Grand Canyon

October 27, 2016

Continuing on our roadtrip across Southwest America, we stopped in Flagstaff, AZ for a few nights and explored the surrounding area. The most obvious attraction to visit was the Grand Canyon - one of the world's most awe-inspiring natural sights. Although we only dedicated one day to this Wonder of the World, it would be time well-spent to return and explore it at leisure.

Words cannot do the Grand Canyon justice, nor can my photos, but I do hope they can nudge you to plan a trip for yourself, stand at the rim of magnitude, and allow yourself to be filled with awe.

Petrified Forest National Park

October 21, 2016

In late August, I road tripped across the desert with my parents and 1-year old boy. Coming off a spiritual high from time in Albuquerque, New Mexico for The Living School through the Center for Action and Contemplation, a road trip quickly reminded me how far I have to travel on my own inner journey. But that aside, we packed up the rental car and made our way to California for a family wedding.

We had a week open to explore, so we took it slow and enjoyed the incredible geography of the region. After sitting through incredible spiritual teachings the week before, the geography of the desert was a welcomed landscape. Each stop, and even the drives in between, provided plenty of opportunities for wonder and amazement. My mind was stretched each day as I stared at marvels beyond my comprehension.

Our first stop was the Petrified Forest National Park, where the Arizona desert is at its most spectacular. We drove through the park and stood over the painted desert - a wild expanse of color juxtaposed against the endless blue sky - and we touched stones that used to stand as trees in a tropical forest with the dinosaurs roaming among them. With wonder as a cherished feeling, this is a place that filled me.

A space for the special

September 28, 2016

I've never been a fan of living in the city, so Eric and I have tried to make our home into a bit of a sanctuary, even if we only get a quarter of an acre to work with. We use the little space we have to retreat from the Kampala crazy and I like to pretend our home is a cottage in the middle of a tropical jungle. With this in mind, and through the inspiration of Swahili chic decor, we combined form and function on the roof of our staff quarters to make a jungalow rooftop lounge, complete with a view of a tiny slice of Lake Victoria.

We had to work around our water tank, but we still managed to make a space that we use for the Special. This year, we've used this small, calming space to host friends for sundowners or brunch, to throw a birthing blessingway, and mostly for my morning yoga and contemplation. With a child in the house, it's a treat to step away, even if it is in the back yard, to re-fuel for a bit. It's a simple set-up, but it's much-loved. This space for the special brings sunbirds who drink water from the vine's flowers and lets me watch the hawks and ibis as they glide into the treetops at my height.

Hope to host you here soon. It will be special to have you.

Belgrade, Serbia

August 18, 2016

During our time in Kosovo, the organizers of the conference we attended made arrangements for our group to travel to Serbia for a day. We boarded a small bus and drove around through Macedonia, avoiding the Kosovo-Serbia border, knowing the Serbs would not let us in from Kosovo. Still, we were refused entry into Serbia at first, but we were lucky to have a Serbian friend who had arranged some important meetings for our group and talked the border guards into letting us through.

We arrived in Belgrade just before the sun set and we whisked off to a tour of the Church of Saint Sava. We were privileged to have a tour of the crypt, which is not open to the public and whose walls are adorned lavishly in hand-painted frescos and 24-carat gold.

The next morning was blur of inspirational meetings. We started with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament - a man with a clear passion for his country and for reconciliation, then we met Vuc Drašković - a peacemaker, revolutionary, and an author who is referred to as "the Nelson Mandela of Serbia. I really enjoyed our time with him and felt so honored to hear some thoughts from a man with much wisdom. Lastly, we visited the Royal Palace of Serbia and met Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine of Serbia who works tirelessly in several philanthropic causes, particularly for children, along with her husband, the Royal Prince.

We re-boarded the bus less than 24 hours after our arrival in Belgrade to head back to Kosovo with our heads spinning from the experiences packed into such a short period of time.

Renewing the sense of wonder

August 14, 2016

I've recently been reading a couple of books about how to share nature with children and they have made me realize how I've been a bit starved myself of the wonder Mother Nature instills in me. I notice in myself the desire to be WOWed by Nature. I want her to show me something great and new, something spectacular; I'm like a child who clings to her mother claiming she's bored and demands to be entertained even though I'm surrounded by toys. Maybe reading these books has simply brought out the child within.

Last night I lay in my hammock gazing up at the sky, hoping to see the Perseid meteor shower, but to no avail - likely due to Kampala's light pollution. I wasn't shown the spectacle I wanted, but soon, the waxing moon and the few stars that shown through became enough and that wonder began to return.

Today, I turned my attention to the backyard. I took my camera to test out some macro lens extenders and soon became engulfed in common nature - the colors of leaves, the texture of a mushroom, bugs piddling about. And soon the common didn't feel so common anymore. I watched ants in a twig carry eggs back and forth and a bug that I had never seen before landed on my shoulder. I spotted a small spiders web and then noticed its owner tucked under a blade of grass, waiting for the right visitor.

From the great cosmos to life in the backyard, my sense of wonder has been renewed in the last 24 hours - not because I was shown anything new and incredible, but because, as Aldous Huxley reminds us, "discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."