In Nature
happy new year
I woke to a glowing pink sky. I made tea & ventured out to watch the sun rise. The cold air was enlivening. I heard calls of geese & gulls. I watched water birds flying silently, their passage reflected in the still water below. I envy their effortless elegance. I pray this calm moment can…
Read More2 eagles
I woke up with a sugar hangover from eating a big piece of that amazing chocolate cake. I still like my choices. It was worth it. I’d do it again. I made it to yoga. I did a 75-minute Ashtanga class that was so hard it brought tears to my eyes a few times. Some…
Read Moreroot rot
Last weekend, I noticed the root of one of my San Pedro plants is rotting. This is a first in the 13 years I have been tending these plants. Even with all I have learned, I still felt crushed, as if it were personal or my fault. I had all my feelings about what a…
Read Morelabyrinth
I walk into the labyrinth with this prayer: I can be happy in this life. I walk slowly, intentionally and calmly repreating this prayer several times to myself. I feel the magic of the Marin Headlands. I open myself wider and take in the expansive views from the Pacific cliffs overlooking the fog covered waves.…
Read Moreocean
I met my friend for lunch at the beach in Half Moon Bay today. There was no one on the beach when I got there. That Boys of Summer song played in my head. It was foggy, but the sun kept trying to peak through. As I sat looking out at the water, I saw…
Read Moreyuba
I lay on my back half submerged in this river cradled by warm, smooth granite. This is one of my favorite ways to feel the heartbeat of the river. The swift current comes underneath and through me in pulses. I start to know the specific vibration of myself and the water in this moment. There’s…
Read Moregreen and gold
Yesterday I drove through a stunning landscape of gold and green. Lush vineyards and golden hills. Some vines have lovely scattered flowers growing underneath. Those make me smile. The rows of vines are so orderly. They feed my need for structure and organization and make me feel calm. I can only imagine the amount of…
Read Moresunset to moonrise
Sunset to moonrise hike last night. Listening to a book written 20 years ago about a dystopian future that sounds a lot like today. The imagined suffering that is now real made me cry. It’s so chronically exhausting to see all that is failing, depleting, exploitative, and toxic, and to know that people in power…
Read MoreSilver Dollar Eucalyptus
This Silver Dollar Eucalyptus tree grows just outside my back gate. Each summer someone cuts it down in the name of fire safety and defensible space. No matter how valid the reason, I feel the loss deeply each time. It feels so wrong to me to unceremoniously cut down a healthy, thriving tree, grind it…
Read MoreI am included
Today I took the long way home through China Camp. I drove slowly along curvy North San Pedro Road which hugs San Pablo Bay. 4 miles of nourishment. I love when the tide is coming in. I see rhythmic ripples in the smooth, glassy water making their way towards the shore. I admire the marshy…
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