Early evening of Day 3. Halloween 2009.

Location: The red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.

Red Rocks of Sedona

Sedona, I have missed you! My mom, sister and I came here years ago and always talked about going back. My mom told us if she ever disappeared or ran away one day, Sedona would be the place to find her.

Our tour guide then (who had a secret crush on my mom ha ha) told us the best time to come to Sedona is October. Well here I am in Sedona on the very last day of October. The sky is a rich blue, the weather perfect, the air crisp, and the rock formations and soil as red as I remembered them. Sedona is a place that’s incredible at any time of the year.

“Legend” has it that Sedona brings energy to those who visit it. How? The town has areas of “energy vortexes” where subtle amounts of swirling energy will flow inside of you. You can believe it or not, and my skeptical side isn’t sure if I believe wholly in this idea either. BUT, I could honestly say I got a sudden burst of energy when I arrived in Sedona this afternoon. Realistically, I’d say it’s from the sudden change from highway to breathtaking scenery. But hey, you never know. Maybe I drove through an energy vortex. =P

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona

Now, before I left Sedona, there was one stop I HAD to make — and you must too if you ever visit here. That stop is the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This chapel is perched high on an elevated set of red rocks, surrounded by the most spectacular views of greater Sedona.

Something about sitting in this church just made me whip out my Moleskin notebook and start writing a novel. See, I’m pretty sure the majority of our world’s population suffers from ADD, myself included. And there is never a place where I can just sit in stillness without feeling the need to check my blackberries (yes I have two), twirl my hair, people watch, eavesdrop on conversations, check CNN, think about the next thing I have to do and how I’m going to do it, etc. — no place that is but this chapel (and a few other churches and temples).

I sat and prayed in the chapel for a very, very long time (didn’t keep track of time so just take it for what it is). Something about church – and just about any religious establishment – just clears my mind and lets me find myself again. There are no distractions, no outside influences, no worries, no hate, no toxicity. It’s your time to connect with God (or whoever, whatever you believe in) again. Hey, I’m open.

Stillness has now become a ”waste of time,” which I find very unfortunate. We constantly feel the need to do, to move, to talk, to plan, to succeed, to make money. Our bodies have developed this habit of tensing up and not taking moments to breathe; trying to get so many things done and ultimately only reacting to people, machines and plans; and not acting on our own instincts. Silence freaks us out and causes us to reach for the phone, or turn to facebook, in order to connect with someone — anyone – just so we don’t feel alone. We’ve become robots that rely less and less on human interaction and more on technology. People meet and flirt virtually now and don’t quite know how to handle themselves when they’re out in the “real” world. More and more people would sleep with their blackberries and laptops rather than another person.  No wonder we’re all either depressed or just content, and never really fulfilled. Our lives are losing meaning and we are constantly reaching for the wrong antidote.

Inside the Chapel

Society makes fun of people who take comfort in recharging alone on a Friday night. We laugh at those who are openly deep, passionate and spiritual. We call them boring and no fun. Why talk about real issues and be the debbie downer to a conversation? Yet the ones laughing are usually the same people who come back and say yoga and meditation have changed their lives, and are the those people who cry during movies like The Pursuit of Happiness, Life is Beautiful and I am Sam.

I think we all just want to be happy and fulfilled but I very rarely find people who are nowadays. Especially people in their 20′s and even early 30′s. They are freakin lost and hopeless, probably because they’re used to having their lives planned out for them, and they grew up with all this technology in their backyards. After schooling, they realize the world is a lot bigger than they thought, and a lot harder to tackle than their elementary, high schools and colleges were. There are now too many options (i.e. should we follow our realist or idealist goals?), and no one to help them steer. Or there are just too many voices telling them what to do, who knows. I know I’m one who needs to learn to tune those voices out and figure out what I want, not try to do what they want.

People always say I’m old school and ask me why a 23-year-old girl like me (who still gets carded for lottery tickets and has the voice of a 12-year-old) acts like she’s 35. I honestly don’t know. I actually think I can act like total child sometimes. But they make a valid point. I mean, I haven’t turned on a TV for weeks and no, I am not suffering from any withdrawal. I know nothing about pop culture. I prefer anything print over Web. I’d rather talk about world issues than boys and parties. I despise the iPhone. I love snail mail. You get the jist.

I know most of you still can’t figure out why a young girl like me wanted to drive cross country alone for 12 days.  But trust me, I’ll be just fine. I really needed this trip, and I am using it as preparation for the day I fly to Africa on a whim. Maybe then I will write my first novel.

But anyway, please don’t worry. I am having a blast. My adrenaline’s pumping and it’s nice to have some adventure again in my life. It’s also super nice to have time to write again (and to find topics I’m passionate enough to write about). I actually think everyone should go on a trip alone at least once before they die. You really learn a lot about yourself.

I guess something about Sedona really did open up my spiritual side. I wonder if New Orleans will have a similar effect. ha ha ha.

Anyway, I am headed to New Mexico today. Farewell serene little town of Sedona! Thanks for all the insight and the ENERGY (ooh lala). Until next time.

-Angie

P.S. My highlight CDs today were Keri’s, Paul’s and Justin’s. Keri wrote me a poem to go along with the songs (another kudos for creativity and effort). Paul’s CDs were just amazing and perfect for the road. And Justin wins the award for best variety. He actually labeled his CDs based on mood — so there would be a set of “Relax” CDs and “Energy” CDs. I don’t believe anyone made classical piano CDs… which is too bad! I will have to plug my iPod in for that one.