News Flash .. Summer is over and it is back to the grind. I wish you all a great week.
You know our lives have changed in oh so many ways since the 9/11 tragedy and I struggled with whether I wanted to make mention of it at all. I was traveling in California during that tragic event and I would venture to say that all of us have a keen sense of where we were and what we were doing. For me, it was an earth-shattering event that I would not be fully aware of until 5 days later.
Like so many years in the past I, along with a group of my closest California buddies, was back packing in the southern sierras. Our annual outing took us into the wilderness for 6 days to recharge, refresh and enjoy – Male Bonding. No cell phones, no TV, no Internet and no communication with the outside world and no “honey do’s”. You could not help but reflect on your life as you stood in awe every day of the majestic beauty of the mountain vistas. At night we laid back in amazement of the millions of stars that lined the sky and the ever so often passing of a commercial jetliner. That was, until that Tuesday evening when no planes were seen making the path to the western coast. For a moment we gave pause to wonder why and then moved on, guessing that they may be taking a different flight path. It was not until we came out of the mountains 5 days later and into Bishop, Ca. that we realized our lives, as well as the world we had left behind, had changed forever. How disconcerting it was, how unbelievable to imagine something so horrific had taken place and that we were totally oblivious.
I think with each anniversary of 9/11 my one saving grace is my lasting memories of the beauty and serenity of the southern sierras. The sierra’s, for the most part, are vastly untouched and unspoiled by any conflict other than that with Mother Nature. I take my journal out each year around this time and it gives me pause to reflect on my written thoughts not only about that day, but as well, on all the wonderful times I spent in solitude and gratitude of the spectacular wonders of Mother nature has left behind.
I wish you peace of mind and leave you with one of those unforgettable memories.
Have a great week!
~ dK ~
