Life, Death, and the Road

Today I spent the day in Sedona with my closest friend. She drove up from Mesa to spend a few more hours with me before we part company for about a month. I've loved the time we've spent together, and I'm also eager to be off on my own -- just me and the open road!

I got a call this week from another dear friend, who told me her mother just passed away. She'd been anticipating "the call" for over a year. I spent time on the phone with her, letting her know I love her, and that I have some small understanding of her pain. I lost my mom in 1996, and the anniversary of her loss -- July 5 -- occurs at the end of my trip. I wish I could have been there to put my arms around my friend, and in my memory I grieve with her.

I got a call yesterday from my sweetie, who told me he found a new job after being laid off in February. I called back to congratulate him, enjoying the sound of his voice tinged with cautious optimism, wishing I could be there to celebrate and kiss him a time or 27 -- just for luck.

Even though I want to be there, and share joys and sorrows with people I love, I'm here, in Sedona, Arizona having an adventure all my own -- and I want to be here. The people I love are here with me, whether they know it or not. I'm guessing some of them do. Dear friends, all those of you who wanted me to pack you in my suitcase and take you along on my trip -- and you know who you are -- please call when you think of it, when there's a spare moment in your busy lives. The moments we share are precious to me, and you can join me on the road, wherever I happen to land, through the miracle of wireless radio waves.

If you don't have my number, email me and I'll send it. If you don't have my email, send me a message on Facebook. If a phone call feels challenging, send me an email. I really want to hear from you.

Tomorrow I'm off to Jerome, Arizona, which boasts a reputedly haunted hotel and wild west history, then on to Flagstaff, from where I plan to visit the Grand Canyon for the second time in my life. I'll stay in Flagstaff until Monday, so I can take in as much of that Grandness as possible before heading to Taos, New Mexico.

It's getting late, and I'd best get to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow, and checkout time is 11 am. If you feel so inclined, let me hear from you. It needn't be tomorrow, or even the next day. Whenever the fancy possesses you. And if it never does, worry not -- I still love and think the world of you.

Thanks for reading, and may bliss and brilliant inspiration find you wheresoever you go.

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~