Base Camp

Much of what has been going on for me this week ties back, yet again, to "Wings of Desire." I have loved the idea held in the concept that being present, grateful and alive can be as simple as experiencing the warmth of a fresh cup of coffee in your hand on a cold morning. That has stayed with me as an ideal since the first time I saw the movie. The past couple of years have seen that awareness increasing. After last Friday, I have felt it fully and on a broader and deeper scale. Staying aggressively mindful and connected when accustomed to living within a belief pattern made habitual by years of intense conditioning requires constant effort.

My trip to Boulder allowed me to be in a stunning home set on a mountainside in relative isolation. There was a breathtaking winding pathway cut from the house to a peak on the hillside behind it. The open space, both within the home and surrounding it, allowed me to be more calm, connected, introspective, and inspired than I can remember feeling before.

I know better than to declare having reached the end of some magnificent inner-peace-seeking expedition to the top of Enlightenment mountain. This is not that. But I will say I have arrived at a wonderful base camp. A new altitude with a new attitude. A solid outpost rewarding effort and progress. This is a place I'll rest awhile and stabilize, acclimate and reorient before continuing the next phase of my journey.