WHERE IS YOUR PLACE OF WONDER?

"I shall always be haunted by thoughts of a sundrenched elsewhere."  Isabelle Eberhardt

There are places on this earth that simply make your heart sing.  For some people, it is the beach - the sound of the ocean and the white sand -  can send them to a personal nirvana where they are refreshed and restored.  Not me.  The ocean has never held any attraction for me...too much sand and grit, and I was always afraid of things in the water. 

But - the mountains hold magic for me.  Recently a Facebook friend posted about their trip to Mt. Rainier...and my mind immediatedly returned to my visit there last year...to what I refer to has one of my very best days ever. 

You wouldn't think that a mountain retreat would be ideal for a wheelchair.  It certainly would have been fun to explore the trails and hike, but I have learned to appreciate all that I am able to do, and so my limitations were not a big deal for me.  I was simply overwhelmed by the immense beauty of the place.  It was a deeply spiritual experience for me...and as strange as it seems, I felt like I was "home." 

In that place, my creative mind was alive and teeming with ideas for stories and poems and works of art...and all I could do was breathe the sweet air deeply and immerse myself in the awesome wonder of this place.

I remember sitting on the deck of the lodge drinking a cup of tea.  It was in the low 70's...perfect weather.  I had on a hot pink shirt...and suddenly this little hummingbird hovered about 10 inches from my face for the longest time (that is, for a hummingbird!)  I held my breath. It was a mystical connection like nothing else I could remember experiencing before.  Of course, I guess the reality was that the hummingbird thought he had discovered the world's largest flower!  But, even now, as I think about it, I can feel that "zing" deep inside myself ...that wash of gratitude for being alive in that moment.

As a writer, it helps to nurture those moments in my life.  It helps to seek them out...to take the time to just appreciate the miracles around me, particularly in nature.  And in the richness of those experiences, I remember the way it feels when I tap into the treasure trove of imagination that already exists inside me...it just takes a few seconds with the memory of that hummingbird and once again, I find my creative wings and fly.