artistry of nature

sometimes the artistry of nature is unsurpassed and only requires us to be observant. oftentimes the beauty of each day goes without notice and we need to be reminded that there is always something special to behold. i am venturing out to sequoia retreat center in ben lomond, california tomorrow to work with an Integrative Intentions comprehensive, amongst the redwoods. hopefully with schedules meshing i will have the opportunity to paddle on monterey bay before leaving. i am looking forward also to sharing an early birthday with my sweet daughter, calliope, in seattle before coming back. the twenty three years have gone by too quickly. where do the days go?

reflections

sometimes the Path ahead is clear and sometimes it is blocked. sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it scares the bejeebes out of you. on calm days, looking into the water, you can see everything as if it were a clear mirror. how many times do we find that those around us are either a clear mirror, reflecting back what we need to see about ourselves, or a collection of distorted waves that actually scare us to death.... surrounding ourselves with positive, energetic people will not make us more energetic or positive, but can create an environment where we can learn, change, and grow. just like in paddling, a calm day can create relaxation and peacefulness, and a stormy day can make us alert and allow us the opportunity to develop new strategies for success.

in july of last year my paddling friend, JC and i made a 123 mile trip along the north shore of lake superior. the journey held all extremes of calm and tempest; from serene foggy anonymity to battling two metre waves, wind and exposure. in both conditions we found something to acknowledge in ourselves. the calm part of yourself can match up to the frenetic and you can survive in any situation. man is said to be a social animal, not meant to live alone. even in all his writings thoreau extolled the virtue of communication and interaction outside of oneself. he appreciated the fact that nature provided a backdrop against which we measure our lives. it is the mirror that lets us see what is inside of each of us.

"The wilderness is near as well as dear to every man. Even the oldest villages are indebted to the border of wild wood which surrounds them, more than to the gardens of men. There is something indescribably inspiriting and beautiful in the aspect of the forest skirting and occasionally jutting into the midst of new towns, which, like the sand-heaps of fresh fox-burrows, have sprung up in their midst. The very uprightness of the pines and maples asserts the ancient rectitude and vigor of nature. Our lives need the relief of such a background, where the pine flourishes and the jay still screams." --henry david thoreau

let nature be the Lighthouse that guides us in our journey and keeps us from the rocks. put yourself into the position of guiding others too and let the Light shine brightly for everyone around you. it is known in holistic therapy that the Light inside of us keeps away the darkness, unless it is walled off by negative emotions. find that darkness, understand it, and replace it with Light so that you can continue on your Path unobstructed.

remember, darkness is the absence of Light, not an entity unto itself. you can not turn on darkness, but only forget the Light. let your Light shine brightly illuminating the Way for everyone you encounter and become the clear mirror that allows them to see themselves more clearly.

do'er in the headlights

a kayaking friend's blog (and picture) recently reminded me of my response to my grandmother when i was asked what i wanted to be when i grow up. without hesitation i replied that i wanted to be a "do'er". when questioned further about what that was i informed her that i was going to "do" everything..... a noble cause for a seven year old i was told. i think that at times, in the past years, that philosophy has gotten me into trouble more than not.... trying to do everything takes time and takes time away from everything else too. i've neglected friends and family in my pursuits, but have had good intentions, even if misguided at times. i always thought i was creating a better environment for those around me. i would call this phenomenon, "do'er in the headlights"..... we get so focused on what's coming at us that we forget to run the other way.

i am proud to have raised four very sensitive children to adulthood and know that their caring for those around them will take them far. there are always pitfalls to being sensitive, but it is a much better path Way than the alternatives. right now my youngest daughter is championing a rescue operation for dogs/puppies in Seattle, even as she is unable to find gainful employment in her field. she has a PhD in compassion for animals and small children.

