Following "The Way"

This shot was taken Oct 2nd as the sun began its journey from the east. It is looking toward Cuyamaca Peak which is northeast of the San Diego area. I've been listening to Dr Wayne Dyer's Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living The Wisdom Of The Tao audio book on my treks up Cowles Mountain in the mornings to capture the sun's appearance over the eastern mountains. The Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese text written by Lao Tzu which provides a road-map, of sorts, to living the inspired life. I will share some the teachings and perceptions I receive as I go along. A majority of the verses point towards water as an example of how to live life. The patience and the flow of water provide a great metaphor for how to deal with life's perceived troubles. Grasping and holding onto water does you no good, you can't do it. The only way to experience water is to place your hands in it and allow it to flow. Life is the same way; the more you try to force things to happen, the more resistance you encounter. The saying, Going with the flow, takes on more meaning when viewed in this light. I'm learning the difficulty of actually practicing this. It's not easy to just let things happen. The ego wants things to happen NOW. It wants to be in control. But there is a divine timing and rhythm to life. The key is to allow and surrender, understanding that everything is taken care of already.

Here's a shot of me taken this morning at the summit on my 49th b-day after the trek up Cowles mountain trail. The trail up is 1.5 miles long with an elevation gain of about 900 ft. Alot of people run up and down the trail. In the early morning, you'll see a number of people on the trail that make me feel young (looking anyways). The thing we all have in common is being in the moment as we hike up the mountain. That's another way of being in the flow. I'm fairly slow going up compared to most folks and even slower going down. That's okay by me. Sometimes its difficult to let go of comparisons to the other hikers when they are speeding past you. It's just another opportunity for me to allow myself to be me and not worry about other's perceptions.

So much to absorb and chronicle in the next year. One thing I know I'll be doing is learning and growing. So by the time next year's b-day comes along, I'm looking forward to all of us being another year wiser. I'll end here with a quote provided by Dr. Dyer:

"There is no way to happiness, happiness IS the way."

Namaste