to sea. I see a map of what not only might have been but also what which can and will be.

I am happy for the moment ...

The Moment of Meaning

There comes a time in every ones life I think that sets its tone. What tone you may ask? I say the tone that defines your "life path" and for that matter your very existence.

I have been extremely lucky in my life to have had so many positive associations and involvements, so many people that have touched my life so deeply and sincerely. I believe that when one finally connects to life you feel the energy of a million or more Galaxies colliding in unison and giving birth, if you will, to your own reality.

Sometime, a long time ago, I found myself afloat on a sea of introspection, a place of indecision and a time of confusion. What was it that sparked that turn around, that decision to decide, that entrance into my "me"? Maybe it was the happiness of a summers day spent with a fond friend, a night spent with a special lover, or maybe just the fact that I had in fact so many options in my life I thought that they would never run out. If only I could just make one of them real. Enter then reality, the moment of meaning, the ultimate end to the quest, my connection to my "other half".

Now it would seem that from the ultimate would come total satisfaction but not so. We are after all creatures of creation and thus are compelled to a life of endless evolution, that is until we can no longer evolve or do not desire to do so. Eventually I feel there is a gateway, a pass or a window that opens in the end to yet another tomorrow of unending beginnings, and those beginnings become an end unto themselves. So on we go forever forward ever searching for another moment of meaning.

Would that I could fill my tomorrows with all the joys of the past then I could surely fly to the summit once again and bath in the pure sunshine of endless love itself and find true happiness in its embrace.

Single is as Single Does

A friend recently asked me "what do you consider the best part about being single". My answer was "not much". Perhaps being single and alone affords you the opportunity to get more into yourself and then again it also affords with opportunity to do things that you would never do if you had a significant other. Now, I know that there are many who say that they are better alone, and that is fine but not me I fear.

I have always enjoyed having a partner, someone that I could love and take care of. Someone who would in turn cherish me as well. I had that dream come true not just once but several times in my life and in varying degrees of satisfaction. The first and the last were the best and I can most assuredly tell you that I don't count on another great love - but then again one never knows.

The thing to remember is that while opportunities present themselves to us every day there are precious few that really deserve our full attention. My grandmother used to tell me that "the best way to live you life is to respect yourself and take care of your mind and body as if it where your only dwelling" because it is. She said to me that if you I didn't take care of myself no one else would and if I were not happy with myself no one else would be either.

You see, you can't take care of another if you are not strong and secure within yourself. It is like someone trying to run a race without being prepared. Now, once you are strong and secure then the world can be yours. The main thing to consider at that point is what do you want out of life.

Another pearl of wisdom from my grandmother was this, "you can do what ever you like in life as long as you don't hurt someone else". Be kind and caring. Be gentle but strong, and most of all live life in the present not the past or future, because the past is gone and future might not be; but the present is precious because it is here and now.

So live life in the moment and cherish it for what it is - our only opportunity to get it right!

Happy Valentine's Day

The Road to Idyllwild

There are three ways to approach the mountain. The first and most direct is the "Tram" or cable car that assaults the shear granite face and lifts you upward like a mountain goat fleeing from a bobcat in search of sanctuary. Once you leave the ground you are transported through layers of life zones from arid desert to airy pine trees, from sunny and 70 to blustery winter blizzard perhaps. It is a dramatic and awesome spectacle always.

The second approach is the Pines to Palms highway. A winding and windswept way to motor to the top. For the first few miles you will find yourself transfixed at the steering wheel negotiating the hair pin curves and jagged granite cliffs as you make your way to the first valley. All of a sudden you are transported to another time. A peaceful and placid valley where it seems like time forgot. Sleepy little ranches and cabins scattered across the landscape like fragments of the mountain itself.

Leaving the lost valley we are now entering into what I call the "pine zone". You could now be in Colorado or Switzerland, or in fact any mountain locale on the planet. Funny how nature does not discriminate when climate dictates. I have always been enamored with alpine environments. There is something so serene among the evergreens in the cloud forests. The air is light and pure having been cleaned and scented by the peaceful pines. One almost feels like this could be heaven.

The third approach to mountain is the more tranquil trail up the windward side. While no less menacing to maneuver this side is more placid with it's miles of shaded and pine lined pavement. Here you will pass by sleepy cottages clinging to cliffs of green covered granite and a lazy, misted lake that looks to be primordial. I would expect to find ancient creatures wandering through the dense thickets. Then onward and upward to the pinnacle.

The top of the mountain is majestic in it's magnitude. For here you can see forever. It is both awesome and awe inspiring. It is a place that I could dwell for many seasons and the place that I find to be closest to heaven.

Everytime I make the journey to the mountain I find it to be unique and special. Whether I impatiently storm the mountain on the Tram or seduce it on the Pines to Palms Highway, or meander my way up the lush and lonely windward slope; what matters in the end is the destination. However we get to our nirvana is pretty much up to us because every day is a little different after all.