happiness

Let me talk for a moment about how much I love the above photograph. It was taken on Saturday, September 3 on Mt Hood. More specifically, it was taken at Timberline. By Amy Siwik.

On the morning of September 3, I woke up at 6:30am. I hadn't slept well the night before and I had to teach yoga at 7. It was going to be a gorgeous day, so I woke Amy up with a phone call just a little after 8:00 and told her to get ready because we were going hiking. Amy is fairly new to Oregon and had never been to Mt Hood, but she loves to hike. This day was so great. My perfect kind of day. We went to Hood River first, listening to great music all along the way. Breakfasted at Doppio's on their patio, did a little window shopping, then drove "the back way" up the mountain. I call it the back way because, well from Portland it is the back way. We hiked Tamanawas Falls and had a great time. She hikes like I do- maniacally and loving every minute of it. Bouncing from place to place, running up hills, stopping for yoga breaks. Her happiness is infectious, and I enjoy being around people like that.

I had to pee for the whole four miles. I kept looking for places off the trail, no luck. I tried to used a port-a-potty at the beginning/end of the trail, it was too gross. In the car we ate peanut butter/jelly/banana (PBJB!) sandwiches and blasted Nine Inch Nails. Oh yes, my soul is smiling. The sky was bright blue, the trees were a deep shade of green and the white caps of snow made the drive perfect and beautiful. Except that I still had to pee. By the time we got to Timberline I was about to explode. If you know me, you know that I drink a lot of water and therefore need to pee frequently. Over share? Sorry. We played around at Timberline for a while, that's where we realized that we were totally cooked. A four mile hike, plus an uphill jaunt at Timberline was enough to do us in. We stopped to take some yoga pictures. This is one of them.

I love everything about this photo. The look on my face. The blue sky. The chair lift in the background. The tip-top of the mountain behind me. The tree stump I'm standing on. Everything. This photo embodies happiness, peace, love and serenity for me.

Some days are just perfect. This was definitely one of them! Yoga in the morning, outdoor breakfast at my favorite place, gorgeous hike, mountain yoga- what could be better for me? I can honestly say- NOTHING!

It is my wish and hope that everyone can find something, at some point in their life, that nourishes their soul the way that everything about this photo nourishes mine. Something that is just for them and no one else.