A Beautiful Daydream

Sedona, Arizona is truly like another universe—peaceful, mystical, a place of depth and reflection. The vibe in this city always feels like the antithesis of most of the rest of world. We’re home now and all of it is just a memory but the only accurate way I can describe Sedona is like some beautiful daydream. It's a place that has a way of bringing to the forefront precisely what you need and eliminating all that you don't.

After more than 3,000 miles of driving, and over three years since our last visit, the red rock and being bathed in that peace was welcomed.

Being there again felt exactly like visiting an old friend or relative. We spent our time in the high desert hiking, visiting the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park where my Dad’s and our beagle Amstel’s ashes are scattered, eating delicious (albeit extremely overpriced) food, and spending quality time with my sister-in-law.

As for the Peace Park, I was thrilled to see that after four years none of the stones that we placed to mark where we spread the ashes were disturbed at all. When we originally placed them I geotagged the precise location so we'd have no trouble finding the spot again. I’m glad we did that because there are so many twists and turns in the park that the spot would have surely been lost.

It’s painful to leave a place of such peace. I liken leaving a place like Sedona to the pain of being born again, thrust into the harshness of a hurried world. After so many days of reflection I always leave the high desert a slightly different person than when I first arrived. Our days there gave me lots of time to think about what adventures are next and which of my well-worn paths are coming to their end.

Now that we’re back home it’s time to unpack, catch up on the responsibilities of life, and regroup. I have a few big milestones right on the horizon—a big birthday (55) and a full decade on this platform to celebrate on the fifth July!

I never would have guessed in a million years that blogging on a blockchain-based platform would have brought so many blessings into my life but it certainly has. Hive has been a true incubator of ideas and creativity for me. It's inspired my fingers to keep dancing across the keys, churning out more material than I ever imagined I would in a single lifetime.

In many ways, for almost ten years, Hive has been like a beautiful daydream as well. A place where I, finally, found my tribe—people who connected with what I had to say as much as I connected with what they were writing. I've learned more than I ever expected to in these ten years. This is proof that there can be surprises around just about any corner and they can happen when you least expect it. Above all, Hive has proven to me that each of us have within us the power to create our own realities.

Hive has gone through so many cycles and changes in the decade I've been here. There have been so many ups and downs, good times and challenging times—throughout it all the platform has proven its resiliency.

I find it strange to think that so few of the people I began writing with in 2016 are still here. I mourn for the friendship of some of them. I sometimes still laugh about some of the characters that were here from those early days. I'm sure some of you still remember them too. Some have gone on to do bigger and better things, some have left this Earth, while others were reabsorbed into their own lives and gone quiet. I'd love to know how many of us who began in that amazing spring/summer of 2016 are still here.

In each of the, nearly, 3,650 days I've been here I’ve tried my best to write from the heart instead of what I think others want to read. I don’t see myself ever changing that. I've also tried to support other authors and contribute as much to positivity of the platform as time allows.

One thing is for sure, I'll be reminiscing and sitting with a lot of fond memories leading up to my tenth anniversary on July 5th.

I hope you enjoy the following slideshow of some photos of our trip. I hope you're finding a way to create your own reality and discovering some beautiful daydreams of your own.

All for now. Thanks so much for reading.

o