Day 11 One on One- Starting Point

Sometimes the things I see on holiday that are fabulous and thought provoking are famous, like the Hearst Castle, apparently the most visited monument in the State of California. Other times though, the neatest thing I see in a day is random. Today we came around a corner on a fairly deserted highway between Grass Valley and Kent Oregon, to find this:

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There is no pay parking lot, no gift shop, just a dusty pull out. I wondered aloud how it all started. The smart ass answer was “with one pair of shoes”. This came from my teenager, complete with an ample serving of sarcasm. What I meant was that I wondered at the story behind this shoe tree. Again since this is a random site, not sanctioned by any government or group, there was no placard to explain. I am left to come up with my own stories. Perhaps a pair of shoes got thrown out of a passing car, got caught in the tree, another passing traveller saw this and in a moment of whimsy added another. I imagined the trend continuing until the tree grew to its quirky and magnificent current self. Or maybe this art installation is the work of the property owner? Maybe they had seen a similar tree elsewhere and wanted one of their own. It is possible they work at a goodwill store and make use of all the shoes which can no longer be used. I will probably never know.

It is interesting to look at how things get started. This 12 days project was started on a whim. The first entry talks about how it was born out of my exercise neurosis. Having not sweated from activity while on an unexpectedly intense 12 days cleanse, I came up with a 12 days sweat cleanse, which grew into 12 days up Pulpit Rock, which grew into...well this entry, which I just realized is number 99. Wow. Far out.

Yesterday the conversation, on our long day of travelling, turned to the first day Chris and I met. We both remembered what we were wearing, where we stood, and how we had a deep appreciation for the shape of each others butt! Imagine if we knew on that first day that this meeting would become a defining moment of our lives...do you think we would have continued? or freaked out and run away? I am not sure myself, I guess this is why the Universe (God, Goddess, Powers that Be, Grand Pooh Ba) keeps us in the dark. I think that sometimes knowing our potential is the scariest thing of all.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
by Marianne Williamson

You know it Marianne! Truer word have rarely been spoken.

“What special talent/light/gift do you share with the world, making it a richer place?” is the question in 12 days journal #80. In which I will write the quote by Marianna Williamson.

Oh and as for today's one on one time...we are all trapped in a vehicle and have a total of 11 hours worth of ground to cover before the day is done. I couldn’t avoid one on one time if I tried, and believe me, with the amount of bickering in the back seat, I have considered riding on the roof.

Day 10 One on One- Gadyo

There was a change in plans. Ayla and I were suppose to fly to Spokane tomorrow from Oakland. Chris, Rose and Lily were going to continue camping on their way up towards the west coast of Canada. Ayla needs to go home to start rehearsing for a performance she has at the end of July. I need to go home for a performance on the 3rd and 4th, then I am leaving again, making my way to the coast with Michael and leaving Ayla behind with her Nana. Well Ayla and I are still on our way home, but instead of being carried by a plane, we are being carried by our trusty truck and camper. Chris decided he wanted to come home, camp in Canada instead. We decided this last night at Seaside, and are now at the Oregon/California border. Just two States to go!

We were slow getting going this morning, then stopped to fish and swim. We haven’t made a good deal of head way yet. I think Ayla is freaked out we will be late for her rehearsals. The sun is going down, this is when we make consistent progress once the little ones fall asleep.

I have really enjoyed these last 4 days. Wandering round California, house on our backs. I am descendent of many peoples, a proper Heinz 57, but I identify most with my Spanish Gypsy heritage. I am told the term “Gypsy” is not PC, that I should call myself one of the Roma people or the Gadyo people. I am not sure about this, I have always loved the romantic associations of being a Gypsy. I find I am at my most relax when I don’t know where I will be the next day. Nomadic blood runs through these veins.

“What part of your heritage or ancestry do you most relate to?“ is the question in 12 days journal #79

I have been stockpiling journals again, this journal as well as the last two sit in my bag. I am travelling, which is a great time to give them away but haven’t sat still long enough. Our family has been very insular and to ourselves these last few days, I suppose this was the point of this commitment. I am going to make a better effort to leave the journals daily and get out of this new stockpiling habit. Part of this is getting back into the habit of making up the journal each day and not leaving it to be done 3 an 4 journals at a time.