Field Trips and Tourist Season

This past weekend Bob and I played "tourist" in Flagstaff. We did some of the things people do when they come to town for a short visit. We went to Arizona Snowbowl on Saturday and rode the ski lift up and down the mountain, taking lots of pictures along the way. Since it was warmer than usual in town that day, the trip up the mountain was a welcome respite from the heat.
The view from the top are phenomenal! On a clear day you can see the Grand Canyon, but on Saturday there was a wild fire and the smoke obscured the view in that area. There were other things to see, though, and I have included lots of photos. As you can see, the sky was blue, the forest was green and the air was clean!
Sunday I went on a "field trip" with Jamie. We went to Lowell Observatory for the night displays, and looked through the telescopes, listened to the lectures, watched the presentations and played with the interactive displays. It really felt like she and I were on a field trip with just the two of us, and it was fun!
One of the things that made this visit so memorable were the enthusiastic staff members. Most of them appeared to be students who had a passion for astronomy, which they demonstrated by sharing their knowledge of the night skies. They explained things in layman's terms making it easy for us to understand and process.
This little trip opened my eyes again to the importance of passion in your life. Passion for what you do to make your world special to you; passion for your calling, passion for your purpose in life, passion for your friends and family. I know that pursuing that which makes your heart sing is what will provide joy. I also know that it's not always possible to "do what you love or love what you do", as the shirt (Life is Good) says, but you can hold a tiny piece of your passion close to your heart and take it out when you need it most. Sometimes the memory will be sufficient to get you through your day.
It's been said many times that if you believe it to be possible, it is. I know this to be true. I dreamed often and constantly of leaving the city for the summer. I believe that dream that I often "took out when I needed it most" coupled with synchronicity helped make my being in Flagstaff this summer a reality. My passion for art, life and love has been reignited!