I went up to the White Mountains in Arizona where the city of Show Low is located. I dubbed this my "Personal Retreat," where I got to get some fresh mountain air, walk under the clear, cobalt blue skies and take in a slower pace of life. A much needed break to take time for myself, to breath in and out, relax and reflect. On Sunday morning, Valentine's Day, I went on a walk with camera in tow around Woodland Lake Park. The wind was biting and frigid for the first quarter mile, but soon the sun came out and the wind died down, leaving me feeling embraced by the sun's warmth. Walking around the lake in the cold and seeing the snow reminded me of where I was just a year ago: packing, soon to leave eastern Washington where I faced and dug myself out of a record winter that had snowfalls of about 4 feet, which would fall at about 2 feet per night on some nights. Wow, it seems so far away, and it's astonishing and also comforting how I find myself in the desert, in the land of eternal sunshine. I am astonished at how I have grown, matured, transformed and healed in one year. And I sense that I, like a flower, am just breaking into blossom.
One last note: the last time I walked around this lake, iced over today, was a few years back when I came up with my my mother. I took glittering pictures of the waves under the sun and the reeds bowing in the breeze. Beautiful and surreal, full of summer magic.
This desert girl is home.
Namaste, Christine
