Originally, we had planned to use this day to explore the canyon, but everyone said we should take in Sedona…so we did.
Our good friends, Chuck and Pat, suggested we enjoyed the excellent cuisine of a McDonald’s breakfast. Yes, Becky got a delicious Egg McMuffin and I had what I thought was going to be an Egg, Sausage and Cheese Biscuit, but as fate would have it, there was no sausage. It was bacon. Rather than mess with it, I settled for bacon. Ah, the fine cuisine of McDonald’s. We will eat elsewhere tomorrow morning.
Instead of visiting the Canyon again, we decided to travel to Sedona on the advice of our waiter from the night before. Sedona, our waiter told us, is a place where old hippies live, a Mecca for new age spiritualists and a playground for the very rich. Maybe we are old hippies, but we don’t fall into the other two categories, or at least I don’t. Becky seems to be more fascinated with new age spirituality and while I think there is something to the ancient practices of reflexology and nontraditional medical practices like meditation and acupuncture, I find it difficult to imagine that a rock or a pyramid crystal has healing powers. There are vortexes there as well. These are supposed to be magical places of healing power. Millions of people journey to vortexes each year in hope of finding a healing presence for their pained souls. Many are disappointed. Many find these sites are extraordinarily beautiful places in which to meditate. Others are taken back by their beauty. It is not up to me to say if they found the healing they sought, but when I asked one couple if they found the place to be “spiritual,” they replied that they enjoyed the spot, but did not find anything special about it although they took the time to meditate. Outside the beauty and serenity of the place, they said, it was nothing special.
As I said, these places are beautiful and as is the case when we stand in the presence of nature’s beauty, there is a type of spirituality present if we quiet our souls and simply listen. We have been blessed to experience these places throughout our trip. Do they bring healing? Yes and no. I am still plagued by the same physical ailments I started with, but they do sooth the soul. Stress is one of the leading causes of disease and death in our country. Being able to quiet oneself and take in what nature has to offer is something all of us need to do more often and if we do, we may find a healing of sorts. Our soul strengthens in the presence of nature’s beauty as we realize there is more to existence than our hectic lives; we are not the center of the universe and to act as if we are, is to put us out of sync with nature and the space it provides us. Sedona, with its dedication to spirituality and healing, graces us with the grandeur of nature, and in that vein, it is a place of healing.
We enjoyed driving and walking around Sedona and while Becky enjoyed the shops, I enjoyed watching people. There is something there for everyone. I definitely recommend a visit to Sedona and if you go, I think you may find healing there.
The drive to Sedona took us through a beautiful, windy canyon road bordered by thick forest and high cliffs. It is an intense drive and quite a trip. While Becky drove , I took a movie of part of the drive and will post it as soon as I have it ready. It was a great trip. We got back about 7:30 p.m., enjoyed a soak in the hot tub and retired to our room for a good nights sleep. On day 8, we will head to Las Vegas.
