Let's Play

Our bodies were made to run and play. As a child,  I remember driving over to see my grandma who lived on Whidbey island, and once on the island, my mom would pull over so I could climb the little hills on the side of the road.  The exhilaration of reaching the summit, which in the eyes of a child was so high, would fill my chest with joy that would giggle out as I waved to Mom from the top. Then  I would race full speed back down the hill back to the car.

When I was young, my world was transformed into the most extraordinary playground.  I was a wild mustang stampeding up the stream behind my home, splashing water and mud.  The forest filled with alders and evergreens was actually a jungle as I hung upside down from the limbs of the trees, the vines ready to grab and swing to the next tree.  I would swim with the dolphins in Martha Lake.  Riding my bike down the street as fast as I could go, arms spread wide and eyes closed, I was flying like the birds overhead.

 

Scripture says for one to have the faith of a child…. A child embraces the moment they are present in, being only concerned about the “here and now”.  This reality has re-awakened within my spirit.  Somewhere along the path of my life, yesterdays troubles and frustrations for my tomorrows clouded my mind and I lost the love for the “here and now”.  Of course there are moments of grown-up responsibilities, but they should never overshadow the power of laughter and love for every moment in time…

Opportunities to play can be found everywhere!  From within the confines of our car we crank up the music and dance in our seats; or sing at the top of our lungs.  Outrageously flirting with each other and taking crazy pictures we drive without set destinations, exploring the map for the next best place to stop.

On the trip down to Arizona we found ourselves in Cannon Beach with the ocean beckoning… so we hoped out of the car and kicked off the shoes and headed for the water.

One of the best games to play on the road is “Where will we eat dinner?”  There are many distinctively unique restaurants found off the beaten path.  It takes a little patience, and sometimes persistence, to locate the “right” one… but the adventure of driving the back roads, talking to the locals, and finally finding it always proves extremely pleasing to the palate. 

The Amazing Crab Dinner 
at Local Ocean

After chatting with the clerk in the co-op and a lady on the street  we found Local Oceans right on the waterfront of the Pacific Ocean, in Newport, Oregon.  The restaurant, located across the street from the marina, offered fresh seafood and crab.  The Captain of the vessel who caught our dinner sat at the table next to us.  

In Ukiah, California, we happened upon Ukiah Brewing Company, a local brew pub who offered a fully organic menu and local brewed spirits.  The food was a wonderful treat and the band that played a funky fun accompaniment of Gaelic persuasion. 

“The walls are getting taller, and his world is getting smaller” is a line from one of Jack Johnson’s songs.  Part of the Grand Adventure is the breaking down of these proverbial walls that crippled the child within.  It is time to let the faith filled playful spirit run free… for the imagination to find her way back into the garden of life and open wide the gates to a smorgasbord of enchantment.  My inner child is awake and ready to climb every new hill, run through the streams, and hang upside down from every branch I can find. 

Now is the time to embrace every moment.  The child within is beckoning, “Come and play!"  What will you do today?


-Cheryl

Hitting the Brakes

I was reading this morning about love...

How all human actions are motived at their deepest level by one of two emotions - fear or love.  These are the only two words in the language of the soul.  Every human thought and action is based in either love or fear. Every single free choice that is made arises out of one of these two possible thoughts:  a thought of love or a thought of fear.  Where fear contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms; love expands, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares and heals.  Our free choice is truly which one will I select...

... and so in that moment that you pledge your highest love, you are greeted by your greatest fear. Our culture exhibits conditional love in almost all of our relationships, which is so far from True Love as God intended it to be. Participating in conditional love relationships can cause damage to the heart, mind and soul... but True Love brings healing and hope.  I believe in this love.  I believe this True Love is available here on Earth.  I believe this is part of the Magellan's Ship vision I was given.

While on the road, we were met with a situation that immediately made me want to chose fear.  And when I say immediately, I mean if I had not been locked within the confines of the car, traveling 50 mph down the highway, I would have walked away from Peter and the love he extends to me.  I literally "hit the [emotional] brakes!" The "What" of what happened is not as important as my reaction to "It".  And that is exactly what I did... I reacted based on my past experiences when in the present neither of us had done anything wrong.  I chose fear...  

I stared that demon of my soul in the eyes for some long hard moments... almost 30 to be exact... before he was banished.  The experience left me physically and emotionally drained and my heart raw... but in the end, I chose love - to extend love and to accept love.  I chose to believe.

But why did I chose fear when the evidence of love was so palpable?

Because I had faced that demon in the past and he had won.  But not this time!

It is easy to believe the lie of conditional love:  that you are only worthy of love based on the way you perform or act according to some set expectation or circumstance. And some of these lies have been woven into the fabric of Who We Are from the time we were children... but that is NOT who we really are.  We are created in the image of God:  We are the most magnificent, most remarkable and most splendid beings He has ever created.

