Once again I am sitting in The Field (See blog, June…), one of my all time favorite coffee joints, restaurants in Sedona. It is very cold. After all, it is the first week in December. What do I expect? This is my first late Fall trip, and I love the crisp cold, the rain which lasted almost all morning. Also, the pace is slower as there are fewer people everywhere. It’s actually quiet.
I’m on a cushioned chair without arms, oh so comfortable! – with a circular, wood table for my prized airbook. From three sets of doors/windows, the outdoor beauty this town is known for: red rocks and gorgeous sky can be seen.
I am still exhausted, what with caring for my mother (who’s in hospice), writing my blog, and my usual work tasks. I take an US Airways afternoon flight, a kind of new experience for me as I usually leave with the dawn. They treat me to what is called pre-TSA check-in which means that I go through security with my shoes and jacket and luggage in tact – Yes, remember ‘in the day’ when boarding was civilized? I sail through the scanner and am on my way. At the gate, I am asked to check my bag because the plane is full, with no room left for carry-on. Upon deplaning, this delays me half an hour. It is already dark as I get into my rental car for the two+ hour drive north to Sedona. I am fatigued, and it is a challenge to pull up the necessary energy at this late hour (NY Time is two hours forward.) to get myself to the Sedona Lodge in the Village of Oak Creek!……Oh, the bed feels so comfy!
It’s early Tuesday, and I’m sipping hot chocolate; getting ready to edit my book. I really need total, well almost total concentration. And, my usual, laser-sharp, early morning focus is gone because of my over-the-top schedule back East. Beside me, two women begin what sounds like a business conversation, and it interferes with my flow. This is a great example of my right here, right now inability to let stimulation roll off my back…as I am tired, and more sensitive in the rarefied air in Sedona. I think: don’t curse the darkness, light a candle – and I put on my ipod to hear Enya. I concentrate once again.
This trip feels different: I am more a part of the flow here. I’m on the love beat…with my friends, shop keepers, tourists…This town begins to feel even more like home…
“…out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” (RUMI)
Until next week,
Linda
