saying goodbye

my eyes fill to the brim in expectation of your departure
an empty chair where creativity and teabags once brewed
there's a void aleady
on the Web site, in the parking lot, the local coffeeshop
your peace, your mind, your spirituality have all colored our world a brighter shade
your name will always summon laughter, sincerity, dedication and talent
too many lessons to recount
there's a mark on my heart
left by your editor's pen
i'll hold it close to me
whenever i immerse myself in story
i'll listen for you in those paragraphs
and pass along the wisdom you've taught

Why I love the Internet

A friend from work showed me this video: Where the Hell is Matt - 2008

I think it is really beautiful.

Holden is

a summer camp
an intentional community
a hippy commune
a spiritual oasis
a place for old and new friends to meet and share
a retreat center where adults wear yellow 'let it mellow' shirts
and where heirarchy seemingly doesn't matter as much as the few moments we share together in our journey on this earth
a candlelit vigil to remind us we're not alone in this trek
a place where nature is both revered and respected, never controlled
full of compost bins--many more than garbage cans
a wildly optimistic take on how we can and would live in peace and harmony--if only we would try in great numbers
a beginning

Holden Village Web site

Cloudy Pass - Wenatchee National Forest

Toward Cloudy Pass

Fourth of July dinner!

shedding the layers

i am unwrapping myself
so nervous
my heart ticks and cannot be calmed
not even for a minute
there's jam to be made
vegetables to be grown
clothes to be laundered
i can already hear the bubbles boiling up from those sweet red juices
even before the berries are picked
___________________________________

those mountains beckon in the distance
snowcapped and perfect in the sunset's calming light
pink and yellow, purple and white
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i feel like digging into the earth
finding a damp patch and just sheathing my fingers inside
it reminds me of coming home after many months away
and finally feeling settled
our skin knows its origin and yearns to return
we all will, one day
after our hearts have pounded enough and sent the blood coursing through these familiar veins one final time
but i know, even when that day comes, i'll never have enough of this reality
these feelings that this dimension provides
the stories the trees tell me or the far off whisper of magic from mt. tabor
sometimes when i'm running i know this is perfect
this is enough
despite the pain and the sacrifice and all the struggle
i'll never stop falling in love with this reality