they say it's about the journey...

not the destination.

Recently I spent a week at a place in paradise where I got to do some of my favorite things: hiking, swimming, circuit training, eating of fresh organic vegetarian food, and spending time with my sister. I wasn't planning to hang out in the art studio and play with clay, but I did.

It had been a while since I squished cold earth through my fingers, and I forgotten what a supremely relaxing and meditative act it is for me. I was, once again, smitten by this quiet, solitary activity.

The clay I used, as it turns out, is one that doesn't dry. Ever. Or at least, not soon enough to make it easy to transport. So, anything I made in the shaded, breezy studio was something I knew I would leave behind.

Rather than worry about how it might look fired or how it might look glazed or how it might look on my mantel, it was simply about how it felt to be doing it at that moment. And, guess what? There were no worries! What a novel idea! The process was what counted, not the finished product.

I did have my iPhone handy, though, so I took snaps of the stuff I made. Then I said "goodbye!" It was actually very liberating.

Now I just need to figure out how to let this notion spill over into other areas of my life.

ahhhhh

I was lucky enough to spend the past week at a paradise of a place: Rancho La Puerta. It's located south of San Diego, just over the Mexican border.

Instead of sitting at my computer, I hiked. Instead of doing the laundry, I sculpted. Instead of driving around town running errands, I learned how to hula hoop. Instead of going to the grocery and cooking dinner, I got to go through buffet lines containing the most magnificent fresh, organic and locally grown vegetarian meals imaginable. Instead of being a slave to my cell phone, I was quiet. You get the idea. It was heaven.

Here are some photos, all taken with my Canon S90, a true workhorse of a point and shoot. I put it through its paces, and it did not let me down.

I'm trying to stay in touch with the slower pace, the meditation, the yoga, the crisp early morning hikes, the closeness of good friends (with whom I shared the experience) and the beauty of the world around me.