Shedding Self

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Posted by on in Inspiration, Spiritual, Striving

March 9, 2016, Prescott- I have finished reading a few books this year, most notably “Keep Moving”, by Dick Van Dyke, “The Witches”, by Stacy Schiff,  “Terra Incognita”, by William Barnes and “Extreme Ownership”, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

Current reads are “The Dinosaur Heresies”, by Robert Bakker, “Sphere”, by Michael Crichton and “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself”, by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

This last was loaned to me by a friend, so I am making finishing it a priority, out of courtesy, since she is also making reading it a priority.  There is a wealth of food for thought and for self-transformation, in this fascinating book.

As many of you know, I am investing in self-healing, through careful use of Certified, Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils and, by and large, avoiding fast food and beverages laced with processed sugar.  Regular exercise, in the forms of hiking, and hitting the treadmill three times a week, has also been beneficial.

Dr. Dispenza advocates these practices, but goes a step further.  The “self” he wants people to leave behind is the self that regards attachments to limiting physical and mental habits as unavoidable.  I will be incorporating his recommendations into my own meditation practices, as my reading of this book progresses, and will post on my findings.

One change in my behaviour that is already in place is that I will refrain from making grandiose schedules of travel and visiting, well ahead of time, overextending myself and then changing things up.  My journeys will still happen, when I am off work for the summer, or on breaks during the year.  They will, however, tend to be more spontaneous, and “out of the box”, in terms of where and when.

I am also finding myself being more sensible in managing resources.  This, oddly, derives from being more detached from needing those resources.  Thus, I can step back, look at a given situation, and make the correct choice, for me, whether it be frugal or generous.

Being more relaxed and engaged with people is another bonus I have taken from this book. The notion of totally letting go of past hurts, minor slights and misunderstandings is something that could benefit all of us.  It will actually result in better sleep, more energy during the day and faster metabolism.  I am looking forward to further learning what he has to say about personal resurgence.

Rice Canyon

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Posted by on in Family, Hiking and Nature, Travel

March 7, 2016, Prescott-  This past weekend featured my shortest visit to southern California, since July 3, 2013.  It was truncated by the intense storms hitting the region- with rare  Winter electrical elements, and hail, in the mix.

My visit with my son, Aram, was the main reason for the journey.  It is indicative of how much of me he has absorbed, that he asked whether I was just “swinging by” on the way to see friends.  It is true that, in the past, I have combined a visit with him and those with friends in Orange County and Los Angeles.  That was not the case this time, as both weather and fiscal prudence put the latter two segments on hold, until early June.

One of the things I enjoy doing is connecting people with places in the area where I happen to be, that they enjoy or find useful.  I do this here in Home Base, and I was able to do so with Aram, in Chula Vista.  I introduced him to a small Thai restaurant, near his home, on Saturday night.  Yesterday afternoon, we discovered Rice Canyon, a lovely trail just ten minutes’ walk from his apartment.  This trail system, a feature of the City of Chula Vista, gives area residents a lovely venue for hiking, biking and jogging.

Here are some scenes of this floral, riparian preserve.

Palms, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista
Copse, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista
North Trailhead, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista

There is a pleasant mix of desert and subtropical flora here, as elsewhere in the San Diego area.  Palm trees abound, though they are in a state of drought-induced duress right now.

Here is a steep side trail, leading to a housing area just west of Rice Canyon.
Lemonade Berry shrub “forest”, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista
Hidden creek, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista

Erosion, mostly man-made, is a concern for the friends of Rice Canyon.  Aram was underwhelmed at the notion of “side trails”, in the preserve.  Lemonade berry shrubs(above/upper right) provided the Kumayaay people with a sour beverage.   A small creek, (above, lower right) peeked out at the discerning walker.  Myrtillocacti (below) are also common in the South Bay of San Diego and the Tijuana Estuary.

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Myrtillocacti, Rice Canyon, Chula Vista

We had a fine introduction to the canyon, during a seven-hour respite from the rain that graced southern California with its presence.  This morning, no sooner had I left the city, than the rain resumed, with a vengeance.

 

 

My Life Thus Far: The Nineties

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Posted by on in children, Family, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social

March 6, 2016, Chula Vista- In the scheme of things, my most productive decade, to date, has been the 1990’s.  My forties were, initially, of consternation to my wife, but ended up being a time of relative calm and mutual growth for us.

1990-High Point: Travels with my family, around Jeju.                                                                                   Low Point:  Losing several more aunts and uncles.                                                                                People in the Heart:  My little family; my students; the Korean Baha’is.                                     Places in the Heart:  Jeju; Mt. Halla; Nonsan; Yosu.

