Sign of spring

All week I had been thinking about getting outside over the weekend. I pondered going to Boulder or Fort Collins to walk around, or to Chatfield with the dogs, or someplace that would allow me to soak up some vitamin D. Mid-week I realized what I would do. I met some past work friends one night for dinner and one of them was telling me about a mutual friend that I lost contact with. Her name is Negar and I always enjoyed her company. Life got in the way, Mike got sick and so she and I lost touch. I found out that she has MS and is now in a wheelchair. When I got home, I called Negar, hoping the number I had was correct. We talked for a while, and I asked what she was doing Sunday. She said she would be home, and I asked if I could visit her. She lives in Evergreen and I thought this would be a perfect way for me to spend a beautiful day.

I had no idea that not only would I be benefitting from some sun and mountain air but that I would also be benefitting from the wisdom that Negar has cultivated during this journey of hers. She is indeed wheelchair bound, but she drives this little scooter around that isn't as bulky as a wheelchair. She eats super healthy, almost raw foods so she made me a fruit smoothie. She also had me try cashew cream-a recipe of half a bag of cashews, the juice of one lemon, and two or three tablespoons of agave. It all goes in the blender and out comes this cream that tastes like something eaten in heaven.

We sat on her back porch with beautiful views and we talked. We laughed, we cried, and I didn't leave until 4 hours later. Negar has come to such peace with her situation. She told me something profound. She said, "I look at life like an experiment. If something isn't working out, I will tell myself to try something different. What if it works? It is worth the try." We talked a lot about the good that comes out of the bad. She said she is a deeper more spiritual person now because, well, she has no choice. She can't go out and about like she used to; she can't drive so she has to rely on other people. So she sits, she reads, she meditates, she eats well, and has an amazing caregiver that she calls her soul sister. All of this with a backdrop of evergreen trees and mountaintops.

I needed this dose of Negar today. I took a brave step to call her, after it being so long. And it was like no time passed, or maybe that time passed with both of us becoming deeper people. To top it off, it was the first day of spring. I am hoping for this to be a sign of a good year to come.