You got to leave your mind open to discover

What a day, what a trip, what a journey. Life is good. So good. Amazing what some time away does for the soul.

I decided to give this calling home schtick one last try this morning as I walked along the upper terrace looking at the reflection of the sunrise. Aaahhhh. It ends up I'll continue calling home - the latest report was more positive than the first two. I told C that if I'd gotten another bummer of a phone report I was seriously considering not checking in again. He said he didn't blame me. What a great guy. Just love him.

This morning, Journey Girl (my hostess and great bud) and I headed out around 9 a.m. to have breakfast with my buddy, Soul Friend, who happened to be in town. We went to Jeanine's - great lil' spot in Montecito. Pretty upscale part of town but a pretty laid back kinda haunt. Good stuff. Ends up Montecito is the place where Oprah, Kenny Loggins, and Rob Lowe have houses. Low income housing kinda deal, you know. Montecito is probably where they do their slummin. Yeah, right.

Breakfast was a great deal - I think we spent about 2 hours at Jeanine's. Some of Soul Friend's buddies came along and we ended up breakfasting and hanging with them too. Then his little brother, Funky Youngest Child, showed up and we had a great time talking with him. It was really fun to watch the sibling interaction thing...cracked me up.

After breakfast/brunch, SF and I went for a walk. I treasure the times when SF and I can steal away some time for conversation. He's one of those friends who just gets me and it's a mutual deal - no pretenses, no explaining, just real and honest talk that is so true that it doesn't even feel as vulnerable as it really is. Our conversation offered a bit of honest pushing toward discovery, a listening that hears both what is said and unsaid, a sharing of struggles and joys, and a few wise insights about it all. As we were talking and walking, I pondered the stories in The Book of Acts where the teacher is the student and the student is the teacher. All lines are blurred, words are spoken and heard, synergy reigns, and collaborative insights emerge. What more can we ask for in life than a friend who simply gets who we are and takes us with our foibles and faults, shortcomings and strengths? Someone once described these types of friendships as Soul Friends - an interesting term meaning someone through whom the Holy Spirit whispers, prods, sustains, and upholds.

Laughing with friends old and new, walking along the Montecito burro, leaving your mind open to discover and ponder - yep, that's good stuff.