Feb04
Posted on Feb 4 by Ruth Davis
My new bathing suit arrived on Saturday. I tried it on that night and I liked it. On Sunday afternoon it was 80° in Paradise. Lots of families were on the beach and there were a handful of people in the water. I was ready. I texted my friend Jo, who was happy to be my go-in-the-cold-ocean buddy. While I waited for her reply, I put my suit on, just in case. I sent her a second note and added, “I’m working up the nerve to go alone since there are so many people on the beach.” I looked at Cody, sleeping off his recent sports-related limp, then I got a towel, put on my water sandals and starting walking to the beach. I had considered just walking down in my suit, then opted to pull pants and a t-shirt over so that I wouldn’t have an opportunity to feel self-conscious. My neighbor Shirley was standing next to her husband’s new toy, a ‘65 Corvette still in the very early stages of refinishing. I told Shirley I was going...
Jan28
Posted on Jan 28 by Ruth Davis
When I first moved to the coast in September, 2012, I had no idea that it would be so hard to meet people. In fact, if I had known how difficult it would be to live someplace where I didn’t know anyone, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to move. The first month I was here I was thrilled to discover a monthly kirtan group. I attended three times but the music was a westernized version of the Sanskrit chants I was used to, and the people weren’t very welcoming. I joined an over-50 singles meet-up group, but they were more interested in drinking than real conversation. I ventured further south to a different spiritual and again, did not connect with the energy of the community. Friends said it would take a few years to really meet people, especially since I didn’t have co-workers. I was miserable. I spent a lot of time at home, crying, talking to Marika, and wondering if I was going to be alone forever. But I kept trying. I...
Jan21
Posted on Jan 21 by Ruth Davis
The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival happened this past weekend. Once a year people from all over the country come to see the amazing variety of birds in the area. I’m the Hospitality Chairperson for the Festival and my job is to feed the attendees. We host an opening reception with food and wine on opening night. We provide fruit and breakfast snacks as well as coffee throughout the 4-day festival in the Hospitality Room. I also invite the local restaurants and hotels to offer specials for our attendees. The day before the Festival, Marlys, the Board Chairperson and I picked up all of the food at Costco, then stopped at the local supermarket to pick up the produce they were donating. In my conversation with the manager, I had explained that we have about 500 people over the 4 days and that we provide bananas and apples for the early-birders. She said she’d take care of it and have something ready for us to pick up. Marlys and I were standing in the produce section, waiting for the...
Jan14
Posted on Jan 14 by Ruth Davis
I used to think that, in order to work with clients, I had to live in a big city and work one-on-one. I used to think I couldn’t be an author because I loathed the idea that I would have to fly city to city for book tours. I used to think I couldn’t drive across the country without a traveling partner. For more than a year after I lost my dog Laddy, I didn’t think I’d ever get another one. These limiting beliefs kept me stuck. They prevented me from doing what I love. As I recognized and challenged and, ultimately let go of these beliefs, I opened up to other ways, and new possibilities appeared. And now, I have published my first book and my new-to-me 7 year old dog Cody and I are going on a solo Road Tour in my motorhome, at my own pace, in great comfort. Never in my wildest dreams…. Sure I have moments when I wonder how I’m going to pull this off, and how will I be able...
Jan07
Posted on Jan 7 by Ruth Davis
Every year I choose a single word as a compass, a guide, a solid reminder of what I want to manifest for myself. The word serves as a touchstone for me as I make choices through the year. I post the word in my bathroom and acknowledge it daily, asking myself “how can I be that today?” The first year I chose the word BE. Because I was always planning, dreaming and imagining the future, I was rarely present where I was. BE-ing was very uncomfortable. It made me slow down and experience where I was, not where I wanted to be NEXT. It made me sit still and feel my emotions. I began a yoga practice and discovered that the simple act of breathing can calm me and bring me back to the here and now. The next year my word was VULNERABILITY. I wanted to let go of control and open to things that I didn’t have the answers to. I was ready to feel what was uncomfortable and go even deeper. I had so many opportunities...
Dec31
Posted on Dec 31 by Ruth Davis
It’s the last Saturday of the year and it is such a blessing to be here. It’s cold and crisp, and then the sun rises over the hills and everything warms up. The hills all around me are bursting with so much green from the big rains we’ve had and the beach sand has shifted from the very high tides. Cody and I walk on the beach at least once every day, sometimes twice if we can time it with the tides. At high tide there is very little walkable sand. These pictures were taken yesterday at low tide on our beach. It is officially Estero Bay, at the north the end of the six miles of sandy coastline that connects Morro Bay to Cayucos. Most of the time Cody and I are the only ones here. I’ve seen warblers hopping on the sea kelp and a kingfisher regularly perches on the rocks above the surf. There are lots of shorebirds and gulls and vultures and a variety of hawks that sit on the telephone poles along the street just above...
