Good therapy

Wow. Lots of have happened since we last chatted.

Last week, I made a presentation at "Magic and Meaning," an international conference held in Henderson, Nevada (gateway to Las Vegas) under the auspices of the McBride Magic and Mystery School. Participants came from as far away as Scotland, France, and the Netherlands. The photo below features me (on the right) waiting "on deck," as I'm being introduced.

The "Magic and Meaning" conference is something I look forward to for an entire year. It is immensely restorative. And fun. It was full of life-changing moments, often catalyzed by a single sentence.

As to my presentation, and my participation in the conference and related symposium activities, I was very pleased... I managed to hold my current "gotta sleep NOW" phase at bay for two of the three days. The third day, I had to give in a bit to the fatigue—which, alas, has revisited itself upon me since my return home... but still, I made it through the conference. Even made it to a couple of evening events. Which  also, in their own way, offered life-changing moments. Sometimes, a moment of perfect beauty, in a magician's performance... sometimes, the words of a friend... and sometimes an amazing moment, revealed by the turn of a single card.

In summary, my days at the conference... A triumph.

Also while I was there, we took a trip to the mountains just north of Vegas. You'd never expect to find something like this near Las Vegas or the Nevada desert, but it's there. And it's wonderful.

Being in nature is immeasurably therapeutic. There's a difference between "being outside" and "being in nature." Just plain "outside" is nice, yes, and often quite salubrious, but there's nothing like actual nature. I felt... nourished. Restored. Spiritually. Energetically. Yeah, I had to still use the walker or sit in, or be pushed in, the walker in "transport chair" mode. I didn't care. None of that mattered. Just being in nature was wonderful. Is wonderful.

And I recommend that to any, all, my dear readers. Go into nature. Breathe the air. Listen to what it says to you. Listen with your heart. Even if all you do is sit there and breathe... do it. It's very, very, good therapy.

And no side effects!

Except, of course, renewal.