#Thankmyluckystars...by Jim Terry

Just the other day I was on one of my hikes after work at Coyote Point Recreation Area. It’s a great area to hike due to the scenery that one can experience whilst taking in nature.  The trail starts out flat but then goes up a bluff so you can get some elevation gain and have more of a bird’s eye view. At the top of the bluff, you can then take in the view. It encompasses the bay water, the city by the bay, the towering eucalyptus trees, and, if nightfall, you can even see some stars. The quiet stillness that is created from a gentle breeze that quietly rustles the leaves in the trees and the reflection of the lights from the city and the bay bridge which echo and flicker upon the water’s surface, brings a sense of peace and tranquility somehow.  It really is something to witness at least once in one’s lifetime.  

As you all know, we just had one of the most “attention-grabbing” presidential elections to date. So after work on November 3rd, not only was I hiking this amazing trail, but I was also trying to read and learn what the results of the election were. Now keep in mind, that it is now about 6 pm as I continued my journey that evening. This means it is totally dark outside and I have a bright screen on my phone. This situation is very similar to when you walk into a dark room and flip the light on. Initially, you are “blinded by the light” and may get vertigo or dizziness for a moment but then, after the fact, you “see stars.”

If I had a crystal ball and could have seen into the future, I would have put my reading about the election on hold that day. As you know and because of the pandemic we are in, we had delayed results anyhow because of all of the mail-in ballots. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Life can change in an instant?” If so, this is exactly what happened to me that night…As I continued to hike and towards the top of the bluff with daunting cliffs just below me, I continued to look down at my screen and then back up again at the blackness that surrounded me. I did this time and time again but on the last occurrence, it created the scenario I spoke of while entering that dark room and flipping the lights on.  Not only did I  “see stars” but it also generated a bit of disorientation for me. With my newfound awkwardness, I then took my next step.  Needless to say, that step was off of the path, which encompassed a very steep embankment where I then lost my footing.

Have you ever rolled a rock down a hill? At first, it starts out a bit slow and then continues to speed up as it continues down that given slope as long as nothing is in its way.  My body and I did not know a fifty-year-old man could recreate this scenario and do this so effortlessly.  After I catapulted myself from the path I was on, I literally sped up as I continued to roll down the hill.  During this incident, I first saw the dirt as I hit the ground…then the towering trees…then the stars in the sky…then the city landscape, and repeat again as I continued rolling down the steep ridge. This “amazing view” I spoke of happened not once, not twice, but five times as I plummeted down the hill.

During my fall, I also witnessed my lit-up phone and water bottle that I was carrying, just like a scene in a movie and what seemed like in slow motion, go flying through the air as they flew from my hand’s grasp. It wasn’t until I hit a big rock that I finally stopped my would be tumbling act, that, unbeknownst to me, I had NOT performed yet…at least proficiently. 

As I got my bearings and stood back up, I first felt some areas of pain. Again fifty-year-old people shouldn’t be rolling down a hill without at least utilizing some protective gear of some sort. I then walked back up to where I thought my phone landed, sat down, and turned on the light so I could observe the biggest source of pain, which was located in my right pinky finger and in my right ribs where the rock stopped my fall.  My ribs bruised a bit in the week to come, but if one was to witness my finger at that time, they would have seen a lot of blood dripping from my hand and noticed that most, if not all of the skin on the knuckle was removed from my most recent mishap. 

As I sat there to take a moment to catch my breath and contemplate what had just happened, a quote or two came to mind. The first one I thought of was, “Forgetting our intentions is the most frequent of all acts of stupidity.”  Did I forget I was there to HIKE and not read news? 

Secondly and probably the more appropriate quote, “sh** for brains,” seemed to more clearly define my performance that night. 😂

You will be happy to know that I completed my hike without further incident. Also if one would have witnessed the completion of that hike, they may have noticed a limp or two and the groans of a humbled old man realizing his stupid mistake. Since that time, my finger and body are doing well and on the mend. I have also purchased my protective gear so the next time I perform, which may be the new and upcoming act for Cirque du Soleil, I should be able to do so without the calamity that turns into a catastrophe.  

So since it is the month of “thanks,” I want to tell you how “thankful” I am for my life, my family, my friends, my health, my job, you (the readers), my everything that I tend to take for granted during my busy life.  So much to be grateful for.

