Pineapple Express

It is only late autumn yet it has been feeling as cold and heavy as winter, that is, until the Pineapple Express arrived late yesterday evening. The concrete on the back step twinkled with condensation from the fifteen degree temperature change that occurred within what seemed like seconds. I awoke this morning to golden sunlight streaming in the windows and laid on the floor like a cat to bask in the warmth.

After the coffee kicked it I got dressed for a run and immediately turned around to come back inside. I was over-dressed and smiled as exchanged a long sleeve fuzzy thing for a sheer tank top. It was windy and gloriously warm out, I could almost smell the green coconuts and plumeria. Today I'm grateful that Hawaii sent some love my way.

I'm sure the mountain folks were all stoked for ski season and the rapid snowmelt probably made their hearts sink. I know it will get cold again soon but it was really nice to have a tropical reprieve and get some much needed Vitamin D therapy today. Thank you Hawaii and the forces of nature, it truly is a beautiful thing how the weather can change so quickly and I do appreciate the variety. Aloha! 

WTF?

Why The Face? I wonder what is going going thru this high mountain squirrels mind...

I was trying to figure out what picture to use for tonights blog post and stumbled across this image, then I was trying to come up with a title and WTF to write about on day 12 of my blogging streak. This was perfect, WhyThe Face? I think my face has looked like this recently, thought I'm not sure exactly why. Could be that I haven't been sleeping very well, and maybe had some gluten contamination too, and my hormones are doing strange things again, as they usually do a few days before my period arrives. So WTF is appropriate in a lot of the ways you could use it here. Why The Funk? What The Fuck?

And Wednesday Thursday Friday are the next three days in a row after today so maybe tomorrow I'll have something better to say...

Herbalism

Photo by Mark Goodman

I'm a tree hugger, thats for sure and I'm especially awe-inspired by the ancient ones that have healing properties. I love to use plants and herbs in my everyday life, in fact I'm drinking herbal tea as I write this. It's Chamomile tonight since I have been trying to mellow out. I keep having these moments of anxiety that make my chest feel so constricted I almost forget to breathe. And I'm not exactly sure what's going on, all I know is I have to get to the root of the issue and I'm using all the tools I have at my disposal. Herbalism is one of the things I'm fascinated by and I keep learning more about it every day. There are so many plants that have healing properties and it's quite fascinating to discover new ones too.

Since I learned about this amazing tree, also known a Western Balsam Poplar, I've been seeing it everywhere. The leaves this time of year are mostly laying a pathway of pure gold color beneath their trunks. After the first big windstorm I collected some of the heady smelling buds from fallen branches and have them soaking in sweet almond oil to extract the medicine for possible later use. The scent is distinct and brings about some strange sense of nostalgia for me that I think may even be beyond this lifetime. I may just go take a whiff right now and see if that calms my nerves. 

Even though I know logically it will all be okay something seems to keep getting in my way.

My mind paces and my heart races.

I wish I understood more now than I did before. 

Wandering wondering beneath a tree, waiting for the moments when I will clearly see.

Like Cactus

I was perusing old journals tonight to try and get my timeline straight for the book I'm writing but I got distracted by words. I just thought I would share one of my woah moments as I was reading a piece I wrote left-handed on January 5th, 2004. As I was reading it I couldn't help but make edits so this version a little better in my opinion. 

Getting better all the time

Writing Left but making it rhyme

Hearing sound without a doubt

Ambidextrous is what its about

Change is constant moving along

Growing faster than a song

Moving gently down my path

Unavoidable is my own wrath

Damn this ego in my mind

Control is something I must find

Within my body there is a light

Ethereally it shines so bright

I must face the demons in my head

Or else I may be better off dead

This book of my life

Cuts like a knife

So I keep on turning the pages

Throughout the ages

Everything is like a mirror

Reflecting the lessons to reach beyond fear

Love life and life loves

Learn & Know

Like cactus...

Harsh environments help us grow.

Journal notes written left handed and a random photo of me with this huge piece of rose quartz at some party some night on the island of Kauai during that same time period. Life is funny.

Turkey Trot

I took this picture last year sometime... my brother's Turkey, Tom. He is (was?) the coolest Turkey I've ever met.

GBRC's annual 5K Turkey Trot was today at Squalicum Creek Park. Last year I volunteered as part of my membership duty so I had a pretty good feel for the event when the opportunity arose to help out again. This year was different because I became a GBRC board member unexpectedly earlier this year and started doing photography and social media posts for the club. I was recruited to be on the board by a nice guy that I met through a Bellingham Trail Runners group run one day. After becoming friends on Facebook, he thought I could put my writing and shutter bug skills to good use for the benefit of the Greater Bellingham Running Club. It made sense to me too and it has been an great experience so far.

