What I remember as the Summer of Love was also a summer of a great deal of violence in our world. We, the Pepsi Generation...the peace loving, tree hugging, sign carrying, protesting hippies were a shock to the older generation. We had long hair and smoked dope and flashed peace signs at everyone in our tie died shirts and bell bottomed jeans. We wore little round sunglasses and we tuned out and turned on. We produced music that we still groove to. And look. Look what's happened to our planet. Look what's happened to our world. Here I am...the eternal Pollyanna. And I'm discouraged. I am saddened. I am angry. But I am not defeated. I cannot walk out my front door, sit down in the middle of a square and change the world. But I CAN raise the vibration of this planet one person at a time. I can hug as many people as possible. I can hold hands. I can share tears. I can kiss cheeks. I can love on as many people as I come into contact with every single day. I can look for the good and look for the God in people. Maybe I can't change the world in one fell swoop....but I can surely affect enough people that it will cause a ripple effect. And if they spread the love and so on....maybe, just maybe we can turn this around. I'm going to the mountains today. I am going to a festival where I will spread love like sunshine. And, together, we will change the world with peace and love and understanding and compassion. Together, we have hope.
First off, let me thank you all for the beautiful birthday greetings and the prayers for safe travel! I arrived safely both nights.
Sunday I traveled from Bristol to Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Lebanon, TN. I didn't get far traveling because I got a late start and I spent over three hours getting new tires! argh! I arrived at the campground after dark. I couldn't find any place to register and the office was closed so I drove into my favorite campground, found a quiet spot and "set up". This consisted of taking my bicycle out of the backseat of the cab of the truck and chaining it up to the trailer hitch. Then I laid out my yoga mat, a picnic blanket, an old electric blanket (both doubled) and put my sleeping bag on top. I finished the bed with my pillow and the minky throw from my bed. I cracked all four Windows and the sunroof about three inches, hung towels on the windows and the sunshades in the windshield. Then I ran an extension cord into the back seat and hung my camping fan down at my feet.8 I climbed in, locked the door, turned on the fan and turned off the light and slept 8 hours! I couldn't stretch my legs out all the way but I was really quite comfortable.
There is something special about the way Southern women raise their children. I had the pleasure of spending a lovely evening out on the lake with fifteen of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. There were several mamas there with their teenagers. There were plenty of eye contact moments as these beautiful women tutored their children. There were quiet reminders like "Don't forget to be social." and "Be sure to thank Miss Denise for that." There were firm handshakes during introductions and plenty of "Yes, Ma'am." and "No, Sir."
Mr. Virgo was a trained Chef but preferred the managerial side of restaurants. He owned his own restaurants, he ran others. When he died, he was running the restaurant at The Ritz Carlton in Aspen. That's about as prestigious an address you can get in the food and beverage industry. Dining out with Mr. Virgo was a challenge. He was as quick to point out flaws as he was to offer praise. He ruined my ability to enjoying dining out for years.
A bridge connects two inaccessible points and provides a means for crossing safely over from Point A to Point B. The bridge in this photo carries a portion of the Virginia Creeper Trail where it crosses South Holston Lake in East Tennessee. Imagine how glorious the views are up there!
We cross a lot of bridges as we pass through the various phases of life. We are never more aware of these than when we are inching ever closer to the final one. I am in East Tennessee visiting my sweet cousin. I have several cousins and I love them all. I was very close to this particular cousin growing up because I had a huge "little girl crush" on him when he came home from the Navy. And.....this particular cousin has a terminal illness. We've known for some time. He's having chemo...and, even though it kicks his butt, it has bought him time and given him a better quality of life. For that I am eternally grateful.
Everyone should have a place they can go to for solace. A place where they can find peace. While I find my love with my family, I find my peace on this river. There isn't a bad moment here. It's alive...a flowing mass of energy that strengthens me and soothes my spirit. This river makes my heart sing. My friend Paul finds his spirit on the shores of Lake Superior where he is gathering his soul up even as we speak. My sister/friend has the beach while my brother/friend has the jungles of Costa Rica. These places act like lightning rods in reverse. The energy comes from the earth itself and flows up and through us and restores something within.
