CALMING THE UNSETTLED

      It seems everyone is fatigued by the crisis a moment energy that emanates from Trumps Washington. During the foreign trip a few observers noted it almost seemed normal. Almost. There were those little quirks; Melania flipping away the donald's hand, his shoving a NATO minister out of the way to mug for the camera, the Pope's message about climate change, insulting comments about Germans-but they were oh so mild compared to the norm.
      The relative normalcy of the trip gets blown away like jet blasts from Air Force One when the trump show returns to DC. 
       The Russian intrigue did not disappear. Now son in law Kushner is under investigatory focus and there remains the president's acknowledgment he tried to obstruct an investigation. It is incredible, fast, furious, unprecedented but it is destructive not only to our tradition and pending history  but also to our mental health. It is as though an amphetamine and psychotropic have been mixed and put into our food supply. We are racing full blast through a house of torture. And we remember, kids are watching. Impressions are being made. The trump legacy is already toxic.

when will it stop?

 Photo by Joe Johnston The Tribune-San Luis Obispo 

   This is the newest problem on the legendary Pacific Coast Highway and no one knows how to fix it. The Mud Creek slide has changed the Pacific coast line as mountain continues to slide into the ocean, obliterating the highway. This is less than an hour north of our home and a reason we, like many others, have been denied access to some of our favorite hiking trails and spots in the Big Sur area.  

    This week more than a million tons of mountain slid over the road. There are 4 slide areas in a quarter mile and we are told springs also feed the motion. It is perplexing. We wait for it to stop.

prevailing

     Mark Wellman's photo from the Yosemite Conservancy has special appeal right now. The timeless beauty and power of the Sierra, the remarkable interaction of human and mountain, and the spirit of adventure and achievement are a tonic for those malady's and unsettling troubles of our day.

I find great peace in the Sierras, an abiding tranquility and perspective on the transitory nature of human endeavor and foibles. 

     

    In time trump will be gone, the body politic may scar but it will heal, that majestic Pacific Coast Highway will be re-engineered, re-imagined, and the mountains and the sea will survive long beyond our generations. The mountains will be steadfast and the pacific will continue to sing the song of this planet. Comfort in these thoughts and the boundless arc of the star nations helps me put the present human mania in focus. Indeed we are like mists in time, vapors. But we dream and hope. 

    See you down the trail.