“He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.”~ Thomas Carlyle.

It is a funny thing about vacations.  I well remember what we called our ‘summer holidays’ when I was young.  We were out of school from July to September, and the weeks stretched out ahead of us as if they would go on forever.  Of course, if you are a child growing up in Jamaica, there will no doubt be many daily tasks ready for you to do, but there will also be those spaces in the day where you can get lost up a tree, or out in the bush exploring and finding joy in simple pleasures.  Then, as the return to school date approaches, somehow the days don’t last as long, the hours spin by more quickly.  The vacation is over, or, as they used to say: ‘Free paper bun’.

It was relatively recently that I learned the origin of the saying, which relates to the days when enslaved Africans could only move about off the plantation if they had a piece of paper declaring that they were free to do so (free paper).  And you could easily lose the privilege if a white person decided to do so, simply by burning it.  ‘Free paper bun’.  But like most kids, we had no idea, we simply knew that our vacation freedom had come to an end, and we were back into school mode. Which for most of us wasn’t that bad, to be honest, those long empty weeks could get boring after a while!

It is an interesting phenomenon, that although time is objective, and can be measured by hours and minutes, the feeling of time is subjective.  Waiting for a baby to be born, counting the length and frequency of contractions, time can expand and five minutes will feel like an hour (a painful one at that!).  On the other hand, last moments with a loved one before they leave on a journey can disappear in a second!

There is a Nurse Theorist (Margaret Newman) who describes health as expanded consciousness, and one aspect of this is how people interact with and are interconnected with their environment.  I recently spent six days in California, interacting with the environment in wonderful ways and beautiful places, and experienced another aspect of time, that six days can feel like six weeks, if you pack it with new experiences.  From staring up at (and risking neck injuries!) impossibly tall redwood trees in the Sequoia National Park, to sitting and listening to the surf pounding jagged rocks off the coast, to sailing up, up and away in a hot-air balloon, my horizons expanded along with my consciousness. 

To be honest, just driving up, through and over mountains brings me so much pleasure that everything else was ‘brawta’ (a bonus).  I cannot describe the joy it gives me to check my altitude app and see that we are climbing to 600, 800, 1200, 6000 feet above sea level! Of course, my popping ears were also letting me know.  But to gaze out at the curves of hillsides that must have once been sand dunes, or the distant snow-covered jagged peaks, or the undulating blue ridges of the Sierra Nevada separated by wisps of clouds, oh, the pleasure.

In the amazing Sequoia National Park we bravely climbed Moro Rock, a granite dome that stands 200 feet above the surrounding area.  There were over 350 steps winding up and around it, the top always ‘ten minutes’ away! Descending hikers encouraged us, ‘you can do it’, and ‘it is worth it’ as we huffed and puffed our way up the steep inclines.  There were rails to hold on to, and areas to pause and catch your breath while staring out at the unbelievable views.  We made it to the top (spoiler alert, there is no Starbucks up there!) and soaked in the views, 360 degrees of spectacular.  Our lungs appreciated the clean air in a new way, our eyes reminded us that no camera can ever match human vision, photos and videos are poor substitutes. 

Seeing views from atop a granite dome was one thing.  Climbing into a hot-air balloon was another! For those who think we were brave, I have to admit that I was not too scared about this (sky diving now, that’s another matter!).  And the experience was beautiful, a very calm, sedate way of moving (floating) through space, barely aware you are moving.  The pilot was skillful, guiding us gracefully through the sky.  There was barely a breeze (it was the day the Santa Ana winds were due to arrive) so there was no cause for alarm as we looked down on citrus groves, vineyards, and the resort where we were staying.  The landing was disappointingly light, I had envisioned the basket bouncing along a field as men tried to catch onto ropes to halt us! No such drama!

I now have hundreds of photographs to remind me of this trip, trying hard to capture the different scenery which exists in one geographical area.  For me, the best part of any trip is the mountains, they always restore my soul, fill up my senses, and remind me that whereas our lives are but a brief moment in time, the mountains have endured for epochs and can tell of a history that precedes human existence, and no doubt will be standing long after we have burned ourselves out.

At a time when the world seems to be going crazy, when priorities seem to be upside down, if you can spend some time in nature, interacting with the environment, you can strengthen your resources to fight for what you believe in.  This Friday morning I give thanks for the ability to travel, knowing that it is a privilege not granted to everyone.  I give thanks for the beauty of this planet, and for senses to appreciate it.  And I hope that you too can expand your consciousness, and be your best, regardless of any limitations you may have.

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.