And then the sun shone in...

I ride the bus. Every day. And so I have many, many opportunities to learn interesting life lessons. I used to ride a bus that went by 2 methadone clinics and the people I rode with gave me a whole new perspective. Now I ride a bus that goes by 4 different agencies that serve people who are homeless. My fellow passengers now are mostly men, mostly down on their luck, shabby, gentle souls who are polite, respectful and thoughtful. It's like riding with a congregation of the Dharma Bums that Jack Kerouac wrote about. For the most part, I enjoy their company.
Yesterday, on a very cold, gloomy morning the bus station was jam packed with folks trying to stay out of the cold at 7 in the morning so I choose to wait outside. Another person who chose to wait in the cold was a man in a wheelchair that I ride with often. He is always polite, always helpful, a genuine pleasure to be around and homeless. And there was a woman who complained incessantly...incessantly. He tried to redirect each and every complaint. The driver arrived and was going to let us get in out of the cold. She announced that she had no bus pass and intended to ride. The driver just looked at her. The man spoke to her quietly and she asked if she could ride to the homeless shelter..please. The driver let her on. As we waited for the time of departure, she continued her rant and the man who could have complained about everything, continued to try to redirect her. She began to bitterly complain about the cold...incessantly. And suddenly, a bus moved and the sun shone in...so brightly it filled the bus with light. It felt a little miraculous, okay... a lot miraculous. She began to shriek because it was in her eyes...shriek. My fellow passenger gently said to her..."you would curse the cure for your bitter complaint because it surprised you?" Lesson learned...

Be an explorer...read, surf the internet, visit customers, enjoy arts,watch children play...do anything to prevent yourself from becoming a prisoner of your knowledge, experrience and current view of the world." Charles Thompson

Grace in small things:
1. I don't have to carry everything I own with me.
2. I am warm 90% of the time.
3. When I am cold, I can get warm.
4. I have the opportunity to learn, explore, grow and change based on what I find out.
5. The sun does shine about 360 days of the year in New Mexico.

Two days in a row...

For a year that started out so well, I could only sustain it for 2 days in a row. This morning I made a series of bad choices that built up and turned into mistakes that delayed me and made my friend wait for me and that frustrated me no end. Just as I was about to loose it, I heard a sound that touches my heart. I was in the right place at the right time to hear Sand Hill cranes fly over head. Aaaaaahhhhhh. The rest of the day was lovely and even included a nap.

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues ones pays for a full life." Sophia Loren

Grace in small things:
1. Clear crisp days that warm up.
2. Excellent vanilla soy lattes
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox... of course George Clooney could read a phone book and I would be happy
4. The anticipation of a new class and assembling tools!
5. Sand Hill cranes, the way they sound, they way they look flying, the peace they bring to me

Off to a good start

Happy New Year!
How could it not be a great year when it starts out like this?
My word for 2010 is explore.

Any ideas?

The most important thing I learned on my road trip

of more than 1,100 miles;

in 2 states;

over 4 days;

including visits with old friends, new kids, and a really, really old dog;

and several family gatherings;

in snow and wind, bitter cold and clear skies and sun;

when the windshield was clean and dirty;

over really good food in homes and restaurants;

in small towns and giant cities:

when other drivers acted stupid and tried to become hood ornaments for the the truck;

and we could see for miles and miles;

and heard great music;

the most important lesson I learned my Christmas road trip with my son to visit family in Colorado, was:
ALWAYS WEAR SOCKS AND SHOES
OF EQUAL THICKNESS
AS THE PERSON CONTROLLING THE

H E A T

IN THE TRUCK.

Solstice greetings

"I believe that everything happens for a reason.

People change so that you can learn to let go,

things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right,

you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes
good things fall apart
so better things can fall together." Marilyn Monroe
And thanks to Allegra...this!

December ...so far

How I spent my Thanksgiving vacation...

I got on one of these

left this

and flew over this

to get to here

to see this from my childhood memories

went back for a closer look

couldn't resist shooting this again and again

more memories

something new, new memories made

ate and drank here with some of my favorite people

and left from here to return to the Land of Enchantment.
How did you spend your Thanksgiving vacation?