My book takes a trip

A big shout-out to Larry Michon, pictured above, whom I met last April on the rafting trip down the Colorado. This year, he came back to Arizona (from New England) -- with a copy of my book. He's traveling the northern part of the state, looking for rocks. In his spare time, the accountant acts as a rock hound. Now he's acting like a reader. Go Larry! Authors love others to promote their books for them. Monument Valley (pictured above in the background) is a great place to do that.

Have you been to Monument Valley? It's just as picture perfect as his photograph.

Day 30: Reaching the finish line

Sunrise at Monument Valley

Made it! I reached Day 30 of this transformational exercise.


For 30 days, joining a small group of other writers, authors, artists and other creative types gathering at QuinnCreative.com, I engaged in meditative walks (sometimes it was a bike ride, sometimes it was yoga, sometimes it was just getting lost in the quiet space of home) and journal writing. I then blogged about the process here, but not blog daily, which was the original agreement. You can clearly see the days I missed by checking the right-hand side of this page. I also felt resistance on more than one day and avoided writing in the journal at all--highly unusual for me, as I live by the journal. To me, that meant there would revelations to uncover and things to figure out. I wasn't afraid of that, but it seems I did have some resistance, maybe even some anger (at myself). But I made it to the finish line, and I am pleased.

Three Things I Learned From This Exercise: 

_IT'S GOOD TO PRACTICE LETTING THINGS GO
I learned to forgive myself, to be kind to myself, to let things go. Normally, in an exercise like this I want to do it all, and I want to do it all perfectly. I learned to be okay with imperfection or the idea that I might not do everything as expected. I can be okay with what is good enough. This is a good lesson for someone who comes back in to edit out that extra line or space or the misplaced comma in a blog post. I am learning to let those things be what they are. Would you really notice an extra space in a sentence? Would you care? Studies show people generally read right over such mistakes in copy, so that's something to remember if you catch yourself editing that minor error in your next post. Let it go.

_IT'S BETTER TO DEAL, RATHER THAN IGNORE, THOSE PESKY ISSUES
I have issues. Who doesn't, right? Seriously. OMG! I have issues. BUT, I'm more than willing to work on them. At least when I'm not resisting. I am willing to face truths that I'd prefer to ignore. I am willing to accept my failures and take away something from these experiences that will help me do something different or better the next time--if there's a next time. I am willing to accept there might not be, that I may suffer consequences. I have issues, yes, but I am not afraid to face them so I can detach and grow. I am enough. Remember that post?

_IT'S BEST TO BE OPEN TO CHANGE
Some people I know think I am no good with change. But, thankfully, I know myself better. I'm very adaptable, fairly flexible, and I can go with the flow. That doesn't mean I like or want to embrace change that hurts or somehow makes me feel uncomfortable. But I can accept the inevitable (in time, if that's what it takes) and figure out ways to deal with it. This exercise just reinforced what I know about myself, and that's a good thing for someone who's been playing in the sandbox of uncertainty. Change can bring you back to who you really are inside, and I am definitely open to that.

Surround yourself in nature's beauty

If you're trapped indoors all the time, you're missing out on the most natural way to mend the mind--nature.

Plan outdoor walks, weekend excursions (even if it means a road trip to the nearest park), or some kind of last-minute getaway. Nature offers naturally what the mind and body needs to heal itself, especially if you're talking about stress, fear or anxiety--three things that can get in the way of a person's forward movement.

The above photo, of course, is an extreme example of what I mean by getting out in nature. I took it at sunrise from the balcony of my hotel at Monument Valley in January. It's one of the majestic rock formations called a mitten. At Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona, there is no such thing as a bad view. Have you ever seen anything so peaceful?

I bet you can find something equally (enough) as lovely where you live.

Imagine what it would be like to sit on that balcony where I sat and just stare at the rock formations like these that surround your space. Maybe you're sipping a cup of hot coffee or tea. As the sun rises, you witness the many layers and colors of the sky take shape behind the stone monuments, creating a palatte of pleasure for your mind you don't want to escape. Pretty soon, that's all your mind needs. There is nothing else. It's captured your attention and won't let go. Not a bad place to be "kidnapped."

