Journeys Alone

"Everything is already OK. The notion strikes us as radical, and it surely is. What it means is that in our essential nature we are already fully awake and enlightened; it means that our higher self is available to us fully in the moment, simply because our higher self is our true nature. We simply have to stop resisting it...."
-Stephen Cope

Time has been slipping away from me!  Look at the last time I posted!   Where did it go?  I could say that it went to time spent with others, with lots of experiences and too much fun.  But, in reality it was just passing by with me alone in it trying to experience each moment for what it was, enjoying the breath, the touch, the yoga, the food, the sunshine, the glory that is Chicago in the summer.

What a city, and how distracting!  There is a beautiful lake with beaches, rocky outcroppings, bird sanctuaries, and a long curving trail for bikes and feet.  The street fairs and festivals seem never ending, something for every interest.  There was even a vegan friendly sausage fest!  Art festivals too, with wonderful people.  

The best experiences were, of course, the people themselves.  I've been distracting myself with dates and excursions in the evenings.  I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a night person.  I love going to bed around 10:00PM and waking up with the sun at 5:30 or 6:00AM.  Can't think of a better way to begin each day in fact!  The funny thing, though, is how we push ourselves to form patterns that are not so natural to us in order to connect with others we like/love. It is never necessary, but can be fun to "shake things up."  I felt like I was in college again, kind of neglecting important things and just letting go of control (not that I ever neglected important things in college mom and dad!).  It has been like a long vacation.  How many people can say that while working a full time job?  Loving my life.

Speaking of people, I decided to try to blend my biker-short tan by actually intentionally laying out in the sun in a bikini for the 1st time this summer?  I found myself biking north along Lake Shore Trail until I found an area of the lake shore that was quiet and the people passing through were sparse.  Perfect for my mood.  I found a flat rock and laid myself down with my book The Engine 2 Diet.  about an hour into my exercise in absorbing sunlight an older gentleman was inclined to start a conversation with me and we ended up sharing some great words for almost an hour.  He is a world traveler and is now retired after making his money by coming up with the simply brilliant idea of selling car related things at car washes back in the day.  It was a really cool encounter and one of those random awesome people/conversations that can happen!

It also led me to burn one side of my butt by sitting in the same position talking for an hour.  Kind of funny.  Kind of painful.

Throughout all the distractions and busy-ness I've forgotten that all is well because I am with me and the other stuff is just the changeable chaos that fills the external world.  Sometimes the drama of relationships ending or starting or parting, unfinished carpentry projects, or broken bed frames can throw me off balance, make me forget my foundation, my internal stability.  Letting go of all of that and allowing my natural peace to take over again is so healing and oh so necessary!

Hugs and lots of love!