On the Road Again

So, after spending many pleasant afternoons in Our Special Spot in early July, the time came to hit the road again. This time, Swede's father, Woody, would be joining us.

Woody has never seen the Redwoods, and this would be his first chance to drive up the California Coastal Highway. Set to Depart on a Tuesday, we drove two hours West and were nearing the edge of the Salt Flats in Utah, when Swede's Dad pulled off the highway (Zabrina and I had a car to ourselves and were following the boys).

Swede had forgotten his guitar?!@#

They could go back to get it and Zabrina and I could drive on slowly without them, and pull off the road somewhere to wait for them, was the plan Swede came up with in an effort to inconvenience us the least. It didn't sound safe to me- I would rather return with them and stay together. The decision was to turn around and go back to Orem, and leave early in the morning.

This purpose was a little far removed from the limited life experience of Wyatt and Zabrina, who cried passionately, begging to ride with me, to keep driving, to keep moving, ensuring that Dad and Woody would meet up with us soon. Of course, I would not give in and ensured them that our detour had a purpose we may never understand.

I explained to Zabrina, in an attempt to make sense of her sniffles and tears that this would not be the last time in her life that she had made such great progress, only to have to turn around and go back, to start all over. It happens to the best of us! The lesson: pay attention.

Back in Orem, we sat out on the deck and enjoyed the evening breeze, and then we watched "1 Giant Leap," one of my favorite movies, a wisdom series on various subjects like spirituality, death, sex, etc., with World Music as a guide. Yes, we were up until about 3am- but, still ready to travel at 7am!

























It felt good to pass the marker where we had turned around the night before. It felt like we were finally flowing again.

























We ventured merrily into the desert, where we unexpectedly encountered the smoke of the Southwest Wildfires eerily surrounding our path. We had seen it on the news the night before, and now we turned on the AM radio to listen to what was happening all around us. It didn't take long before we saw the fire ourselves, blackening what little vegetation the desert had to offer.














The fires had crossed over the highway during the night, and there was a certainty that the reason Swede had forgotten his guitar was to avoid this natural disaster and the inconveniences and possible dangers associated with it.

















Zabrina and I traveled alone together, following the boys, amazed by the power of fire. I was inspired to teach her the Gayatri mantra:

oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
tát savitúr váren_iyaṃ
bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
dhíyo yó naḥ prachodáyāt

which roughly translates,

O God, Thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme, sin destroying light; may Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.



















The Milford Flat fire, pictured above, which consumed over 363,000 acres (about the size of Los Angeles), was the largest wildfire in Utah's history.

There is a story of Hatsumi that Swede tells often. A student approached Hatsumi and asked what he would do if he were tied up, had a gun pointed at his head in point range, while being carried up a mountain in a wheel barrel. Hatsumi replied, "I would not show up in the first place."























This philosophy was imparted to me by my father, John Hart. When I was a girl, my father informed me as to the dangers of the world, and he advised that I prevent myself from winding up in a situation where anyone or anything had the opportunity to inflict harm upon me. For this reason, I use my sixth sense to sniff out any possibility of danger, and walk the path furthest from it.

On the rare occasions that I have been hurt, I can honestly say that I was not honoring the advice my father had given. But, when I said no to Wyatt and Zabrina's pleas to continue through the desert that night, it was obvious to me that my father was guiding me.














So, this takes me back to 1 Giant Leap. We returned to Orem, UT, just in time to watch the last FREE showing of it on Direct TV. Since Swede and I were so excited about it, the kids questioned the validity of it (you know how parents can be). But, the kids really enjoyed it, and we had some extremely intellectual discussions based on the content.

But, now I can look back and see even more purpose. This story has led me to talk about my father, to express my appreciation to him. And as I search for images on the web, I am brought to the words of a song from 1 Giant Leap by Maxi Jazz and Robby Williams called "My Culture":

When I look back over the years
At the things that brought tears to my eyes
Papa said we have to be wise to live long lives

This is what my Daddy told me
I wished he would hold me
A little more than he did
But he taught me my culture
And how to live positive
I never wanna shame
The blood in my veins and bring pain
To my sweet grandfather’s face, in his resting place
I make haste to learn and not waste
Everything my forefathers earned in tears

For my culture

This is just an excerpt, all the words can be read at: http://www.geekroar.com/leopoldo/2004/02/06/lyrics-my-culture-by-1-giant-leap/

and you can even watch the video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiwW7E800hk

HAPPY 55th BIRTHDAY, DAD!