I would say I was lucky to be able to visit this magnificent place this year as part of research for my travel guide. But sights like these are exactly why I focus my work around travel. It's something I've purposely chosen so that I can incorporate nature into my life's work. I learned on those bike rides of mine that got me through my roughest times: nature is man's best medicine. At a time when my therapist kept suggesting anti-anxiety pills, I kept saying, "No, thanks. I have a bike." That's what worked best for me. I'd like to think it would be more prevalent a prescription than pills.

Even if your job, career, or business doesn't involve the outdoors, you can make time for it on the weekends or evenings just by taking walks through your neighborhood. You don't have to plan a grand experience. That's not important. What's important is that you give yourself time to just be. Time without letting stress, fear or anxiety get in the way of your thoughts is a beautiful thing. It's a rare thing for some, but it's a necessary thing for all, I think.

Some of our nation's most notable men in history attest to the benefits of the outdoors as well. David Thoreau, for instance, the author of Walden, once said he could not preserve his health and spirits unless he spent at least four hours a day in the woods, hills, and fields where he lived. But it was Hippocrates, the Greek philosopher and "father of modern medicine," who first referred to walking as man's best medicine.

If you don't think you'll be going anywhere anytime soon, there's always your backyard, or a chair by a window. Just sit and watch. Soon, you'll see the birds flying around, or you'll hear them chirping and cooing back and forth. Maybe you'll see a squirrel scurry across the lawn. Maybe you'll view an ant carry his giant crumb across the sidewalk.

If nothing else, just sit and watch.

Pretty soon, you'll see what I mean.

Do you have a meditative or healing experience with the outdoors that you'd like to share with us? If so, post your comment below and let us know what you think about surrounding yourself in nature's beauty.

Walk in beauty; live in harmony

They walk in beauty. It's the Navajo way. They live in what they call the Glittering World, divided by the four sacred mountains, the four directions. And they are the stewards of one of the most recognized--and most photographed--locations in the United States. Pictured above is that special place, Monument Valley.

How lucky can the people, the Dinéh, be?

But they also suffered the Long Walk, where hundreds of innocent Navajo men, women, and children were killed while, beginning in 1863, when the U.S. cavalry, led by fur trapper Kit Carson, forced the Navajo people out of the land they called home. Even the animals they cared for--the sheep, horses, and cattle--were slaughtered or stolen, and their farms and orchards destroyed to starve them into submission. It's hard to imagine such ugliness could occur in the beautiful and remote location that is today known as Canyon de Chelly.

I recently traveled to these two locations on a whirlwind tour I took through the Navajo Nation and Hopi Land.

It was an eye-opening trip.

I learned much about this large community in a short time. I wish I could have spent more time there, so I will return again later in the year.

I want to know more about this Navajo way of life. To walk in beauty is such a lovely phrase, but I didn't have time to do it myself. I was too busy working to be able to fully appreciate what I was witnessing first-hand. I snapped several dozen photos of the sunrise and sunset at Monument Valley. My photo above of the Mitten and Merrick buttes is one example. But what I'd rather do next time is just see it, just witness the color changes, the changing shapes and shadows. I would like to walk in the way of beauty, and I think that means something else has to stay behind. It's hard to focus on the view when you have to focus on getting a good shot, instead.

But that phrase has stayed with me on the drive home, and it's in my thoughts still today, now four days after my return. I like the thought of living in a glittering world. I'm not sure what it means, exactly, but it sounds lovely. I'd like to think that I can walk in beauty, too. I'd like to learn more about this concept and transfer it to where and how I live. I want to believe you don't have to reside on the reservation to be able to do this.

Just as other religions have a God or higher power to help lead them on the right path, the Navajo have Holy People that show them how to walk in harmony with the world, to maintain a balance. It's why they weave rugs, make pottery, dance. Their religion is their way of life. All that they do, they do for the sake of harmony. The ways of reaching it may be slightly different than mine, but I think it's a good idea to learn the workings of other religions. I think this kind of knowledge can provide a new way of looking at my own beliefs, maybe even strengthening them.
What about you? In your travels, have you ever been influenced by a religion or spiritual belief that was very different from your own? Did it change your perspective at all, and in what way?