I begin this last day of writing a month in a minivan in a state of art-pray, thinking about snakes. As a young girl, I often caught garter snakes to play with for short times. Other than foul-smelling pee, they were harmless. You could find them under hay bales at harvest time, and every old … Continue reading Day 31: Arriving Alive (the final instalment)
Category: Meditation
Day 29: Nature Speaks
Words aren’t working today, so I’m going with images. Apparently, I’ve used up my word quota for the week, and I remind myself that communication isn’t restricted to words. So, I’ll take you on a visual journey instead. This first collection of photos were taken up a very night mountain in Cave Creek Canyon; 8,500 … Continue reading Day 29: Nature Speaks
Day 27: Portals
I’ve been fascinated by doorways since I was a child, so finding myself in a placed called “Portal” doesn’t come as any surprise. I was the kid that wanted to fall into Alice in Wonderland’s Rabbit Hole, climb behind the dresser in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and was first in line to … Continue reading Day 27: Portals
Day 21: An Ode to Play
I used to hate climbing things. I would literally dread a hill or long set of stairs, bargaining with the universe to do extra sit-ups if I could be spared. Today I felt joyfully compelled to climb a rock. I climb slowly and purposefully, knowing this means a physical payment plan tomorrow, but I accept … Continue reading Day 21: An Ode to Play
Day 18: Notes from the Field
We were visited three times last night by a Great Horned Owl, and once alerted to the presence of a nearby human by the screeching of a car alarm. Although the second sound definitely brings out the worst in me (there is a reason they call it a panic button) I no longer imagine the … Continue reading Day 18: Notes from the Field
Letting Go of Perfect
It used to take me the better part of an hour to scope out a van-camping spot, before finally settling on what felt like “the perfect one.” In the early days, I stayed mostly at provincial parks, and even if I were the only one there, I would race around in a panic, sure someone … Continue reading Letting Go of Perfect
A Month in a Minivan: Day 14
If you’re looking for Love, you find signs of it pretty much everywhere. It probably doesn’t hurt if it happens to be February 14th either. Last night, pulling into the BLM area south of Havesu for the night, it was pretty dark, and I had the regular flutter of anxiety about my chosen parking spot. … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 14