How can one still be stressed while spending a year living in the serenity of retreat centers and in the beauty and stillness of nature?
Mainly it’s because we don’t stay still. We are constantly moving ~ from one kind of retreat center to another, from one national park to another new city or town, and from one life-changing experience to the next. One day we’ll need to just stop so we can integrate them all.
But for now…the journey continues. (more…)
~ Winnie the Pooh
One of the parts of this trip that I honestly hadn’t anticipated was the constant leaving. We are always leaving someplace, something, or someone. Beginning with the big ones ~ our home, our beloved city of Charleston, our family, and life-long friends. It wasn’t easy.
Now, on quite a regular basis, we are leaving new places and new people that we’ve fallen in love with along the way. This journey of traveling to and from spiritual centers around the country sets the stage for having deep, rich experiences and building close connections. It can be intense. And when it inevitably comes time to leave ~ it’s always a bit sad. (more…)
After a visit to breath-taking Lake Louise, we got in the car for the long trek to Vancouver. It took two days of driving, with a stop-over in Kamloops, British Columbia. This was an unexpected, stunningly beautiful drive ~ so we took our time. Seeing all of the water in Canada ~ lakes, rivers, bays, oceans ~ is mind-blowing. Who knew? (more…)
Michael turned 70 years of age this past Tuesday, June 4. Looking good, huh? This feels like a milestone. In all the best ways. He is healthy and happy. Who could ask for anything more?
And he is doing exactly what he wants to be doing. He is living his life by his own design. On purpose. With meaning. I am grateful to be along for the ride. And what a ride it has been!
So hold on, because he’s on a roll. His new mantra for life is:
If not now,
when… (more…)
It finally happened. After all this traveling, I woke up this morning and had no idea where we were.
More specifically, I didn’t know where the bathroom was. And you know this is important. As we age, going to the bathroom, in the dark, in the middle of the night, is a standard practice that happens at least a couple of times per night. At home, we unconsciously get up and go on automatic pilot. We don’t even need the lights. We know where we are.
But this morning, not only did I not know where the bathroom was, I also didn’t know what state we were in. Of course, it was only for a split second, but in that split second, I had no idea where I was… (more…)