1991- High Point:  Continued growth of our community, and in my teaching.                                       Low Point:   None.  This was a very sanguine year.                                                                                 People in the Heart:  Koreans, in general.                                                                                               Places in the Heart:  Jeju; Inchon; Jonju, Busan .

1992- High Point:  Return to the Navajo Nation.                                                                                               Low Point:  Leaving Korea.                                                                                                                              People in the Heart:  My students, both in Jeju and in Jeddito; the long-suffering Mr. Chun; Marty Green, who gave me a fresh start; the proprietress of Mile-Hi Motel, Prescott.                                                                                                                                                                              Places in the Heart:  Jeju; Sorak-san; Prescott; Jeddito.

1993- High Point:  Penny’s return to teaching.                                                                                                   Low Point:  Dealing with a disinformation campaign.                                                                          People in the Heart:  My Navajo and Hopi students; A.T. Sinquah; the Begay family,              of Cienega Canyon; Harry James, who gave his life for his faith.                                                      Places in the Heart:  Jeddito, Keams Canyon; Canyon de Chelly; Flagstaff.

1994- High Point:  Learning about, and implementing, a comprehensive guidance                              program.                                                                                                                                                                Low Point:  Struggling to adapt to new school administration.                                                         People in the Heart:  The Ambrose family; the Melvins, who taught me how to act                 with grace, and patience; all the aforementioned.                                                                     Places in the Heart:  Pinon; Shungopavi; First Mesa.

1995-High Point:  Our first cross-country road trip, as a family.                                                                 Low Point:  The passing of Penny’s paternal grandfather.                                                                  People in the Heart:  Sadie Charley; the Bathkes; the Shuplas; A. C. Fellman.                           Places in the Heart:  Louhelen Baha’i School; Bedminster; Saugus.

1996- High Point:  Continued success in our school’s program.                                                                    Low Point:  The passing of our neighbour, Georgianna T.

           People in the Heart:  The Coin family; Clifford Q., who taught us all patience, in a                  different way; Mark Sacco, who never gave up on the hardest of students; the                            Smiley sisters; the Tewanema family.

          Places in the Heart:  Edgewater, NM (our vacation spot); Sandia Crest; the Navajo                  and Hopi Nations, in general.

1997- High Point:  Our road trip with Lady (our dachshund, adopted in 1995).                                        Low Point:  The suicide of a former student.                                                                                            People in the Heart: Marwin Woody and his family; the staff of Louhelen Baha’i                      School; all my relations.                                                                                                                                  Places in the Heart:  Amarillo; Effingham; Lambertville, NJ; Louhelen Baha’i                           school; Edwardsville, IL.

1998-High Point: My securing a principalship.                                                                                                   Low Point: The accidental death of a key staff member.                                                                       People in the Heart:  Mrs. Lowe and Ms. Young, my strongest classroom teachers.                  Places in the Heart: Chilchinbeto; Kayenta.

1999-High Point: Landing on my feet, at Salome High School.                                                                     Low Point: Aram’s harrowing return visit to Korea.                                                                             People in the Heart:  Tom Riggenbach, the Charley family (who spoke in my                             defense); Paul Lansing; the majority of my constituents in La Paz County.                                   Places in the Heart: Polacca; Salome; Prescott.

The Nineties began with stability and hope, though various storm clouds were always showing lightning,in the distance.  This was a time that began and ended with big moves for us.  I made a stab at being an administrator, and found it was not for me. I am much more at home with counseling, and would have done better to hone my skills in that area, still further.  Penny had a serious fall, in 1998, and we spent much time and energy seeking competent neurological care.  She seemed to have recovered, by the end of the year, when we observed her parents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary.  The decade ended with us working through the joys and sorrows of life in a small Southwestern town.

Still and all, that decade was good for us.  The ten years to come would prove far more challenging.

 

 

True Diamonds

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Posted by on in Family, Striving

March 5, 2016, Chula Vista-

I laid a diamond in a vault,

Some five years ago today.

A hatchling gem sprouted wings,

and  found his own way.

Much happened to burnish

away the rough,

both for mother and for son.

I think of those who have not

seen their shine,

It’s for them that my tears run.

 

Threshold

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Posted by on in Family, Inspiration, Social, Spiritual

March 4, 2016, Prescott- Today marks the eve of two anniversaries of import in my life. On March 5, 2004, a child was born, in a country far from here.  He became my sponsored child, in 2011.  On the same date, also in 2011, my long-suffering and beloved wife cast her burden, and became my spirit guide.  One is now 12 years of age, the other, a spirit gone beyond time.

