Protectant
"When I roam lofty mountains I feel like my soul is raised on high and covered like the peaks in never melting caps of snow.

And when I descend into the valleys I feel deep and profound like them and my heart fills with mysterious shadows.

The same thing happens at the edge of the sea. There I merge with the surging waves: they pound and roar within me.

When I gaze at the sky I expand. I become boundless, unlimited.

When I look at the stars, silence permeates me.

When I see a flower the ecstasy of beauty overwhelms me.

When I hear a bird singing, its songs is an echo of my own inner voice, and when I look into the eyes of an animal I see no difference between them and my own.

Gradually my separate existence has vanished for the illusion that it was…. Only Peace remains."

I have stumbled upon the great honor and responsibility of living at the foothills of the East Bay. Like a present given on Easter, it is an unexpected gift that I cannot refuse. So each day, sometimes as the sun rises at 6am, or in the bright hot sun at noon, or often to see the moon and sun stare each other down across the sky at sunset, I hike these hills. I have discovered that there are more than 147 trails within 10 miles of me, each ranging from .25 miles, to over 25 miles. Nothing can stop me from going to the hills. While I may still not have any deep friends here, any cafe's where the barista knows my name, or even any neighbors who wave hi, the mountains that watch over me every day grab me and pull me close for a daily hug.  ¶ 10:03 AM