santa barbara
there was a time when i considered a personal retreat to be quite a luxury. but i have since discovered a well-kept secret that i can not help but share (and honor on a regular basis): solitude and silence awaken an internal awareness that abolishes external longings. occasionally removing myself from the all-too-familiar territory i call home for a few days does wonders for me on so many levels.
i drove up to santa barbara (a place i fall deeper in love with every time i visit) last week to spend some time in nature and reconnect with the soft-spoken voice inside that so often gets drowned out by all the noise in the world around me. after a few days alone and an abundance of quietude, my senses catapult to new heights, my mind clears, my heart opens, my ego diminishes and my energy awakens. these subtle transformations shift my perspective and encourage a deeper awareness that breathes vitality into my life, where colors appear brighter, faces (both familiar and unfamiliar) become more beautiful, relationships deepen, intentions return to purity and truth rises up out of the darkness.
