Jun10
Posted on Jun 10 by Ruth Davis
In January, I chose Passage as my guiding word for the year. Based on the acronym that Reverend Tinker shared, it seemed the perfect choice to keep me focused and moving on this journey. P=Preparedness A=Adaptability S=Spontaneity S=Single-mindedness A=Availability G=Gratitude E=Enthusiasm But now, six months later, I am here in Asheville and I feel like I am on the other side of that passage. That I have somehow arrived in a new place with myself. I’ve been here in this campground for almost a month, and I have needed this time to collect myself, to step back and realize how I got here, literally and figuratively. And I have been loving this time of contemplation and quiet, days of sitting and watching the river. But now, I am beginning to feel antsy. Bored. And I’m feeling that handing out books to campers is no longer enough. I’m ready to be more active. Action is one step, then another. Being active is staying engaged, participating, connecting. It is being activated. After almost 30 years in my Mac business, it’s easy for...
Jun03
Posted on Jun 3 by Ruth Davis
Cody and I are still in Asheville, camped on the French Broad River. It is quiet and spacious and comfortable. We are RIGHT. ON. the river. The camp hosts are delightful. It’s close to shopping and it’s a wonderful place to invite people to come visit me. The weather is idea, there are no mosquitoes or ticks. There is free wifi. And staying in one place saves on gas. The other day I went up to the office to pay for another week here, and I said to Bill, the camp owner, I’m going to be staying in Asheville through July 7. I have reservations at another park for after the 11th (the last date open here), but I’d love to be able to come back if anything opens up. Let me look, he said. I’ll see what I can do. I was expecting a few days here and there, especially with July 4th and all. I can get you in, he said. For the whole time? Yep. You’ll have to move over a spot. Through July 4th? I...
May27
Posted on May 27 by Ruth Davis
I am staying in Asheville, NC at least through June 11. Maybe through July 4th, if I can get reservations. Because it is beautiful. Because I have friends here. Because I haven’t felt this clear and good and present in a long time. By choosing to stay, everything has shifted. I can completely relax into being here and soaking up everything without being distracted by needing to think about where and what is next. I have been practicing sitting by the river, watching the water. Not thinking or planning or taking pictures, just being fully present to the ripples and the birds and the rich smells. Some efforts are more successful than others, but I just come back to my breath and the water and try again. And I’m learning how to enjoy being more social. I’m saying yes to dinner invitations. I’m inviting friends to come sit with me by the river. I’m making one sweet connection at a time, me being able to offer a relaxing space of time to visit and get to know more...
May20
Posted on May 20 by Ruth Davis
It’s a little after seven in the morning and Cody and I just finished playing our first round of ball. We are still camped 20 minutes north of Asheville, North Carolina in a small campground right on the banks on the French Broad River. There are trees, some grass and several families of Canada Geese. I have so been enjoying my time here. It is gorgeous, and quiet and alive with the water and the train and there are people to talk with and places to walk and explore. I’ve been getting together with old friends and new, and I even joined in at the Friday night drumming circle downtown. I facilitated a Heart Sparks workshop at the local Unity of the Blue Ridge and a friend hosted a lovely book party at her home. And next week, I’m doing some Mac and iPad training. I feel like I am just settling into something new in myself and I so wish I could stay here longer to really explore it without the distractions of traveling and what’s...
May09
Posted on May 9 by Ruth Davis
Note: I wrote this in December, 2012, three months after I moved to the beach in California. I share it today because the themes are the same today as I navigate my way on the Heart Sparks Road Tour. “This is the place of creative incubation. At first, you may find nothing happens there. But, if you have a sacred place and use it, take advantage of it, something will happen.” Joseph Campbell With all of the posts and photos of me in this beautiful dream-come-true life, I have friends writing, asking me how am I REALLY doing. And I have to admit, every day is not a walk on the beach. Well, on one hand it is, because Laddy and I do walk on the beach at least once every day. But some days I’m not as willing or able to enjoy the beauty of the walk. My original vision that got me here is not the life I want to live. This is the only thing I know. I don’t know...
May06
Posted on May 6 by Ruth Davis
I’m in Alabama, camped along a lake, getting ready for the next three weeks of full-on Heart Sparks activities. I’m loving this stretch of rest and peace, realizing that my pace has shifted. I’m more interested in staying in a place for a few days, to settle in, explore the landscape and trails, feel the air and smell the trees and bathe in all of the green and light. I don’t want to be rushing to the next place, but I do what to know where it is. Yes, I have patches of lonely, and what the hell am I doing? And there are days when I wonder what the point of this all is. But when I come back to my breath, the water, the birds, the peace I feel, I remind myself to trust that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I have never been what folks would call adventurous. Not with my eating, not with my daily activities and certainly not as a traveler. I’m much more comfortable...
