Renewal

Pulling out of our cul-de-sac this morning I caught a glimpse of Her Majesty out of the corner of my eye. The sky above was filled with ‘ribbon and bow’ clouds as if it were some kind of gift. That’s how I see it anyway. A gift.
I have somewhere around 140 work days until retirement. Hard to believe it is April already, but there it is. A flip of the calendar and a new month appears. In some ways life is flying by.  In others, it is painfully slow. I suppose most everything finds that same groove eventually. If I’ve learned anything in my 57 years it’s that my life is not that unique. It follows a certain trajectory and I’m loath to try to alter it.

Let it be as it is.

( Another little tidbit I understand differently these days. I still have trouble with that one. I tend to want to “fix” things, but there is such folly in that. My practice has become letting things be as they are. It seems like such a passive and lovely thing …)

My drive to the Oregon coast was uneventful. I expected rain but not a drop fell. It’s about a 3.5 hour drive and I didn’t stop until Seaside. Luckily, my XM radio never lost signal and I was only moderately annoyed by the frequency of Adele songs.

I stopped at a few viewpoints and beach access spots on the way down. I have a picture of that “No Sleep” guard rail from a trip many years ago. It was kinda like a homecoming for me.

My airbnb is in Manzanita and I had to check in by 5 PM. At 2:00 I came upon the trailhead for Cape Falcon and I decided I could do it in under three hours.

The trail meanders through beautiful forest and climbs very gradually to ocean vista views. Trillium lined the lower part of the trail and the skunk cabbage was in glorious yellow bloom.

And then there was mud. Deep, thick mud in several spots on the trail. My boots sunk in to the laces and the trail was slippery. I lost my balance several times but never actual fell. Sometimes the contortions you put yourself through to try to right yourself are as painful as a fall. I have another hike on my list but I may nix it if the rain settles in.

The views were wonderful today. I can imagine that with clear blue skies one could see forever. I’ll definitely be back to this place. A sunset hike would be a showstopper for sure. Next time.

My room is perfect. Cozy, though not as quiet as I had hoped. There is a toddler and an infant in the room adjacent to mine. Hopefully they are good sleepers. If not, it will be good practice for me as I let all things be as they are …

And so it is.