Run DMZ

Thought it might be nice to resurrect Wordless Wednesday for the season. This is Eagle Rock, which we accessed yesterday via the Pacific Coast Trail in Warner Springs. The 6.5-mile hike had its challenges, from territorial cows and bulls to a snake in the middle of the trail. It heated up to high 70s, but that was a good thing for me and my heavy backpack.   

The beginning and ending tend to be what gets remembered most. We can recall the excitement and enthusiasm starting a new project, partnership, romance, home, family, or friendship. We also vividly remember how all of these end, whether naturally or suddenly. This robs us of the portion that really matters, where the mundane resides but without which progress comes to a halt. I'm talking about the middle, that part of a plan, relationship, or life where we actually devote the bulk of our time. It tends to muddle together because it doesn't leave quite the impression of the beginning and the end, what is known as the primacy effect .  That's why so much emphasis is placed on first impressions and final departures. But the middle is where we make our imprint, whether living up to a promise or proving people wrong. It's everything in the middle that determines how we are seen and remembered when it's lights out. Right now I'm in the middle of my backpack training ....

  I never considered how Bandelier National Monument got its name until a week after I'd left the abandoned cliff dwellings, the time-defying petroglyphs, the impressively preserved ruins, and one harrowing climb to an ancient housing complex that I wisely sat out. Despite these New Mexico lands serving as home to ancestral Pueblo people for millennia, once the cliffs and canyons joined the U.S. parks system, government officials chose to honor Adolf Bandelier, a Swiss immigrant and self-taught archeologist who studied this region and played a role in its establishment as a national monument to preserve the sites. That was in 1916 after the place had been vacated some 400 years prior by the indigenous populations that made a decent life out of honoring the elements surrounding them. A brochure you receive at the gate includes a message from the Affiliated Pueblo Committee: Spiritually, our ancestors still live here at Bandelier. You see reminders of their presence here--their homes...

It is impossible to take in Santa Fe and not witness myriad manifestations of spirituality. It's in the historically significant churches anchoring a public square. The sacred grounds of nearby reservations and pueblos. It's in the art and jewelry showcased in galleries, outposts, and sidewalk sales. The preparation of Christmas enchiladas and heated discussion of what "spiritual but not religious" really means over lunch at the Plaza Cafe .  Rarely has a girls' getaway been so in-your-face about its underlying intention. Less than a week later, I'm still unsure how I feel about everything after experiencing so much mysticism during three days in New Mexico.  Spring awakening Spring arrived just as we did, from bursts of lemongrass-colored tree buds lining walkways to a white and pink blossoms spilling over brown adobe fences meant to contain them. The high desert sun shone intensely except for one brief April shower that bode well for early May blooms waiting...

I read a lot of studies in my line of work, and every once in awhile something's published that makes me stand up and take notice. This week it's a piece in Scientific American that looked at more than 150 other studies to conclude that "jogging" and cycling while angry or stressed actually makes you feel worse, not better. The researchers cite the physiological responses that show elevated, rather than reduced, aggression in people after rigorous or repetitive exercise.  "Some activities people use to manage their anger amp up arousal and increase anger and aggression levels. Jogging, a popular stress-relief activity, actually increased anger in the studies we looked at. The repetitive nature of jogging may induce feelings of monotony and frustration, potentially exacerbating anger rather than alleviating it," researchers wrote. Reading further, the meta-analysis essentially contradicts what we've long been told: Take out your anger through physical ac...

I did something Saturday morning that I haven't done in years: nothing. I spent five glorious hours sipping tea and watching HGTV in bed while a flash-flood-inducing storm blew through. I took advantage of a rare lull in my life to force my body and brain into rest mode. I also did it because things are about to change for the next three months. I'm going to start training in earnest for a weekend backpacking trip on Catalina Island this summer. I don't know how I found the REI excursion, but I do know sessions were sold out whenever I checked. This year, I bookmarked the page, so when it updated, I was there. That's how I secured the first spot for a group backpacking trip on June 29-30, 2024. Three friends soon signed up, but one withdrew due to a shoulder situation and her sister backed out too. It's down to me and my friend Mary . I'm excited to have a new focal point to get out there when my body and mind want to be elsewhere. I'm also fortunate to liv...

  "Aloha" might be the most recognizable Hawaiian term, but on Maui, "Mahalo" is a close second. It lacks linguistic flexibility, meaning just one thing: Thank you. However, it is quite pliable in conveying a desired tone.  Come enjoy authentic Hawaiian shave ice. Mahalo.   Yes, our lines are long. Please be patient. Mahalo.  The restaurant kitchen's closing early tonight. Mahalo.  Our $1.50 (each) kiwi fruit are better. Mahalo.  Do not move the mat concealing a heating element inside your unit's oven or you may destroy the appliance. Mahalo! I can think of no better word that reflects the four days recently spent exploring a paradise always on alert for potential disasters.  Which pretty much sums up our trip, too.  Mahalo for those quiet, pre-dawn mornings I spent sipping hot tea on our balcony and watching locals setting up for another busy (hopefully profitable) day while pale-skinned tourists ran, walked, and cycled along S. Kihei R...