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Going home

2011-12-13 Going home-1

2011-12-13 Going home-2

2011-12-13 Going home-3

This amazing tree is growing near the Chinese border in the very Southeast corner of Kazachstan. In the second photo …that’s me in the reddish shirt. There were 8 of us around the tree! This tree is said to be 1700 years old and all the little trees around it grow up in a way to shield the tree from the high winds and other natural forces that could harm the mother tree. The place is a treasure and the energy beneath is sacred ground. I don’t know the « name » of the tree but the sap is black and can be drunk as is. It is kind of sweet. The leaves look a bit like elm leaves but grow in another formation on the branches.

The third photo is of three lovely village people who live next to the tree. They are posing for my camera spontaneously! And with such joy. A simple life.

I went home thinking of this simple life …..and then a Reiki colleague sent me a lovely book….called « A different kind of Luxury » by Andy Couturier. This book has touched a cord in me that runs deeply through all of my life. A longing to have every little moment in life be a thoughtful one. This life is not easy and does not have all the « labor saving » devices in it. The value is back to personally touching the necessities of life and knowing that what I have in the moment is all I need and desire.

Tonight I am leaving the islands and going home to Arizona. As I pack…with all the things that I carry with me « just in case! » I realize that I am far from a simple life. My question is …….Is this kind of life possible? What will it take to leave the mountain of necessary things from this world of material luxury and find another kind of luxury …………………………………………………………………..time.

The tree, the ocean, the mountains of Hawaii, remind me that happiness is often housed in the simplicity of the moment.

I believe that this is my prayer for this next year ………………………….and for the remainder of my life.

It will take courage and willingness to value who I am without all the trappings of the modern world. Is this possible? I will see!

Aloha! Phyllis