Well, we're back under another hot spell, but I'm trying to enjoy the long weekend as much as possible, especially after another rather "toxic" week.

Friday evening and Saturday morning, I felt the tug of needing to do something creative. So I loaded the Holgas (they're cameras...I'll explain more fully later for the non-photo geeks out there) and headed for the water's edge. Of course, I had piddled about too long Friday evening and was losing light quickly. However the walk was worth it because the view of the sun setting behind San Francisco was just gorgeous!

I've had some specific shots in mind that I wanted to get along the Bay, so I was up early (for me...on a weekend) Saturday for another walk along the shoreline. At 8:30 a.m. it was already getting quite warm out there, but around 9:00 a.m. a breeze started to kick up, nice and gentle, just to keep things cool.

So, coffee in hand (yes, I'm back drinking it again...but I can quit anytime I want to), and the Bag Of Holgas draped over my shoulder, I wandered along the shoreline path and got the shots I had been wanting to try.

Then it was time for the Real Therapy. Off came the sandals for a barefoot walk in the sand and, since I was wearing the capri-length jeans, an ankle-deep wade in the water. The sun was just high enough in the sky to be warm without being oppressive, the sand was firm, with just enough give for a satisfying squish between my toes, and the water was cool but not cold, just like the breeze. It was a perfect moment where I felt God and the Great Mother and I just needed to stop and take in the experience.

Standing in the Bay, I could feel the water draw in and out in tune with my breathing. Each exhale carried the toxins I had built up away from my body and out to sea, replacing them with energising waves and cleansing lungfuls of sea air.

It's amazing how being in the environment I'm supposed to be in, and doing the work that I'm supposed to be doing filled me with so much positive energy and gave me life again!

That's why it is important that I have a written record of yesterday (along with the photographic evidence, once the films get developed): So that I don't lose track of who I am, what I'm meant to be doing, and where I'm supposed to be doing it. Because, when I lose track of any or all of these things, I shut down and become bitter. And I so want to be the funny, warm, creative, thoughtful and open person (with a hint of the Gleefully Evil) that I've tried to be for 39 years.