Sedona AZ, Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Every morning in Sedona, as the first rays of dawn come over the eastern hills, church bells ring in the sunrise, and in the evening, they toll the sunset. I find it a beautiful ritual. In contrast to the clock chimes that ring according to mechanical hours and minutes, these bells honor our connection to the sun and to Nature, and reflect the simple joy of watching the sun rise and set. The ritual expresses gratitude for the sunlight that sustains our lives and gives us beauty.

This morning, as I walked in the light of dawn, with bells ringing and breeze blowing and sun shining on the red mountains of Sedona, I was filled with such gratitude and joy, I didn’t know what to do with it all. These experiences are very private for me; with that intensity of emotion, I feel naked inside, and a little scared that someone might find out my secret love life. I’m afraid that if anyone finds out, they won’t understand it, and maybe they’ll judge me for it. And yet I have this crazy hope for a connection with another soul in the midst of this, but also a fear that I am the only one capable of feeling exactly this way, in this moment.

So it is like a private love-making session between me and the Earth and Sky. Nobody else needs to know. Except you. And I have shared this little secret with you in the hope that you are able to experience this too, in your own way and in your own time, and that no one will judge you for it either.