We decided to hop in the car and take a little day trip to the Mogollon Rim in Arizona (See? It is green in Arizona) and just hang out with nature. There were three of us…..boyfriend, dog, and me… supplied with water, Raw chocolate brownies, green smoothies, bananas and doggie cookies. Yes, an unusual mix for our day’s food I suppose, but we decided this trip last minute and took what was on hand. The day promised big fun and happiness as we drove, my dog’s head hanging out of the window loving every minute of “bye-bye car.”
As we drove to Payson, AZ (Rim Country – founded in 1882 with an elevation of 5,000 feet), we wondered about the relative environmental impact our little day trip had. We try to live environmentally-friendly lives. We realized we were using gas with our automobile, but that we pretty much closed up home for the day (turned air conditioning down, powered off computers, and reduced our electricity usage in general). It’s times like this I wish I had access to Master Google by “crossing my arms in front of me, blinking my eyes, and giving a nod with my head” like Jeannie does in I Dream of Jeannie…but, we didn’t. Nevertheless, I found a resource in one of the magazines I was flipping through on our drive and learned about a place to rent environmentally friendly cars (primarily in the West). Check it out here. Maybe we can do that next time and make our trip even more green.
That’s my dog with me looking out over the Rim. At that very moment, I was thinking about something I read recently, “When the pond is still, the reflection is clear. When the MIND is still, the reflection of life is clear. Reflection brings CLARITY.” When I’m surrounded by such awe-inspiring nature like this, my mind stills itself as things fluidly come into perspective for me. There’s a calm energy that is inspiring, yet relaxing, and I want to bottle it up and take it home with me. I feel refreshed, relaxed, at peace, and happy…I need to do this more often.
