Lake Arrowhead

I spent this past weekend up in the mountains at Lake Arrowhead . . . less than two hours away from Los Angeles, and yet a million miles from the city.  It was my first trip anywhere in over seven months.

The air is clean.  The trees are majestic.  The lake is crystal blue.  The only sounds are those of coyotes, birds, trees rustling, and an occasional neighbor laughing as they pass on the road.

My friends Reese and Greg have worked on their beautiful lake house for over five years and finished it to perfection.  From the all-wood interior, stone fireplace and incredible details, it is the perfect setting for grounding oneself in "the shit that matters most."

And we did that.  There were eight who ate.  A lot.  We played games, visited with each other and neighbors, took the dogs for long walks, and swam in the lake (while others read).

As the time rolled around to begin packing up, I started to get new emotions.  Empathy for those who had to return to stressful jobs the next morning.  Pity for those of "me" who didn't get to.  But I quickly took what I have learned recently and shifted my thoughts back to reality.  Everything is just as it is meant to be right now, for all of us.  Why fight it?  It's such a waste of brain power.

So I smiled and thought about getting up this morning, making coffee, and having the joy of blogging.