And believing that each of us are divine and worthy of love gives me courage to fight off those demons for myself and others. There is such freedom in True Love. Believing in the depth of this True Love leads one to a place where there will never be a need to respond in fear again...


I choose to drive without brakes now.

-Cheryl

Oh The Places You'll Go

How much MORE
can I fit?

"Congratulations!  Today is your day!

You're off to Great Places!  

You're off and away!"

-Dr Seuss

The thrill of the adventure reverberated through my thoughts as my little car, packed to the ceiling, rolled down the freeway... I felt like the Little Piggy in the Geico commercial who kept squealing "Wee!  Wee!" (If only I had the the little windmills to hold out the window in my excitement!)


Emotions of the final goodbyes were being washed away as excitement rose up for what the next 1,600 miles would hold... We were REALLY doing this! Now I am sure there is some kind of lesson for me to learn in this Grand Adventure - the letting go of the things that had been forms of security to me in the past; expanding my beliefs and faith; or maybe something even more profound. But, in those moments as we cruised down I-5, I found myself so eager for the "wild blue yonder" and the mystery that this journey held that I was just giddy with the excitement of it all.  (Don't worry, I am sure the lessons will reveal themselves in due time....)


Our destination for the first night was Toledo, WA where Peter's Mom lives.  Toledo is about an hour south of Olympia so it worked out perfectly, especially because of our late start. Pauline and Larry Wolfe are two of the most kind and generous people I have ever met.  Immediately wrapped in a warm embrace of welcome, we entered their home and found ourselves lost in a most enchanting night.  

Peter, Pauline and Larry

We enjoyed a glass of wine and visited together.  Our conversation flowed with laughter, hopes and dreams and eventually it led us to sit down at the dining room table for an amazing dinner of ribs, rice, cauliflower and salad.  The minutes flew by, yet the moments lingered.  It was such a wonderful evening...


We were up, packed and ready to leave at the crack of dawn... No, not really!  We enjoyed a cup of coffee, checked the weather, and continued to relax in the warmth of the Wolfe home.  When we saw the first snow flakes begin falling around 9:30am, it confirmed our decision to drive down the Oregon coast instead of following I-5 through Portland and Grant's Pass (which had been hit hard with the snow storm that was rolling in).

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself 

any direction you choose"

So we packed up the car, said our last goodbyes and were sent off Wolfe style - with the "standing on the porch both hands in the air synchronized farewell wave" by Pauline and Larry. (If you have never been waved off in this manner, then may I suggest that you experience it at one point in your life!  It's the best farewell wave ever given!)  With both of us grinning from ear to ear, we looked into each other's eyes and said, "Here we go!"

Starbucks Smiles!

That point-of-no-return was just passed.... and I wasn't looking back!  Actually,  I was looking forward to finding that next Starbucks... seriously.  There is nothing like a Vente (4 shots included) soy Americano Misto with Vanilla and Peppermint syrups. That is my coffee drink of choice. Yum! And, thankfully we did find one about 45 minutes down the road. 


I believe it is important to always be thankful and gracious. You never know when there will be an opportunity for you to encourage someone who needs it.  But if you are so lost in your own "business" then you may miss it... Well, the young lady that was training messed up my drink and kindly remade it for me again. Our warm smiles hopefully helped build her confidence and she continued throughout the rest of her day.  Well, I didn't only receive my re-made drink, but they gave me a free gift certificate for another coffee drink! How nice was that?! So, with coffee in hand, we hit the open road...

"Oh, the places you'll go!

There is fun to be done!"

M/V Pacific Tracker (XTR-1)

Our morning route took us along the Washington State side of the Columbia river, where we caught a few pictures of this amazing vessel, the Pacific Tracker.  Built in 1964 as a commercial cargo ship, she was sold to the US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency for use as a X-Band Transportable Radar Ship.  Now she is used for service monitoring and conducting missile exercises.  We actually had to look up what she was all about, because the big golf ball on the back really had piqued our curiosity!

The Dismal Nitch:  Just a stop on the side of the road...

We continued along our highway until we arrived at The Dismal Nitch.  We sat scratching our heads pondering, "What? Really?"  However, upon further research, I found out that it was named after a cove on the north bank of the Columbia River that Captain William Clark called in his journals “that dismal little nitch.”  So, actually, all of our little "jokes" about Dismal Nitches really aren't very funny anymore now that we finally know "what" dismal nitch is referring to.... But c'mon!  Some were really quite witty and humorous. 


Did I mention that we really didn't have a plan?  We were just driving until we stopped... and what a crazy fun way to travel that is!  It is quite possible, when traveling in this manner, to get distracted.  And that is exactly what happened... quite a few times... but what a Journey to remember!


-Cheryl