Hello all of my readers out there. I’m making it a point to write a post by Sunday evening of the week, so by the time Monday rolls around, you’ll have something new to ponder when cranking up that mental processor and grinding out another week of productivity.

So, to recap my latest, I experienced a moment with my new found friends that made me realize something significant. If I can’t figure out how to spend my days on a full time basis in Sedona, I have to at least figure out how to spend a significant amount of time here. Spending the last few weeks among the energy centers has drawn me in like a magnet. There is truly something magical about this place that resonates with my spirit.

I went on a couple of trail hikes the previous week with my new found friends, who brought more friends, providing a much desired social atmosphere for another wonderful week of breathtaking scenery. The most noteworthy landmark on this trail was Submarine Rock, which does actually look like a big submarine sitting out in the desert. Climbing to the top of it is like a new point of discovery that just stands out in your mind as a truly landmark destination. It reminded me a bit of when I was in Canyonlands in Utah years ago while writing my previous blog. My camping spot had similar huge red rocks where I would sit and ponder what’s coming next in life while taking in the amazing view. I still remember it as my favorite of a series of temporary dwellings while on that magnificent journey.

I was invited to a concert at the Sat Nam Spirit Center after the first day of hiking. I was very pleased at the thought of just getting to sit down and enjoy some live music. It was the first time I really got to do that at all since the pandemic and the lockdown that followed. When I first arrived in the area where the center was located, I first walked into a bar, not knowing the spirit center was on the other side of the parking lot. I walked in, wearing my mask, and had it not been for the mask, I was probably looking a bit confused. I asked the bartender if there was going to be any live music, and got a reply of definitely not. Someone else sitting at a table let me know the Spirit Center was nearby, so I thanked him and walked out. It wasn’t that long ago such an occurrence would not have been anything out of the ordinary for me. In fact, before March of 2020, I probably would’ve just hung out and gotten a drink there before leaving. But I just remember thinking, it’s been quite a while since I’ve even been in a bar and not worried about contracting a virus. Now it’s all about just getting what you need and moving on to the next destination, and hopefully you won’t get anything you can’t wash off, as I’d heard once upon a time in the deep dirty south.

I made my way to the Spirit Center, where a few people were standing or sitting outside and hadn’t yet been allowed entry. After asking someone if I was in the right place and having some idle conversation, a lady appeared with some appetizers on a tray. Apparently she was a caterer in the area and let us try some samples. She let me try some crab cakes that were honestly the best I think I’ve ever had in my life, and that’s coming from someone who has sampled that item in quite a few places out there in my time. She then brought out some frozen cheesecake dessert samples that were truly delicious as well. I was getting the idea I had come to the right place.

After entering the venue, I was able to save a few seats for my friends that arrived shortly thereafter. I’ve been in a few similar types of establishments before in my travels, but this place just really seemed to have a very positive enjoyable energy in the air. It could very well be that I was just delighted to actually be around people again. Times like these have really reminded me of just how much isolation there has been over this pandemic.

The music was truly uplifting, very spiritual. There’s something about music like this in the form of chanting that just seems to speak to me at a higher level, even though I can’t translate a word of it. Hearing the very same words in English just doesn’t carry the same sort of weight, something I have always found very fascinating. It was after one of the songs was over that I turned to my friend and said, “I think I need to come to this area more often”.

I only have a couple of weeks left here in Sedona, which leaves me with a bit of sadness, but I also realize I have to move on and continue my work with all I have set out to accomplish. I have always been somewhat of a cynical, rebellious sort, but for the first time in a while, maybe the first time ever, I feel I have actually experienced thoughts truly holding power, both positive and negative. The power of positive thinking is something I’ve read about for quite some time, but never seemed to completely grasp and therefore believe in its power. This particular stay in this land has left an imprint on my psyche that I certainly hope to prolong and imbibe for as long a period as I can possibly retain. There will be new destinations, future goals, but this has all felt like a foundation that I need to build upon to truly live the life I desire and to make it happen.