if there are indeed "do-ers and be-ers" we might want to consider the problems when placed in combination. opposites do attract and sometimes the consequences of their combination can be dangerous. i had a friend that told me "two beers are better than one"..... and well, whenever there is one deer next to the road there will usually be two....... where is this going? i'm sure there is an analogy in here somewhere. i think that as the accompanying picture shows, do-ers and be-ers don't always mix; two be-ers together can be toxic at times, but definitely interesting; and two do-ers together can often times be pure trouble. that is the stuff of romance novels and auto repair shops i'd be willing to guess.

for now my only advice is to drive slowly, keep your eyes on the road, and your hands on the wheel; you never know when there will be a "do-er" in your Path...

distorted images

i've been working so much on a water trail grant proposal that using a computer for other than composition and emails seemed rather tedious. how often the focus of "what's on your plate" is distorted and the things that really matter get lost in the waves. living each day has a certain sense of joy and deliberation, but having a vision of something better does tend to keep the flow intact. it takes a few well placed comments to shake off the lethargy. it does help to have clear mirrors close to remind us of our frailties and our possibilities.

recently i had the privilege of working with children at an Integrative Intentions intensive in plymouth, indiana at a golf resort. the inclusion of fine powder snow each day allowed for cross-country skiing each morning before work and a chance to "get the head right" before tackling some of the toughest challenges i've seen to date. there are so many individuals out there just getting by with parental love and faith. it is humbling to see how much progress can be made and still know that there is so far to go. i had the opportunity to work with conjoined twins, a near drowning victim with severe neurological loss, and autistic children, but labels can't describe how much meaning there still is in their lives. i can't comment on their conditions or care, but to just say that i have all the respect in the world for their parents/siblings/caregivers. To be a small part of making their lives more manageable is extremely gratifying.

my favorite singer/songwriter, todd rundgren, once wrote a song entitled, "parallel lines". it ran through my head as i got up each morning to face a new dawn and ski. looking at the tracks of the previous day, covered with a new dusting of snow, reminded me that even though there are moments and people we'll never get any closer to, we will always be close; we will always be on the same path Way. when i work with my patients i remind them that even though those they love are not close, they are still with us closely in spirit. i'll include the lyrics:

Kindred spirits moving along the spiral
I can see you up on another level
It's too great a fall
And I can't reach you to pull me higher
But I don't seem to get much closer or any more far

What would you tell me, if
I could hear you speaking?
If you could touch me, how would I know the feeling?
I just can't imagine
But I try to do it anyway
I wish I was moving faster,
I wish you'd drift back
But it just wasn't meant to happen
Very soon I'll have to

Face the fact
Some things never come together
Parallel lines running on forever
And you can't turn back
There is never any starting over
Parallel lines never do cross over

Its a challenge
Gotta make myself remember
Facing the truth, well, that doesn't mean surrender
What is bravado and how much is a force of will?
I know that the world is full of opposites that attract
But unless we ignore the physics
Very soon we'll have to

So I send you the gift of empathy
If you'd once in your life acknowledge me
I have visualized so thoroughly
That when I think of me
I think of we

Can't face the truth
It means that we must surrender
Understanding won't satisfy the hunger
It whittles away at the destiny we fulfill
And like an animal running wild
You can't call it back
And its just gonna make it harder
When it's finally time to

It's like a train that's stuck running on a track
Parallel lines running on, running on, running on

when it seems like you'll never reach a crossing point, when you'll never make contact, know that you always have someone close while traveling on your Way

into the wild

starting off a new year entails a certain cleansing ritual physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. after a hiatus from blogging, involving renewing family activities over the holidays, i am ready to begin a new chapter in this life accounting. in ayurvedic medicine they acknowledge the need to rid the body of old impurities and resolve long accumulations, that clog the flow of knowledge in the body. with every change of seasons we move to another type of body, and the doshas or imbalances that occur due to current conditions. with winter Vata cold the dryness creates amas or stiffness that requires balancing. with an increase in air and ether, the earth elements, movement is accentuated and a departure from grounding occurs. i´m ready for stability as a prelude to flight. this year will entail travel to distant lands, both in geography and attitude. i returned to swimming this morning and will try to make good use of my renewed membership in the local recreation center....... but i'd rather swim with the dolphins in warmer climes than the early morning crowd.