Oh and one more honorable mention to THE ROCK that stopped my fall, I too want to say, “I thank my lucky stars” you were there that night. If one was to measure the position of the rock that stopped my fall, it is literally about twenty feet from the edge of the cliff. If I had continued down the steep grade, I may have fallen an additional fifty to sixty feet over the edge of the cliffs onto the rocky shoreline below. #thankmyluckystars #givethanks #HAPPYTHANKSGIVING

Be safe! Be well! 

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Feeling Small?...by Jim Terry

Boy how time flies, as I am getting older. And with the swiftness of time, as it passes, I sometimes find myself feeling a bit deflated, insignificant, unimportant or small in this big ole world we live in. A minute becomes a second, a month becomes a day and a year becomes a month. As I look back on what I have written in past posts, I have mentioned this before but it really is true that time really does speed up as we age.  Maybe a better outlook, since I am a self-proclaimed optimist, is to say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

So in light of mentioning time and it now being officially September, I wanted to know what last hoorahs or plans you have for the end of the summer (Labor Day) and the beginning days of another school year?   If you don’t have any ideas for that last-minute trip, don’t worry. I have one that may help you make a decision on where to go and what to experience.

Just recently, I found myself in a conversation with one of my patients. Most of my patients know about my love of the outdoors and how much I love to hike, raft and just experience nature. It recenters me and helps give me a bit of focus and peace in the crazy world we live in.  So upon further discussion with this patient, he mentioned an area that I should visit, that was close to work, doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic and is easy to get to. The place he mentioned is called Purisima Creek Redwood Preserve.

Upon entering this serene place away from the hustle and bustle of life, a small squirrel greeted me. This little guy was either welcoming me to his home or was looking for a quick free meal.  I think it was the latter! 😀 Once I passed by my little friend and started my hiking adventure, I had to stop for a minute, close my eyes and take a deep breath. There’s always something so refreshing and energizing about clean mountain air that's laced with pine and freshness isn’t there?  It literally rejuvenates my soul and magically clears my mind somehow.   It was right after that moment, when I reopened my eyes with now more tranquility and clarity in my mind, that I noticed a wall in front of me. It wasn’t a “wall” per say, but it was a wall of green created by some of the biggest trees I have seen to date. 

As I continued on my journey, I began to notice my environment around me.  The impact and quietness of my shoes upon the forest’s floor was gently cushioned with the evergreen leaves that had fallen to the ground. The canopy above me was slowing closing in around me not allowing much light onto the forest floor but provided just enough to generate some of the most beautiful and biggest ferns I have seen. The faint whispering of the wind gently rocking the trees to and fro was only subdued by the distant hoot from the hoot owl waiting for night to fall in order to capture his next meal.  And with the few openings in the canopy above, if there was a ray of light that hit the forest’s floor, it generated one of the most amazing Technicolor hues that anyone could witness.

Now I may be biased now that I have experienced this, but the redwood trees really should be the 8^th wonder of the world. Did you know that redwoods can live over 2,000 years and can be nearly 400 feet tall? Did you also know that they can have branches up to five feet in diameter and bark that grows up to 12 inches thick? 

And do you know or have you seen the pictures of redwood trees that get so big and wide at the base that you can literally drive a car through them? This then means that the average width for a giant redwood tree can be up to 30 feet!

So if by chance you live anywhere near the coast of Oregon or all throughout northern California, make it a priority and see one of the MANY State and National Parks associated with the Redwoods. You certainly will not be disappointed. And if you, like me at times in my life, may be experiencing some sense of “smallness” in the big ole world we live in, maybe it’s time to stand next to a giant.  Where being small is just A-Ok!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

With a recent trip to San Diego within the last year, I had to take a minute and stop when passing a certain landmark.  I was on my way to see Cabrillo National Monument and before arriving there I was taken back by another nationally recognized place known as “Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.”

As I entered the gates of this serene place, I couldn’t help but to think about all the stories I would hear if I were able to speak to the war heroes themselves or the families of the soldiers who had fallen.

“What was their life like? Why did they choose to serve? When did they die and where?” I had to ask myself and then continued…"Whom did they leave behind? What did they witness and experience in order to provide the freedoms we have?”

With row after row, line after line and “V” after “V” witnessed of the perfectly aligned headstones, I found myself contemplating my own life and freedoms I have in this country and why I have them.  My thoughts then wandered to focus on some of my own family who have served in wars past and are currently serving...to friends and their families who have served...to friends of friends and so forth.

So with Memorial Day upon us, make sure to give “THANKS” to those that are serving or have served and remember all those people in your lives who are important and may no longer be here with us. I recently came across a quote that really sums up how we should remember this day..."In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." 
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

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