As I write this, there is a stirring, outside.  A door opens and shuts- most likely my ephemeral neighbour, poking about, catching the night air.    On the morning  that Penny went to the realm of stars, son and I were detoured by a street renovation project.  We got to hospice about three minutes after she had passed over.  We did see, however, a stirring of leaves and debris, spiraling upward, on an otherwise still morning.  We went inside, and found her body, still warm to the touch, but sans pulse.  She had indeed left, three minutes earlier.

When one is at the threshold of something entirely new, there is an individualized level of trepidation.  There is also an individualized level of hope and joy.  I generally face the day with more of the latter.  March 5, 2011 was an exception, because my beloved’s spiritual energy, dense energy, filled the room, as I awoke.  Nothing before or since has made its presence known, in quite that extraordinary a manner.  I knew what was in store, and moved along through the day, in a very heavy flow.

She will be with me, always.  I fully intend to visit my sponsored child and his family, in the summer of 2017.  If all goes well, I will also pay a visit to one of our friends, in a nation that faces the challenges of climate change.  I know Penny would approve, as she sent me messages about my earlier journeys, well in advance of their having transpired.

Standing at a threshold, my soulmate wraps me in confidence and blessings.

Seeking Family

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Posted by on in Family, Personal Values, Spiritual

March 2, 2016, Prescott- I drove two friends, mother and daughter, to the airport, early this morning.  They left cool Prescott for mild Phoenix, then headed for frigid Milwaukee.  The  quest was simple- to see family, including a newborn child.  Perhaps, with enough positive energy, they will bring milder temperatures to southeast Wisconsin.  In any event, I wish my friends and their family a safe and pleasant time together.

This brings me to the fact that we are each, in one way or another, seeking our true family.  I am fortunate, biologically, to have a large, nurturing family, whose matriarch is still very much alive and well. I am also fortunate, spiritually, to have a larger, more nurturing family, spanning the globe.  Besides making my tendency to wander actually bear some meaning, when I do go further afield than my Southwest home base, my greater family helps me build a solid foundation, for those times when I am rooted here.  To be sure, I don’t stay put nearly enough to suit many of the people here, but I put that time to good use.

That is what being part of a family structure does- it orients, helps ground a person, and nurtures- always nurtures.  What it must not do is stifle, suppress and cause stagnation.  I wish, for my spiritual family, both here in Prescott, and across the planet, to ever seek the first path.

 

Leap of Faith

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Posted by on in Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Spiritual

February 29, 2016, Prescott- This is one of those days when a person, who is actually 40, can pretend to be 10.  Leap Day is a quirk of Earth time, but has become quite fun to observe.  Some traditions allow women to ask men to dance, to go on a date- even, to marry, on “Sadie Hawkins Day”- something that derived from the country lore of the Appalachian region.  I think that would be enjoyable enough, as it’s taken in a gentlemanly manner.

I waded through a fair amount of criticism, once I cam home from work today, and turned on the computer.  Many people seemed in a nasty mood, for one reason or another.  I did feel rightfully chastened, in one instance, and said so.  In other cases, I felt the frustration of the complainant and in others, I sensed obfuscation in the wind, and called the person out on it.  She gingerly walked her complaint back, and “agreed to disagree.”  That’s fair enough.

There will be some tough choices ahead, for many people, and for our nation as a whole. I won’t get into the politics of it, but most of you will get my drift.  Those of us who have a personal credo will sense that we need to act, based on the precepts of what we say we believe.  I certainly have been, and will be, in that frame of mind.

We Baha’is begin our Nineteen-Day Fast, tomorrow at sunrise.  For all of us who are in good health, not undergoing physical stress (including pregnancy, Aunt Flo and nursing, as well as doing heavy labour), and between the ages of 15-69, the abstinence from food and drink goes from sunrise to sunset.  As with other spiritual fasts, ours is intended to purify the body and cleanse the soul.  What that means to an individual is strictly a personal experience, and personal business.

I know those areas on which I need to work, so I hope this season will set the tone, in that regard.  Stay tuned, and Marvelous March!

Bell Trail

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Spiritual

February 28, 2016, Rimrock, AZ- I spent yesterday, it seemed, with fork or spoon in my hand, from 2-6 P.M.  There were three gatherings:  The first, a lovely afternoon tea, was the big meal of the day, it turned out.  Then, there was a small gathering at a local bakery (I had a cup of soup),followed by an appearance at a chili cook-off. The last one only had smatterings left, so the meal ended up being, thankfully, paltry- though, being chili, it was full-on tasty.

