Desert Rose

I have fallen in love with a plant known as "Desert Rose". Also known as "Adenium" - these chubby little succulents have their origins in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other areas in that part of the world. They take some effort to keep alive - their cultural needs are special - don't water too much - don't let get too cold - prune at certain times and not others - best grown in full sun - although here in Arizona the desert sun can be very brutal so better to have them in partial shade in the late afternoon. So much effort - but as you can see above - the reward for the Spring flowering is worth it! I think our own lives are much like the Adenium - we need to be aware of what we need and what we don't and when we need to do certain things that are in our best interests - when to be in the sun and when to find the shade. So, in learning about how to take care of a special plant with special needs - we become aware of our own special needs and also the needs of others.
I like to think that with the right care - ALL of us can flower when we are supposed to and bring beauty into the world. And that makes for a truly meaningful life.

Bloom away my friends...bloom away....

Once in a Blue Moon...

Sometimes we concentrate so much on the small details that we lose the whole picture.

That was brought home to me recently when I took the above photo. I was concentrating so much on the composition of objects (A Blue Moon on Dec 31st 2009 framed by a tall saguaro cactus) that I literally wasn't really seeing the objects in front of me. If I had been present to ALL of it - I would have seen the little owl in the saguaro cactus. But I didn't realize the owl was there until I got home and uploaded the photos I had taken. Now how often do you think ALL the proper elements of this photo could have come together so perfectly without me being aware of it? Yup - you guessed it!

"Once in a Blue Moon..."

"One Step Closer..."

It's my own fault really. Sometimes I take on more than I can handle. So it was on a recent one day trip to Sedona. I originally wanted to make it a two day camping trip - but the campsite I had my eye on wasn't taking on any more campers - and so I chose another trail to walk - so to speak. I had been on this trail before - but it was many moons ago - and frankly - I was younger then and in much better shape. So as I started out with a heavy pack - my intuition clocked in and nudged me that I should maybe NOT do this...but did I listen? Nope. I trudged on. And on. And on. After about 4 hours of hiking - and getting low on water with no water to be found in the canyon I was in (I carry a water purifier) my intuition yelled at me to "Turn around!" This time I was listening and did exactly that. Now I was looking at another 4-5 hours of strenuous hiking - most of it uphill - and I remember thinking "This is a nightmare!"

Luckily I had two large grapefruits with me - so before I started the trek back I took a break and and gobbled one quickly - I also had plenty of food and peeled a hard boiled egg and devoured that. I then hoisted the heavy pack and started up once again - my shoulders crying out from the weight of the pack. My leg muscles shaking with the effort...

I knew it was going to be brutal - but what else could I do but continue. I remember once before while hiking in the McDowells in the Fountain Hills, AZ area - I sort of ran into the same thing. I wasn't truly prepared for the 16 mile hike I had set out on - and I was wearing new hiking boots and with 4 miles to go my feet were screaming bloody murder from the blisters developing but the only thing I could do was to continue. It is at these times that we come face to face with who we are and the strength of our will to live. How far will one go to continue living? As far as is necessary.

There was a film on public TV a few years ago called "Touching the Void" - about two mountain climbers and how one falls down a chasm after breaking a leg and how he literally crawls back to camp over the course of a couple of days - the film is mesmerizing and all the more so because it is a TRUE story. The will to live is quite the taskmaster.

Now I want to make clear that at no time was I ever in REAL danger. I knew I had enough food and water to make it back to the trailhead - I just knew it was going to be brutal - stop and go hiking. You know...go a few steps - stop - rest - and continue like that - especially on the uphill parts of the trail. It's important to reward oneself for working hard, and so I planned to reward myself with a big rest when I knew that I had traversed two thirds of the trail. Indeed - I told myself that I would stop at the next big rock that presented itself when I reached that point. So imagine my delight when a big ol' rock, large enough to lie down on, presented itself to me AND was shaded from the heat of the Arizona sun. The universe at times DOES cooperate!

I gleefully shucked the heavy pack and broke out more food. I wet my bandana and wrapped it around my head - sheer delight as the evaporation started cooling me immediately. I checked my cell phone - which oddly enough was working and sent my sister a picture of myself so she would know I was OK. I drank more water and electrolyte replacement drink - ate two more hard boiled eggs - and lay down on the inviting rock. The hard surface was surprisingly comfortable and I almost dozed off with the sound of the wind, the birds, and the cicadas.

