Back to teaching.

After I got home from my recent road trip, I hit the ground running. Usually I give myself at least a week before I enter my life here in Oklahoma. I take that time to readjust to my former life. I am fortunate that I can do this, since I set my own schedule for teaching and consultations with clients. But, this time since I had taken three trips one after the other, my schedule was more cramped. A day after I was home I taught a course in Feng Shui. I enjoy teaching. It's fun to see the "eureka" moment in my students faces. Feng Shui is solution oriented philosophy and I like to solve puzzles. It's always a challenge to figure out why people are stuck in certain habitual life patterns. And, how to unlock the stagnant areas of their lives. I am a problem solver. It's fulfilling to figure out why a person's environment is stuck and how to get the energy moving again.

Even though it's very enjoyable to be on the road, I am glad to be home and in a routine. We are all creatures of habit after all!

The drive home.

I am back in Oklahoma. The drive home was uneventful and an easy drive. I was home by 6 p.m. My daughter was waiting at my home for me with a stocked fridge and snacks for me to eat. Since she knows, I will not go to the grocery store anytime soon! What a wonderful daughter. I did something right in my previous lifetime to deserve the children I have in this lifetime!

On the way home on I-40 east in New Mexico there is a truck stop which is owned by Sikh Indians. The billboard intrigued me. It said "A taste of India" I had to pull over and investigate. Sure enough they had a taste of India, as in-- Indian food! I was so happy. Since I left Vancouver I had not eaten any Indian food. I think my system begins to crave the Indian spices after a few days. To find a truck stop that served authentic home prepared Indian food was a delight! I took the time to sit and eat lunch. I felt as though I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I was surrounded by Indians, there was Indian news on the television set in the corner. This was a truck stop in America, but all the truckers were Indians And, the food aroma was unmistakably Indian!  And, it was interesting to speak Hindi and Punjabi in the desert of New Mexico. Wonders never cease to exist!

The Painted Desert.

There is a side to my personality that wants to push the limits of my endurance. After Gene and I arrived in Chicago from India, I chose to drive to OKC, a twelve hour journey! This was after a long international flight. When I woke up this morning, I had a chat with myself--- no way was I going to drive straight through to OKC. I woke up late deliberately; that's not too hard to do! Then, I drove slowly, that was a bit more difficult. Then, I made myself take the exit for the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. Even though I have seen this beautiful park before, I knew the only way I would not test my endurance was if I simply didn't have enough time to make it to OKC in one day from Winslow.

I am glad I took my time today, I drove slowly through the Painted Desert, it always reminds me of spumoni the delicious Italian ice cream dessert. I almost want to take a spoon to the delicious looking mounds. Fear not, I only think about it!

The Petrified wood really fascinates me, I want to take a big chunk home with me, but I resist the strong urge. Instead I took pictures of the colourful trees. As you exit the park the rangers ask you if you enjoyed your drive through and then politely ask if you removed any petrified wood? I am sure no one is going to admit to taking anything, yet the park has been pillaged since it's discovery. I am reminded of a policeman who stopped me from picking up a stone from Mount Rushmore. He eloquently said "Young lady, I am as serious as a heart attack, you can't pick up a rock from here. If I let you take a rock, then everyone else will want one too, and pretty soon we won't have a mountain left". Those were the days when I used to pick up rocks as souvenirs, I ain't like that no more! I am a reformed rockoholic.

After my side trip to the Painted Desert, I drove on through. It was hard to say goodbye to Arizona.  New Mexico is interesting too, I find Arizona's beauty in a class by itself. Tomorrow  

I will be home, and I would not have pushed the limits. It will be an easy drive from Santa Rosa to OKC. There are no more road trips in the near future for me. I guess I need to start planning where I will drive to next summer. Nova Scotia has been intriguing me of late!