“Golden State” In Mind

How does your favorite place allow you  to  “let go” from usual routines when needed? 

“This is how memories are made… by “going with the flow.” (Amanda Bynes)

One important goal I’ve strived to attain recently in my roadtrip travels relates to being open to new experiences of an intuitive nature in the face of uncertainty at the time. This insight can be be best described as “going with the flow”. To illustrate this quality, consider the following examples that demonstrate how I react with “flow” actions intended in an “uplifting” manner.  

So to begin, consider those erratic flight paths of shore birds I have seen moving swiftly inland at several Pacific Ocean beaches. For I’ve sensed this action as a legitimate warning that a severe tidal surge or other extreme weather event might be coming ashore that day. Or consider why I’ve randomly veered off a marked  foot path sometimes during a nature hike. In one such chance occasion, I happened to discover a strand of giant  redwood trees to photograph with high energy along a “protected” Marin County coastline. Ponder as well those annoying traffic delays I’d often experienced on congested California freeways. For such slowdowns provided an opportunity to aimlessly gaze at colorful shrubs and flowering blooms in the near distance as a way to stay calm.       

I can also report that in lieu of sunbathing idly at several state park visits along the famed “Pacific Coast Highway, I liked to move along the sand to pick up unusual stones or seashells.  Such collections inspired creative thoughts about how to apply color, shape, and physical texture in my writing efforts. I’d also found such flow experiences as a desirable way to foster meaningful face to face conversations with others. In one such instance, I observed that as I joined with strangers sitting around enjoying the fresh air and green grass of an A’s or Dodger game, a neighborly feeling of togetherness toward greater cultural understanding would take place that day.

So in the photo set below taken on our most recent road trip, I showcase some uplifting images of California nature scenery that have helped me attain “flow.”  Perhaps these positive images will provide some much needed visual relief for you from current media strewn images of broken glass, profane graffiti, and angry street confrontations happening in association with mass protests going on in various cities around the country right now.