Guardians of Sleep

Arose at dawn and was soon out the door for a 10 mile run along the Ridgeline Trail. Upon leaving the Ridgeline I decided to walk the final 2 miles along the flat wood-chipped Rexius Trail due to fatigued legs. Still a great time.

When I returned home I decided to wander downtown, stopping at the library, then Oregon Arts to buy drawing supplies. Inside the store was a drawing exhibit entitled Gaurdians of Sleep, a project by Jan Halvorsen who drew everyday for a year. Very impressive and inspiring work.

When I returned home I made lunch, then began a new drawing. The harsh noon light streaming onto the drawing desk made working uncomfortable so I read a bit from Planet Walker by John Francis, then took a short nap. When I awoke I carried my Guitar to the nearby meadow and meditated to my own music making.

The sun still being up, I sat back down at the drawing table and finished the drawing I had started earlier in the day.

From Planet Walker -

"This is to introduce John Francis, who left his home in Inverness, California, on January 1, 1983, on an 18-year pilgrimage around the world to raise environmental consciousness, and promote earth stewardship and world peace.

John gave up the use of motorized vehicles not long after an oil spill in San Francisco Bay in 1971. Since 1973, he has maintained a vow of silence."

The Maple Tree

Walked the new route to the cemetery this morning expecting to sit under the fragrant mimosa tree. The mimosa was being watered by a sprinkler, so I decided to sit under a nearby maple tree. I read a few passages from the Ajahn Chah book, then sat facing the nearby hills. The day was warm, blue, and quiet, I lost my sense of time and space and the world became an ethereal dream scented with pine and cedar.

When I returned home I worked with the pencil and finished the drawing I began a couple of days ago.

The Mimosa Tree

Yesterday I chose to walk a new route to the cemetery, cutting through a couple of parks and walking a mile along a one lane country road. When I reached the edge of the cemetery I found a "secret" entrance, a single track walking path through a small thicket of trees. When I entered the back edge of the cemetery I found it was secluded from the main road. I spotted a Mimosa tree in bloom and decided to meditate under it. The sky was a sharp cloudless blue and the shade cooled me from the summer heat. I sat comfortably for a while, then decided to open a book by Ajahn Chah - I read "You have been prisoner to your habits your whole lives. If you didn't want to get free, why would you have come here?"

I am beginning to draw 3-4 hours a day.

In Progress