the year was ushered in with wonderful exercise and friends and family. my daughter and granddaughter from virgina shared the Christmas holiday, and my youngest daughter and nathan, from seattle, stayed until after new year´s day. it was so great to have their energy and smiling faces in our midst, and to have the time just to talk and share. i look forward to the next opportunity to renew ties. new year´s day i paddled with friends at saylorville, on the des moines river below the dam, and even got interviewed for a dsm register article about crazy kayakers in cold weather. afterwards we had lunch together and then traveled to red rock lake to paddle below the dam. on our journey we took time to visit the abandoned bus that took us "into the wild".......... the land of laughter and imagination. how healing is the time spent just absorbing nature and melding into the energy of our surroundings.......




they say that "you never step into the same river twice" and each new year reveals another part of that flow that you've never seen; so i look forward to new journeys, adventures, experiences, lessons, and above all friends (even if they are changing too).

in this new year please know that i have appreciated all the knowledge, caring and love that has accompanied me as the flow takes me on The Way........

looking over the shoulder

at the end of this tumultuous year, with so much to think about, i have to stop and give praise for all the blessings i've experienced. now that our lake is frozen and we're confined to the river i have had to shift my focus to the movement of life. last weekend we paddled to the Dollar Bridge from the dam and the wind was stronger than the current. so much to consider when life takes the same course. i remember the headwinds Katie Lindquist, my rider in RAAM 2001, encountered on the high plains of Colorado. When every other factor weighed in, a twenty mph headwind was enough to call it quits. on most other days it probably wouldn't have fazed her. on our Des Moines River a headwind doesn't seem too difficult most days, but on Lake Superior it was enough to keep us bivouac'd on the rocks all day. how often does one small detail become the deciding factor in everything we do?

our history defines us in so many ways, and often limits us by our hesitations and indecisions; yet, it allows us the freedom to soar with the eagles on that one occasion when we stop fighting the current.

"The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it" - Woodrow Wilson

in a year when the economy has redefined all of us, there is time to rededicate ourselves to understanding that we have the power to survive any test of will, and the determination to turn and go with the flow. To make our Way easier we simply have to turn and absorb the energy that is needed to reach our goal. no obstacle will sweep us away or turn us under if we have the flexibility to bend with the pressure, and not break. for all the mistakes, for all the wrong turns, for all the indecisions......... i give thanks for the ability to learn, and keep on paddling.......

thanks to all those that have helped me on my journey in this past year. i look forward to exploring new destinations, new sunrises, and new sunsets.

finding The Way

at the end of a busy year i harken back to exciting moments and warm consistencies. when the weather becomes dark and cold it is comforting to think about all the blessings of the past twelve months and all those that have made it special: family and friends. it is too easy to just live out the daily existence and see tomorrows turning into todays, and todays turning into yesterdays: í framtiðin, í dag, í gær.... or some semblance of this difficult language (icelandic/islensku) that occupies my desire to learn.

there are so many wise individuals to draw from when discussing the concept of "the Way" and i'll include a few of my favorite quotes. this has been a central theme of my writings so i'll just continue to explore what some would focus on, "i am the Light and the Way".

“God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the Way.”

-author unknown

“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the Way.”
-Abraham Lincoln

“The Way of the superior person is threefold; virtuous, they are free from anxieties; wise, they are free from perplexities; and bold, they are free from fear.”
-Confuscius

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life, not so much by what happens to you as by the Way your mind looks at what happens.”-Kahlil Gibran

to be proactive is to use an old football idiom that says, "a strong offense is your best defense". as i mentioned last, to overcome adversity with positive nature is the best medicine. i revel in the joy that comes with each morning and the possibilities for everyone to live life to the fullest with expectations of great things. what a wonderful time in our existence when we can at least believe that we make a difference in this world.

may you all, at this joyous holiday time, be free of anxieties, perplexities, and fear! God bless us everyone!