We Escaped!
Newsletter Issue ~ July 28, 2020
Happy Tuesday, Friends!
When it comes to Covid-19, our family has been playing it pretty safe.
We wear masks. We socialize outside. We wash our hands.
But when the cold foggy season hit the San Francisco Bay area a few weeks ago, we started getting a little bored.
And quite honestly, a little down.
Temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit while the rest of the world was having sun and fun were taking a toll. This was especially true as we saw the days slipping away and the start of school getting closer.
This past weekend, we decided to venture away from our little bubble and go camping.
The first thing we saw when we arrived at our campsite, picked randomly from one of the few left online, was Lake Shasta glowing blue beyond the trees.
The next thing we saw was the thermostat glowing 108 degrees F on the dashboard.
When we got out of the car, cold foggy days were forgotten. We had entered another world.
We enjoyed swims in the lake, kayaking and paddle boarding with puppy Bliss (yes, she came too!).
We had so much fun watching her transform into her own version of wild, rubbing her whole body in the mud on the bank after a swim in the lake.
It was just what we needed—big nature, heat, no cell service, family time and R&R.
We even got to see a bald eagle and osprey while paddling (thankfully, they didn’t swoop down for Bliss as their dinner, which they seemed to be considering) and saw Comet Neowise from the tent at night.
All this escaping has gotten me remembering.
Something I used to play around with, which I’ve just start experimenting with again, is the art of creating a Miraculous Moment.
This is when we stop whatever we are doing, take a deep breath, use all of our senses to take a freeze frame mind-photo of the current moment, and find something to be grateful for.
(This trick was taught to me by a friend around the time of our wedding, I wrote about it here.)
We notice the colors, hear the sounds, smell the smells, and find something beautiful.
This practice can help us appreciate and remember special moments more clearly, like the one where the bald eagle was flying overhead.
It can also help everyday, more boring moments become special too.
Like right now, as I sit writing at a table by the window, the sky is grey and thick.
Our puppy is wandering around looking for things to steal to get my attention.
She’s already taken off with a pen and my glasses.
Now she’s barking at her reflection in the window.
Funny and annoying all at the same time.
Yes, she’s interrupted my flow.
But as I take a deep breath, I’m remembering how grateful I am, especially for this funny little puppy.
It’s hard to remember life before Bliss.
And as I look out the window at yet another foggy day, I’m appreciating it in a new way.
As wonderful as camping was, in this moment now, I’m appreciating how quiet and peaceful our home is without the noises of other campers awakening.
I’m appreciating what it’s like to have a clean puppy again.
I’m grateful for simple things like running water and being able to plan a hike midday without worrying about dying of heat.
Being on the hunt for Miraculous Moments doesn’t change anything about life except for the way we experience it, which truly is everything.
Today, I wish you your own form of escape, whatever that is for you, and your own precious, phenomenal summer vacation-like (or mundane) miraculous moments, wherever you are.
Sending you lots of peace and love,
Laurie
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