As I traverse this great country on my year's sojourn, a constant is my feel-good morning jaunts to a coffee shop! Where else can one see the world walk by you, one soul at a time, faces speaking of hurry- of wonderment- of concern- of curiosity- of.....JUST GIVE ME MY COFFEE-LIKE NOW!! This ritual in my life has been a nugget of pleasure for quite some time now. There seems to be some anchor that drops to the bottom of my soul upon entering(coffee shops) that is at once satisfying and stimulating. It's probably a bit misleading to say that I'm a coffee guru, because, I never drink coffee!! I am, in fact, a tea conisseour! That said, I admit that for some years I consumed quite a lot of coffee, until.... my inner workings (aka - digestive system) began to complain, thus the tea transition.

Upon arrival in California mid June, when the agapanthus in all their orb-shaped lavender splendor bloom in profusion on the carefully manicured boulevards of Irvine, my tea time is taken at "The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (Company)". This unleaded drinking establishment is to California what Caribou is to Minnesota, a home grown caffeine house to the masses! Though my 'vice' most definitely includes internet time, it is also a time to soak in the aura of local culture. Diversity with a capital "D". Take, for instance, yesterday.. West coast people are not afraid to show their true colors - self expression, a badge of honor worn with pride! Behind my midwest modest glasses perched a bit low on my nose, I lift my eyes every so slightly as each new 'guest' crosses over (from outside to inside where the smells and sounds are of grinding and steam release and air hung heavy with freshly ground beans - an implosion on the senses.) My 'read' of the caffeine-seekers goes like this: late-twenties male-tight jeans-no socks-wrinkled shirt-portfolio under arm-carefully messed-up hair-perhaps a morning to complete a 'design-diddy' for client #277; mid-thirties model-type female-rapunzel-type hair- clingy jersey lounger (really!!!)-lashes that don't quit; mid sixties gent in suit and red tie with black golf-style hat on..backwards!!; and so it goes, a never-ending treat for the senses! Other than my tea-fix, I confess to getting more 'soul-work' done in Starbucks (and all their cousin-shops) than anywhere.

Today is Sunday. I am at Starbucks in Lake Forest, CA. Today's musing: When I was a kid I attended enough revival meetings to keep my little head wondering for years about how many times a person needed to 'get saved' before their place on streets of gold was a guarantee. I remember a lot of talk about souls, mostly 'how many' souls saw the light and embraced it. I think of my soul in different ways these days. I have called my current traveling blog 'Art and Soul Journey'. I have also called it a pilgrimage, because pilgrims, I've read, have purpose. A vacation, it is not; I am not getting away 'from it all', but I AM getting 'into it all'... the stuff that occupies my mind, my self-talk, my very being, my soul. God is found at the center of it all. Without Him, I am nothing. What I do need to do over and over, it seems, is get a new set of directions! Life changes things; some changes are expected, others are big time surprises, thus, 'New directions, please, God-Sir or M'am!'

Today's travel took me south of LA to Lake Forest, home of Saddleback Church, of Rick Warren-notoriety. It was, I must say, a 'soul morning'. God reached down and spoke.. I Iistened. Now, to implement! The preaching series "The Crazymakers in Your Life" (paraphrase!). Primary focus: How and Why, Not to be a People Pleaser. In a nutshell.. the only one a soul should please is... you guessed it.. GOD. FREEDOM!! Now, I suspect I am not the only one that has strived to please people far too often, and, I also suspect I am not the only one who has found courage enough to make decisions reflective of 'who God made me.' Joy comes through God's freedom plan -pleasing an audience of one (The ONE - The great I AM)!

As I sit, once more, in blogging mode, doing more soul-searching, the message I carry with me from this morning will swish around in my thoughts as I spend the next 24 hours visiting: San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Escondido, and Solana Beach. Hopefully a bit of art-time to come. Then its back north to Irvine for 2 more weeks with precious family!

To all you 'pleaser' souls, I wish for you 'new directions' - if required! God has a fresh supply of courage for all seekers!

Into The Wind - Naturegirl