I have been a little down in the dumps lately because summer is coming to an end and I dread it when the days start getting shorter. I was able to go to Chicago in June, but for the most part, I have stayed in Santa Monica this summer and for someone who loves to travel as much as I do, I would really love to go somewhere exciting. Unless I get free airfare, a comped luxury hotel room, and a generous expense account, I won't be going anywhere outside of Southern California this summer.
I was starting to feel sorry for myself, which is a luxury I cannot afford at this time, when I realized that I live in one of the most popular tourist spots in the US. Everywhere I look, I see and hear people from other countries enjoying all the things I so often take for granted. Half a block from my house is the infamous Palisades Park which is bordered by Ocean Avenue to the East, and the bluff overlooking the beach to the West. It runs 1.6 miles along the ocean, and I try to walk the length every day, twice if I get up early enough.
This is a little peace of heaven where the ocean is on the horizon, the weather is permanently air conditioned and people are constantly walking, jogging, exercising, riding bicycles, taking dogs for a walk, doing yoga, or for the very ambitious, working out at a boot camp.
There are benches everywhere and lately I have been sitting with my notebook, either sketching or writing and enjoying the peaceful place that I allow myself to visit. There are always so many people around, including an occasional homeless person asleep on the grass, but you always feel a sense of peace, gazing out at the ocean.
As you stroll along, you can see Santa Monica Pier and the ferris wheel in the background, boats sailing in the bay, Malibu in the distance, people playing chess, having picnics at the many tables, an occasional birthday party and a sporatic whiff of medical marijuana. People watching is a kick, but dog watching is far more fun, and the dogs are cuter.
How could you not love this park? I have made a promise to myself that I will walk it every day but more important, I will sit and meditate for at least 15 minutes to the best of my ability. After seeing Eat Pray Love, I have decided that I too, am going to pursue the meditation. Unlike Liz Gilbert, I don't have to go to India, but can do it in my own back yard.