Anyway, when I found out that my friend, who is the Race Director for the Turkey Trot, (she is currently President of GBRC too), needed extra help this year due to the way life twists and turns, I jumped right in. I volunteered to do day-of race registration (which there wasn't going to be for those unforeseen reasons) (but was suggested we do by a member on a post on FB also), but long story short, all the people necessary stepped up to make this event happen smoothly regardless. It made me realize again that GBRC truly is a great club that is run by members who volunteer their time for so many good reasons.

I've been a member for almost 4 years now and I had no idea all of the things that the club did until now, most of it I've learned from the monthly board meetings. I see clearly that this is a dedicated group of people who are keeping the club healthy and want to keep making it better. Running has so many incredible health benefits for everyone and having a non-profit club that puts on affordable & fun races is incredibly valuable. 

I feel as if I may be rambling now and feel a bit sleepy so I'm not sure where I was trying to go with this post. I was up earlier than normal in order to get to the park in time for registration. I'm not a morning person.

Oh, it's not just GBRC members that are awesome either, all the people who came out today to run knew that their donation was going 100% to support the Bellingham Food Bank. People gave extra $$  knowing that it was going to help out other people in need. That's what this club and this community is all about. I just love Bellingham.

Volunteering for the Turkey trot last year mostly prepared me for saying yes (kinda last minute) to doing day-of registration this year.  And I was fortunate that my partner came to help today too because there were so many more people who showed up this morning to register (he was way better than me at the whole process but he's not even a runner or a member). It all worked out perfectly and I'm so happy we were able to help as much as we were with this event.  It even sounds like next year we may have to switch things up again because it was so popular! More pie for more runners too.

Just proves again and again that people are inherently good, that we love to help each other out in any way that we can. We are stronger when we work together for a common cause. This is good news, this is the kind of thing I would love to read about on the daily news. Let's keep focusing on the beautiful aspects of human-kindness. Thank You!

Déjà vu

Do you feel as if you have already seen this blog post? Somehow, though logically you don't know how that could even be possible and it doesn't really make sense. Sounds kinda crazy doesn't it? I get that feeling too often to just write it off as just some memory phenomenon with a fancy french name.

What if it's happening because there is a glitch in the system? What if everything quantum physics has discovered is really the truth? If time and space does not actually exist... linearly, as we usually think of it, then that means all potentiality exists at once. Anything is possible and we as the observer bring it into form by focusing our attention on it.

But who is this observer we reference inside of each of us?

What if we have lived many lifetimes in many different bodies in many different ways? What if we currently are living out multiple potentialities at once? Is that what the glitch is? Did we actually just remember a snippet from a life we lived exactly like this one we are living now but on a different plane or from a different perspective or in a different part of one of the multiple universes?

Or is it just because we tuned in as the observer on a certain wave form that leapt into particles? Or maybe we all can see the future or we can predict the future somewhat enough that our brain creates a memory of an event just as we imagine it but before we are conscious of it and before we physically experience it.

I'm not sure. 

Last night we were watching a movie and one of the main characters was talking about writing a book in which one of the characters was perpetually experiencing Deja Vu. And I thought, hmm, thats interesting, I would read that book, I can relate to that feeling. I'm also curious to discover more about this phenomenon because it happens at certain moments of my life and leaves a lasting impression. Sometimes it happens even during the most mundane moments, like washing the dishes, (which makes me shake my head, because of course, I've already done the dishes so many times before). Yet it's a much more profound and specific feeling than that.

Anyway, I could amuse (and abuse) my mind with these concepts the rest of my life but I have to eat ice cream and finish writing my book proposal. Still I can't help but let my mind wander and continue to wonder. In fact what if I already wrote this blog post and this book, (on some level) and all I have to do is remember?  Either way, enough of this pondering Déjà, I've got to do something else to get something else done.

Deception Passion

Kwuh-kwal-uhl-wut aka the Deception Pass Maiden near Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island. 11/16/17

Often I get a flood of strong emotion with even a mention of Deception Pass. Every time I go over the bridge the connects Fidalgo and Whidbey Island I look down at the shoreline and remember that very first kiss. 

We were walking down the beach one day as the waves crashed against the shore and the seagulls soared overhead. Our two sets of footprints were sure to be erased by the rising tide as we drifted closer together the further we got away. The cool salty air swirled around us gently with no indication of the impeding inclination. Suddenly the forward motion stopped and it felt as if we were two black holes caught in each others gravitational field. As our eyes connected and lips collided the waves rippled through space and time. The universe would never be the same. 

In fact everything has changed since that day. It was unexpected and innocent really, neither of us knew what would happen when we followed the magnetic pull towards each other. Sometimes love bends the rules and breaks our pre-conceived notions of what is possible. I know I didn't know then what I know now, if I did, I may not know how to get from there to here.

Yet there we were, together, today, so close to the first place where our hearts expanded in a unified field of love almost 17 years ago. 

