The Many Layers of Friendship

Today was a day of rest in Avalon. The mystical name is a perfect representation of this magical place. The town is tucked into a protective cove with steep hillsides rising up all around it. Beautiful, bright bungalows crawl one above another all clamoring for their view of the clear waters of the Pacific. Hundreds of boats are neatly arranged on their moorings, and the town's few city streets are filled with happy people soaking in the rays of a warm July sun.

So many people enjoy being here in a place that does not hold many, that when Jerry and I called yesterday morning to get a couple of hotel rooms for two nights we found that everything was booked right up. The only thing we found available were two places that had one room for only one night at the bargain rates of $359 and $270 a night. Ouch! Well those were not options for me and they would not have worked anyway being that they were only for one night.

We were running out of options but Jerry put his bargaining prowess to work and when he called about the tenth place they said that they only had one room left (it was at a much better rate than the other places). Then Jerry asked them if they were sure that they did not have another room. Nope, no other room. Do you think Jerry let it go at that point? Nope. He asked one more time, "Are you sure?" The guy said, "Hold on...", and when he came back, what do you know... they had another room!!!

When we arrived it turns out that they had a room that had just gone through a deep cleaning (do I want to know why??? No. :) and the floors were still wet and there was no furniture at all in the room! By 7pm they had it all put together for me and I have a cozy little place to lay my head at night even if the carpets are still damp from the shampooing. :)

Today as I walked around I thought of all the blessings in my life. I laid down in the warm sand with the shadows of palms trees slowly moving across my body as the earth rotated around its axis and the sun slid westward. I swam in the cool waters of the Pacific and I marveled at the conversations that were transpiring all around me. As I walked around near the famous Avalon Casino (think James Bond style casino, not Las Vegas) I saw that there was a place renting snorkeling and scuba equipment. Since I left my scuba certification at home I thought it would be fun just to grab a snorkel, mask, and fins and cruise around the kelp beds for a while. When I asked, the guy told me that they were already closed-out for the day and that I would have to wait for tomorrow. There was a girl standing nearby and she spoke up, "Hey, you can use my mask and fins!" So cool!! Her name was Brandi and she was just waiting for her cousin Jeremy to finish up with his scuba dive. She watched my bag as I jumped in the water for 20 min or so. It was perfect. When I got back I chatted with her and her cousin for a while. They were both really great people. A true act of kindness and a great example of the beginnings of friendship.

Jerry and I are building a friendship that is deepening everyday. We are very different people: different in age, different in lifestyle, different in the way in which we approach the world. However, we both have one powerful thing in common that is rare to find: we want to be better people. We are both willing to stretch ourselves and that willingness can only result in growth. Thank you Jerry.

My wife Amy is my best friend in the world. The two of us have build our relationship on the qualities that I just described but with the depth that can only be found in your most intimate companion. 14 years of challenge, love, pain, reflection have lead us both to examine our most essential selves and grow anew. She is my clearest mirror and in her I can see the way to the person that I want to be. Thank you Amy. "So close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep." http://poemless.eatingchaos.com/pn11.htm

I think of the students in the the New Jersey Scholars Program whom Amy is teaching every day this month while I am away on this trip. They were almost all new faces to me just weeks ago but then I was able to speak with them about my 40 day solo backpacking trip this past fall in the mountains of northern Idaho. In our time together my story melded with their's and already the dreams of our futures are forever intertwined. For them: they have responded to me with statements of inspiration and new understandings of exploring the unknown. For me: they laugh and learn and love in the presence of Amy and therefore the other half of me. Blessings to you NJSP.

The intangible qualities of FaceBook kept me away for a long time. That, coupled with the intensity and time commitment of being a faculty member at Lawrenceville (www.lawrenceville.org), left no room for more digital engagement. However, now that I have stepped down from the faculty, room has been created for me to use this new tool in my life. I am now 5 days into the experience and I can say that I am completely dumbfounded at the joy I feel from getting quick notes of love and support and the ability to lay eyes on friends' faces (and their new families) that I have not seen in decades. It is a wonderful blessing.

Finally, I want to say to all of you that are reading this blog and following the daily updates that I feel we are building a relationship. You are starting to know me. Maybe you have known me a little bit here or a little bit there or maybe we have never met. But, now you are starting to see inside of me; the things that I think about, the way that I process, and what I am looking towards. I welcome you on this journey with me. We are going to keep having a great time looking around the next bend or over the next cloud together and building upon our layers of friendship.

Tomorrow: We leave in the morning for Yosemite and then we are off to San Fransisco via Half Moon Bay...