Today and yesterday I have been driving through the giant redwoods. They never cease to amaze me. I spent 2 days walking through the Redwoods national park last Christmas and I wish I could believe that this Redwood-And-Me reunion could be an annual thing. It is good for my soul. They reach to the sky with more success than any other living thing. I listened to Sheila Chandra throughout most of the ride, which definitely was worth it.
But lets see... the last week and a half...
Last week I participated in the Bartimaeus Institute at Ched & Elaine's. It was challenging, inspirational, fun, and full of kindred spirits. It inspired me to continue my journey with Philadelphia with new energy to serve the city better, reach out to more people, love the land a bit more/better, and be conscious of who and what I support with my economic consumption. There was a section at the Institute where we pondered how we spend money. So, we ask these questions when buying something:
1. Do I need it or do I desire it?
2. What is the ecological impact of how it was made?
3. What are the working conditions, including living wage, of those producing these goods?
4. Is it fair or free trade, including profit margins?
5. What is the market place including? - consider relationships to producers, distributors, retailers, etc.
6. Is this product sustainably made?
I feel like that was a good rundown when purchasing new things.
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| Elaine and Cali |
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| the class |
Another theme that consistently stops me and makes me reconsider how I interact with the world is the reminder that we are all part of a much bigger story than our day-to-day lives. We are one small part of the story of Philadelphia, one part of the story of gender equality, one part of the story of anti-racism, of Christianity, of our lineage, of our neighborhood, of the land's health. And when I see this bigger picture, my decisions of today do not just relate to today, but relate to a much larger narrative. If we all constantly chose our own comfort over the revolution of anti-racism, or gender equality, or breaking down the economic glass ceiling for those in my neighborhood, then what will happen to all these narratives? Nothing.
It is a daily choice to be a part of the bigger story. And who are we to be so self-obsorbed to ignore all we could be improving in the world around us? We are but specks on the lifeline of this earth. Do we remain a speck or rise to the challenge of loving more while we are on this earth?
Ok so anyways, there's a lot of processing to be done in light of last week.
I was participating last week as the "artist in residence" for the week, which meant that I led everyone in creative times throughout the week. It was like leading Art Direction at Circle if you know what that's like. The excersizes were taken well and got good responses. Experiential and visual learning is so important and often forgotten about.
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| Burning the art installation we built, as you do when you build with cardboard. |
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| Taking a walk around Ojai Valley. |
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| Dear teacher of mine in Philly, Will, was there for the week. |
The Institute ran from Mon-Fri and I left Saturday. One of the guys at the institute was a 5th generation Californian and planned out a driving route for me to take when I headed out. It took me up Rt 1, along the coast. It was so beautiful, I could barely believe it. California coast is, no doubt, the dessert of America's natural beauty. Around every turn, an "Oh my gosh" slipped out of my mouth simply because I couldn't think of another possible way the coast could be gorgeous, but BAM! There it was! A new way to be gorgeous! Shocking. If you ever get a chance, I beg you to drive up the Cali coast. It will not disapoint.
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| This was within the first 10 minutes of the drive. I new it was gonna be a good day. |
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| beyond these trees is a cliff down to the ocean |
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| oh you know, just driving along the coast |
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| this is when i pulled over to stare at the scenery for a minute. |
I got to see elephant seals and regular seals basking in the sun on the beaches too. Check that off my bucket list. I stopped to watch them for a while and was enamoured by their size, their faces, the barks of communication, and their behavior amongst one another. It is mating season and... mating doesn't really seem live a consensual thing. Just saying. And the males are pretty vicious with one another over their group of females. I watched a couple males duke it out, and on another beach, a male who had lost his fight lay about 40 ft behind a sign that stated that he was in recovery and needed to be left alone. He faced us at one point and his face was pretty beat up. When we asked the lady at the local shop about him, she seemed assured that he would be just fine after he healed up. They never fight to the death. Gosh. Ok.
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| The big one is the male and the smaller ones are the females |
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| male face! crazy face! |
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| these two kept fighting. |
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| this is the poor guy who needed to recuperate. |
So yes, I drove up the coast to my friend Strawberry Vixen's house (that was her nickname from highschool- shortened to SV here) (my nickname was Dying Monkey in highschool... long story). So SV and her husband live in Livermore, CA. We haven't seen eachother in 5 years, so I'm really glad I spent time with them. She's making a living as a massage therapist- I'm so proud of her! On Sunday, we drove back to the beaches and walked around more. Day 2 was just as lovely as Day 1. Walking the edges of cliffs, salty air tossing our hair, the sun's reflection in the water... not a bad way to spend an afternoon. We ended the day by feasting at a seaside restaurant, watching the sun set over the waves. So special.
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| SV & I |
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| growing out of rocks. How does that work?? |
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| SV on her fav beach |
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| the grass was so green. On the other side of this fence was a farm, right on the beach. Spoiled cows! |
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| SV and her husband- such gracious hosts & friends. |
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| me & the Pacific. A fleeting romance. |
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| The sunset as seem from our table at the restaurant. |
I am now on my way north toward Jasper, Oregon, where I'll be staying with a new friend from the Institute and his family on their farm. That'll be great. Then its off to Portland to pick up Dove from the airport! She'll be travelling with me the whole way back east! So awesome.
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