Eschew Obfuscation

Espouse Elucidation.

Day 7, today is the 7th day in a row that I have written something here. I was wrong before although I wrote day 4 with a question mark, it was actually day 5. I started practicing my French lessons again using the duo-lingo app the same day I began writing with the intention to do it every day and the app says this afternoon that I'm on a 7-day streak. Easy way to keep track, all I have to do is keep practicing French everyday and I will know for sure how many days in a row I write without back tracking and counting manually on here. Is that all perfectly understandable? I am attempting to avoid confusion by writing clearly. Why am I keeping track anyway?

I want my book to be published with HayHouse and I have one shot coming up. The due date for my proposal is in January of 2018 so I'm demonstrating my ability and determination by showing how disciplined I can be. One of the first things I read in the book "Building your Platform" was something about writing everyday. I can do that. I am doing this. Lets see how long I can continue to do this. I just have to remember to keep working on my proposal/book every day too until it's completed and sent off for HayHouse to get excited about. Oh and the other thing I need to work on is convincing one of my favorite Authors to commit to writing my foreword. (Still on my to do list.) Enough for now, time to go to line dance class and boot, scoot and boogie it off. 

Oh and by the way, the title of this post was inspired by a friends Facebook post this morning that said, "Bumper Sticker spotted this morning: 'Eschew Obfuscation!' I spit out my coffee and nearly drove off the road." I nearly spilt my own coffee at the humor in the wordplay but also because I was imagining my friend Richard, dressed up in his fancy Town Crier garb (in my mind) at the same time as he experienced that moment.  If you knew Richard you would understand better, but I assure you it is very amusing. Totally worthy of mention as the title for this. Words are so much fun. 

Compassion for Ignorance

My first real attempt at night photography in early 2017 during a full moon snowshoe adventure.

How do we remain compassionate in the face of ignorance?

As Thomas Gray would say, "Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise".

What if you can't help but be informed and paying attention? How can one remain compassionate for all of humankind when some humans are incomprehensibly lacking in something that seems like common sense.  I am sympathetic and concerned about the suffering of others yet somehow infuriated at the same time at how some humans seem to lack the kind of knowledge to make important changes to the way we each live each day and how our actions are affecting this entire planet.  Especially those people who have the power and resources to bring about positive changes on a large scale.

Are they choosing to ignore the physical evidence? Do they just not want to take responsibility for their actions? Is changing our ways as individuals and communities really that much of a challenge? It's going to take each every individual and the collective whole to make the changes happen on a scale that will improve the life of everyone. It will be easier when we work together which is why we must maintain compassion for ignorance and do our best to educate without judgment or discretion. 

I agree, Thomas Gray, it appears foolish to be wise when ignorance is apparently keeping others happy. Yet, once one has the wisdom, one can not go back to pretending one does not see. The truth is we get to choose how our future plays out if only we choose to believe we have that power. And therefore with compassion I pray for the day that ignorance goes away on its own and we start moving forward together for the betterment of all beings on this planet.

And I am only doing my best though I fear even my best is not good enough.

Day Four?

Is today the fourth day in a row that I have been writing a post here? I think it is but my head has been wrapped up in all kinds of other projects today and I have to keep this short. I randomly picked a picture and I think is Whatcom Falls but it's not showing up as I write this. Anyway, I have a GBRC Board meeting and then hoop class tonight so I'm leaving soon and won't be back home until after 8:30pm. Don't think I'll be motivated to write more when I get home so this will have to be it for today. Its windy and stormy outside and honestly right now I'd rather stay in and write all night but I've got to go.

Impulsive

My newest pair of Altra Running shoes, it was an impulse buy during a flash sale and I love them!

I can be a bit impulsive at times but I suppose that can be a good thing. For instance, the day Altra sent out an email about a Flash sale and I really didn't need another pair of running shoes. I just couldn't help myself after seeing these reflective beauties by my favorite brand.

If you don't know about Altra running shoes, they created the first zero-drop sole which basically means you're not running in heels. Traditional running shoes add thickness to the heels for some odd reason and it's just not natural. The other thing about Altra shoes are the nice wide toe box, it's actually shaped like a foot. A natural foot that is, a foot that hasn't been trained by high fashion uncomfortable shoes or traditional running shoes. I used to always have issues with hot spots on my toes because most darn running shoes don't leave enough room in the right places.

For a girl who used to wear flip-flops everywhere with toes that like freedom to move, this relatively new shoe brand was a dream come true. And my newest pair light up the night with reflective material that's oh so pretty in the daylight too. At the price I got them for I wish I would have bought two pair (guess I'm not that impulsive). I wore them on my run yesterday evening and as the sky darkened on my way home I felt safer knowing how quickly they flash with any light. Thanks Altra for these super awesome shoes!

Altra Impulse Flash with a flash from an iPhone 6. Pretty sweet eh?