An Invincible Summer - A Woman's Journey

Me and my Boy Scout The weekend was nice; the weather was great, perfect for a bike ride. We packed a picnic of cheese, bread, dried fruit, and some white wine then headed up to El Capitan State Beach . It was incredible out. Dolphins, whales and a seal were saying hello from just off shore. Met a guy that was riding his bike from San Francisco to San Diego...over 600 miles. I would love to do something like that. I am sure I have mentioned before that I am NOT a camper. I do not want to camp for camping sake but I would love to bike a nice long ride, moving from place to place, meeting new people and seeing the country a little more up close and intimate. El Capitan State Beach With all the fun, you would think that I would be blissfully happy but there is a feeling of discontent or anxiety right now. I am not sure what is going on but the world is not sitting well with me. I am heading to Portland Oregon tomorrow to see my son present his senior projects. He is about t...

Spent my morning run being grateful. Not grateful for what I have, those things are fleeting. If I have learned one thing in this past couple of years is that the "things" we value can disappear in a moments notice. Objects, friendships, marriages can crumble to the ground. The trick is learning to find something to be grateful for even as the crumbling occurs. I am truly thankful for the knowledge that a grateful heart, especially with the help of a loving community, can weather almost anything. In addition to that life lesson, I've learned to try to live in the moment. This morning was crisp, with a light chilly breeze. Not too many people around but the few I did encounter seemed to be enjoying the morning as much as I was. The estuary had been ravaged by some very high tides but knowing how nature reinvents itself over and over gave me comfort and the birds didn't seem to mind the damage at all as they flitted about and fed themselves. The haz...

My silly dog and I walk at the beach nearly every morning. It's a unique group of people we see. It's 6:30 am and the hard-core surfers that range in age from 10 to 80, the young men, the unemployed, the businessmen catching a wave before going to work, the hippies; they are all here enjoying their passion. There's also the observers.  The remainders are the runners, the bikers, walkers, the lovers, the homeless and, lastly, the addicts. There's one gent that I've been watching for months. He's a nice-looking Hispanic guy, probably around 40, and looking way too healthy to be an addict. So I watch and I see what he's doing. He selling. He selling to kids, skaters, surfers, women an d men. It doesn't matter, he's an equal opportunity supplier. I don't know whether to hate him or pity him. Mostly I think it's pity but I can't help but wonder; does he carry a little of everything? Do you approach him like a supermarket? Or does he spe...