The rest, food, and water revived me - and as I started on the last leg of the journey - I remembered my trip to Havasupai years ago. The Havasupai reservation is a desert oasis here in AZ - the reservation is on land which is part of the Grand Canyon - and the beauty of the place is magical - clear turquoise blue/green waters and absolutely gorgeous waterfalls. BUT the tribe voted years ago not to have any roads built into the main village of Supai. So the only way to get to this Arizona paradise is to either hike the ten miles in or hire the locals to give you a horseback ride. It took me 6 hours to hike the 10 miles to the Havasupai campground. It took me 9 hours to hike out - and as I was hiking out I saw a family on their way back to Supai starting the long trek in. I smiled and said to them, "How are you doing?" The woman with her two children looked at me and simply said, "Getting one step closer." And those were the words I kept repeating to myself as I struggled to end my own private hell - feet and shoulders screaming for relief. With each step I took I knew I was getting closer.

I would like to think that everyday, in everything we do, we are all getting one step closer.

2009 - The Year of Change

This New Year looks to be the Year of Change.

What exactly does that mean?

If we are to survive and grow as a species, it means the change has to be monumental.

In short - no more status quo - and you can bet those who believe themselves to hold some kind of power over others will NOT be wanting THAT to happen.  Politics has always managed to muck up what always starts out as a good thing - making the waters murky and prone to navigational disasters and managing to de-rail careers and/or good ideas at every turn - especially when those in power decide their way IS THE ONLY WAY.  Small minded leaders always use intimidation and threats to strike fear into their flocks - sheeple must in this New Year decide whether kissing butt is worth the loss of their soul or not - for it is the very survival of our planet that is at stake here.

Listen to your heart and soul and STAND UP for what you believe in - WALK your TALK and do not give in to fear.  Find a way to do what you want to do without having to kowtow to some power-hungry leader who has no importance except in his or her own eyes.  If you find that you cannot express your true feelings within an organizational structure without being slapped on the wrist or worse  - it is time for you to decide whether belonging to such a group is worth the cost of the loss of your freedom of speech.

The health of our planet is absolutely worth more than anything else at this point.  And politics is what is killing this planet.

May 2009 be your Year of Change - and may you have the Courage and the Endurance to stay your course.

The Essence of Time

I no longer wear a watch.  The idea of not always knowing what "time" it is is a little disconcerting at first - but then, after a while - it becomes quite liberating. And it's funny to recall how many times I looked at my blank wrist wondering what "time" it was - and then realizing - hey - no watch!  I've been  sans watch for about a year now - and I can tell you that I now eat when I am hungry and sleep when I am tired - and I realize this may not be practical for those whose lives are based upon tight schedules. And that's what got me to thinking about TIME and how we relate to the concept or the essence of time.

We are slaves to our clocks. They tell us when to get up, when to eat, when to get to work - when to drive to the airport, post office, grocery store etc.  In short - we have little choice in our carefully constructed world but to follow our watches.  For the vast majority of us - time can sometimes be our friend and sometimes our enemy, depending upon how we use it or abuse it.  And if our watches are a few seconds off - well - not a big deal. However - for the scientific community - it's vital that clocks be accurately synchronized. Broadcasters also rely on time synchronization. And just HOW is all that accomplished? 

Well, let's just say that there are people and organizations (The International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service -IERS) whose job it is to make sure that all the atomic clocks in the world are all synchronized - down to the second. And understand that a second - which comes and goes so quickly - IS the base unit for modern time keeping. In a nutshell - atomic clocks the world over keep a steady pace - BUT the Earth manages to slow a little as it rotates over time - so therefore - corrections in the world's clocks are necessary and vital - else over a matter of time - give or take a few thousand years - 12 Noon would fall at 12 midnight. (It's more like every 500 days one second is lost.)

And so we come to the crux of this post - this December - just before the New Year - a leap second will need to be added to all the atomic clocks to keep our clocks synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. The time is inserted at the same time all over the world - but because time zones are different - each regional time zone will add the second at a specific time.  

For those of you who have felt that you just don't have any time left - you actually are getting an extra second to play around with. Enjoy it. 

If you felt this was a waste of your time - let me know. Maybe I can make it up to you in a few thousand years.

2008 In Review

Another year coming to an end  - but this one feels different. Perhaps it's the new face in the White House - for despite the gloominess of the news about the economy - I am still feeling hopeful. Perhaps it's something more than that - the knowledge that cycles spin and then move on. Perhaps we are at the low end of one cycle and there is no place to go but "up".  For whatever reason - 2009 feels more like a friend than something to be dreaded.  I am actually looking forward to 2009. "Bring It On" I silently shout to no one in particular. Maybe I just like to hear myself talk.