So, today, I headed off to visit some long-time friends near Montzeuma Well, a beautiful and refreshing extension of Montezuma Castle National Monument, on the northeast end of the town of Rimrock.  Further northeast, still, lies Bell Trail, which sometimes parallels the Verde River tributary of Beaver Creek, and sometimes follows a path down to the creek.

So, after a light lunch, and visiting with the family as a group, while they put together a rabbit hutch, for Hako,

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Hako

I headed out, with one of the family members, to explore Bell Trail.  The various stops,along the trail, gave much time for meditation, even as I listened to my friend’s stories of adventure, both home and in far off lands.  I shared a few of my own, along the same lines.

Beaver Creek
Mogollon Rim, southeast of Bell Trail
Beaver Creek, off Bell Trail
Near Beaver Creek

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Sandstone formations, off Bell Trail

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Sandstone “fortress”, off Bell Trail.

Sandstone “castle”, Bell Trail
“Tree Arch”, framing cinder cone, Bell Trail
Beaver Creek, viewed from “The Crack”, Bell Trail
Small hideaway, Bell Trail

The trail ended at “The Crack”, an overlook and creek access point that is popular with students from Northern Arizona University, as well as local youth.  The whitewater of a currently deep Beaver Creek is visible  above, at lower left.  While we we there, about a dozen youth were there, and several more were en route, as we took the return trail.  It was tempting to get in the water, with temperatures in the upper 70’s, though when we stuck our hands in the creek, it felt like the water was about 55.  That didn’t stop some of the younger folks from jumping in, though!

The afternoon was another well-spent day on the trail.  I also thoroughly enjoyed my hiking companion’s stories of time spent in  China, Tibet, and the Navajo Nation.  Many of the latter experiences I shared, having been among the Navajo and Hopi, for 11 years.

Intercalary

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Posted by on in Community, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual

February 26, 2016, Prescott- Today is the first of four Intercalary Days, celebrated by members of the Baha’i Faith, as days of charity, gift-giving and fellowship. The proper name for this short period is Ayyam-i-Ha, or “Days of Giving”.  It is followed by a Fast, of nineteen days, on which I’ve written before, and will again.  Our Fast has some similarities to Lent, Ramadan and the Jewish High Holy Days, as well as its own unique character.

Intercalary means “in-between calendar months”.  Our Baha’i calendar, properly called the Badi Calendar, has nineteen months of nineteen days each.  In the past, we would have four days of intercalary in 365- day years  and five days,  in a Leap Year. The calendar has now been synchronized, world-wide, so that our Holy Days will be based on the occurrence of the new moon, and thus will fall on different dates each year.  The Intercalary Period, therefore, will be four days a year, regardless of a year’s actual length.

Personally, this month and next, are rather lean, so my charity and gift-giving come more in the form of time and energy, this year. I’d rather have it that way, actually, as we humans sometimes value each other more on what things people bring and how much money they give.  I’ve lost a few friends, over the years, because I didn’t contribute, financially, to their efforts or causes.  Then again, were they really friends, in the first place?

 

Today, I will shortly set out and see what is happening downtown, and visit one of my favourite journaling haunts- either the Courthouse lawn, or one of the coffee houses that so wonderfully grace our central area.  This evening features two gatherings, and tomorrow- three.  I have, on such occasions, developed the art of selective grazing- each of these affairs is centered around food- and refined my conversational skills, which, for much of my life, have been halting, at best.

It’ll be a fine weekend, at any rate, and will have its share of acts of service.

Itsy-Bitsy

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Posted by on in Uncategorized

35. con-artist, puberty, spider venom, Cheetos.

February 25, 2016, Prescott- I didn’t work today, but I did receive my renewed Fingerprint Clearance Card- good until 2022.  Getting it to the three district offices was the order of the afternoon.

A bit of verse, in celebration.

Lydia finds that Red Hot Cheetos are a cheerful mid-morning snack.

Since she underwent puberty, and has since carried around a full egg sac.

Standing on four of her eight legs, she tries to crawl up the denim.

The shrieks are deafening, from the girls, afraid of spider venom.

Lydia, you see, is a tarantula, and quite the con-artist.

She only need appear, and send the humans scattering.

Munching on a Cheeto or two,

Not what I’d call working her hardest.

The web can wait, until the bugs and flies stop chattering.