Starting to "Be"

     It's amazing how many people say, when I tell them what I am doing, "Oh, how wonderful!  You are free!!!! What an adventure!"  You know though, it does not matter where we are or what we are doing, if our hearts and minds are not free, then we are not free.  It took me several days to even begin to start "being" as opposed to doing.  This is going to take awhile, unfortunately.  We live in a culture of doing...all the time. The minute I have spare time, my gears start to turn and try to figure out a list of what needs to be done or what I could possibly accomplish.  Now that I don't have a job, my planner side of me says, "well...what next...let's figure this out."  Or, what is the plan for the day.  Lauryn helped bring this to my attention during a campfire discussion, and I am so  grateful.

Tesuque Trail Hike with Lauryn

"Allowing" is probably the key word for a healthy life, but it is so hard to do.  Listening to that voice deep inside of us and sitting with it, as opposed to jumping to the next rock with flailing arms and unbalanced bodies, is the real key.

Sunset at the Light Institute

     After this campfire talk, I started to feel a bit more calm and let things happen.  Immediately, wonderful people and deep conversations started happening right and left.  Conversations with art dealers on Canyon Road, an afternoon with Marion, a colleague of mine from two decades ago, a wonderful chat with the couple who run the KOA who lived in Allen, TX for 23 years (the town next to McKinney), a day with a wonderful couple in Taos whom I met through a mutual friend, Wanda, a woman I met meditating at the Light Institute who lived in Houston and left her conventional life to follow her own spiritual quest... the list keeps going. 
     At this very moment, right now,  I am not terribly open, but that is at this very moment.  The key is to consistently work on that openness and give myself plenty of time to pause and be.  Nature is important for me.  After I leave Santa Fe in a couple of days, I know I need to recharge and be quiet for a little while and just "be" with myself.  But this first week of allowing people into my life has been wonderful, and the moments when I have taken the time to look at nature has been a start to that process.  I know I need more of that.  Not just looking at nature but also "being" in nature.  In reality, it is just "being" with my true self. 
     Here are some moments that I took the time to pause and enjoy.

Galisteo Sunset

Wonderful Visit With Marion

Taos High Desert and Mountain Views