365 Inspirations—357: Peace

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."—John Muir

Today I felt a lot of peace. I walked around Greenlake with my husband and the lake, sky and SUN all felt like a big, warm hug.

I didn't feel the busyness of the holidays. I felt a letting go........

Maybe my body is already preparing to go inward.

I have so much to do, but perhaps I have to just let some of it go and believe that things will work out for the best.

I'm heading off to a meditation retreat on Wednesday and I won't be able to bring my work with me.

I will let go and sink into the peace.....

Do you feel peace around the holidays or stress?

365 Inspirations—319: From the Top of Mauna Kea to the Depths of the Ocean at Kihena Beach

Full moon on top of Mauna Kea

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

— Rachel Carson

There's a full moon above me. Out here in the middle of the ocean, this moon glows like nothing I've ever seen. We were supposed to go to a night concert out at a sanctuary tonight, but we got lost on the winding roads. The moon was glistening over the ocean casting crystals everywhere. I had to pull over so we could stand up on a cliff and feel the roar of the waves smashing against the rocks. I can hear that roar from the room where I type this.

I swam in that ocean today at Kihena Beach, otherwise known as Black Sand Beach.

 The beach is black from volcanic rocks. The power of the ocean nearby can be felt even at a distance, but close up it shakes you. The undertow is strong. I braved it twice on this trip. I got hit by one big wave and then swam out as soon as the wave receded. I floated around out beyond where the waves were cresting and breaking. I was safe out there, the problem was coming back in. I had to swim fast as soon as there was a lull in the ginormous waves that were crashing the shore. I found my opportunity and took it. A wave was coming in just as I was running up the beach.

My husband was hit by a wave and lost his glasses. He struggled up out of the wave and made it to the beach and realized they were gone. He came over to me on the black sand and said,

"That wave took my glasses. I can't see."

Later a woman at lunch said she was happy that the wave only took Yoon's glasses. Apparently the waves out at this beach have claimed a number of lives. I swam out there with dolphins in March while we were on yoga retreat here, but the waves seemed quite tame at that time.

Yoon is now wearing my red retro glasses. Luckily we have a very similar prescription and I wear my contacts most of the time. People have noticed that he looks different and then he has to tell the story of what happened.

Not only is the ocean powerful here, but so are the mountains and the volcano, which is still very active. Lava is still spewing out and over the ocean cliffs here.

Yesterday, we decided to drive almost to the top of Mauna Kea, the highest peak in all of the Hawaiian Islands. There was a point when we had to stop because it required four-wheel drive. Instead of driving up to the tip top, we hiked up a small mountain which gave us a 360 view of the sunset, the full moon rise and the clouds below us. We were above the cloud line and could here a clap of thunder in the clouds below us. It was raining and storming down at sea level, but we were up above the clouds at  13,000 plus feet.

Here are some pictures from that day:

Do you prefer the mountains or the ocean? Have you been to both in one day?

365 Inspirations—297: Sedona Skies

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."—Rabindranath Tagore

What a long day of traveling! We took a flight to Salt Lake City this morning, another fight to Phoenix and a two-hour drive to Sedona.

The best part: We arrived just as the sun was setting on the red rocks. Nothing like Sedona skies and sunsets. It takes your breath away.

My husband is leading a small yoga retreat here. On the way in, we stopped off at Tara Thai Restaurant for dinner, our favorite place from last year. We are staying in a condo at the Hyatt at Pinon Pointe for two nights and then on to another place possibly. We loaded up on breakfast/lunch food at the local organic grocery store called New Frontiers just as it was closing AND we made it back in time for a night dip in the salt water jacuzzi and a swim in the pool.

Tomorrow we will do yoga, hike one of the vortexes, swim and enjoy the great energy here.

Have you ever been to Sedona or the Southwest? What was your favorite place?

365 Inspirations—220: Bedtime

View from where we are housesitting in Seattle

"Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh..."—Taps by Daniel Butterfield

The day was full and very productive. Yoon and I went to the Seattle Art Museum and saw 30 Years of (Outrageous) Japanese Fashion, ate lunch at a lovely Chinese restaurant with a view of the Sound and then went to Pike Place Market.

We are housesitting on Puget Sound and the picture to the left is our view!

Tomorrow we head off on our third annual yoga/writing retreat at The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island. We were also preparing for that.

Now I'm pooped, to be quite honest, and the guest bedroom where I sleep while I'm housesitting here is calling my name. In fact, it's been calling my name for the past two hours.

My inspiration is bedtime.

Bedtime was something I fought when I was young and now I welcome it with open arms.

I can't wait to get under the covers and dream, dream, dream.

For the past two nights, I've had very vivid dreams where I saw clearly the answers to some things I had questions about. When I woke up, I knew exactly what I had to do. I look forward to laying down and letting go again.

Sometimes the day can be so full and that makes bedtime even more of a treat! Now I will leave you with a beautiful sign we saw in Pike Place Market today! It sums up how I feel these days...

Good night all. Sweet dreams!

Is bedtime something you look forward to? Do you dream at night?