20 days ago, I said hello to the Pacific Ocean at Tourmaline Beach in La Jolla. It was so wonderful to see that magnificent ocean and all the young surfers in their wetsuits and boards in such cold water! They must have great circulation!
Today, we’re in Julian, California at 4,800’ elevation in the mountains northeast of San Diego where it is quiet and close to nature. Lake Cuyamaca (Lake Behind the Clouds), sits at the foot of the Greater and Lesser Stonewall Peaks which are covered with dark green pines and oaks and huge light tan rocks peeking out here and there.
Sunrises and sunsets are extraordinary. Shades of purple, orange, and pink fill the entire sky and its surroundings for a few glorious minutes and then they are gone. The sunrise on the morning of the recent full moon was especially magical.
We are at cloud level and last week during an intense storm, thrilling large clouds drifted in from west to east over the lake. The storm brought gentle rain here, although it caused flooding in parts of southern California. The clouds reminded me of when we lived in Waimea, which is at the 3,000’ elevation, floating in front of Mauna Kea.
The air here in the uplands is clean, cool, and smells so very fresh. Perhaps because it’s filtered by all the oak and pine trees plus fewer people live here, so there are fewer cars, and less pollution in the air. Taking deep inhales and exhales when out walking is a pleasure. It’s the fragrance of health.
As I write this afternoon, I hear a bird pecking on a rafter – it must be an acorn woodpecker that I always want to call acorn squashes – something I am more familiar with in Oak Park. Ha!
There’s an old oak tree in the yard of our Airbnb where acorn woodpeckers, especially, like to frequent. It must be their home. Ravens visit the tree, as do band-tailed pigeons, a red-bellied sapsucker, a flicker, chickadees, and nuthatches. A red-tailed hawk once perched in a taller neighboring pine. The sounds of birds twittering and cawing are music to my ears.
There is a flock of handsome wild turkeys that come by to drink from a bird bath set in the backyard. Black turkey vultures soar quivering in the skies on the wind. Resident egrets and geese live in the forest on a small peninsula that juts out into the middle of the lake. I can hear them honking in the distance.
There are gorgeous blue stellar and scrub jays that come to visit on the lanai when we toss out popcorn. This morning, after sweeping the deck, I found a single long brown pine needle. There are no pines in the immediate vicinity. Maybe the stellar jay came to give us a present in thanks for the popcorn? It’s a delicious mystery.
I'm also grateful for the deer and an occasional squirrel that come by, and for this gorgeous planet we live on. I want to thank all of you who read my newsletter and have helped our Halau and Zen Center flourish this year!
May your New Year be one of inspiration and loving appreciation of your life as it is - in all of its richness and messiness. If you can do that, peace, joy and love will be yours.
Malama pono (take good care of body, mind, heart)
Kumu/Roshi June Kaililani Tanoue
P.S. Here's a recent recording of a talk I gave, "Working with Difficult Emotions" https://youtu.be/IL7I9Gie4OI