Cecile and I began our day with a 7:30 AM walk up and around the top of hillside and down and around the picturesque lake where we live.
Shortly later, I went to Courtside Bay Club, where I was cheerfully greeted front desk staff members, Haley and Greg in their 4th of July flag decorated hair.
I swam and spent several hours relaxing by the pool, doing some contemplative reading, cross-word puzzles and watching an Aqua-Fit class get underway on this mild, sunny, breezy California day.
With all the political rancor, division and negative news from the Cable News outlets bombarding us daily, the 4th of July
was a perfect day to relax, taking time to be with friends and family, being thankful to those who fought for our freedom while remembering those—known and unknown beings—whose freedoms haven’t come so easy.
I walked over from the adult lap and exercise pool to the family pool on the other side of the club, chatted with a friend and sat and watched the overflowing fountain
with the blue umbrella top as seen in the photo. Metaphorically speaking, it reminded me of the mythical “Fountain of Youth,” a spring that restores the youth of anyone who drinks and bathes in its waters. Explorers of old were looking for a physical location written about in fantasy and fables. The metaphor has been lost in translation. It is not a physical place of course, but rather a metaphysical place that when awakened regenerates the physical being while elevating our consciousness. In this case it is a different kind of freedom, one not dependent on circumstances or events happening outside of ourselves.
After taking a late afternoon nap we went to a 4th of July dinner party on the tiled patio of our friend’s Mark and Marleen’s hill-top home that overlooks the Valley. Strategically, it was the perfect place to socialize with friends and witness the colorful fireworks display with friends and our son Jason and Alex. The energetic and patriotic marching music of John Philip Sousa was playing in the backdrop reminding me when Jason and I played the clarinet and saxophone respectively for the Saratoga Community Band back in the day.
On the week of this 4th of July and going forward:
May all Beings be Peaceful
May all Beings be Happy.
May all Beings be Healthy
May all Beings be Safe
May all Beings be Free
