Farewell To Arms
Day Fourteen – March 2, 2010
I departed Palm Springs around 10:00 AM and headed to Joshua Tree National Park. I pulled into the park around 11:00 AM. It was a beautiful, sunny day in the park, and the temperature was around 60 degrees.
As I arrived, I put on a necklace that my friend Deb had gifted me right before I left Portland. The necklace came to her from a shaman in Mexico, and she had asked me to wear it while visiting the desert.
Ten minutes after putting on the necklace, the strangest thing happened. I chipped one of my upper molars while chewing on some trail mix. All I could think about was how I had dental insurance for three and a half years and never had any problems with my teeth. And now that I have no dental insurance, I chipped a tooth that will most definitely need a crown.
Coupled with the unexpected expense of being towed in San Francisco, I felt like I was now forced to make some drastic decision about my journey. I asked myself if I should continue or try to find a job and complete the trip some other time. But then I stopped with the negative thoughts and realized that all these things were happening because of the trip.
After further inspection, I discovered that my tooth hadn’t chipped down to the gum, and it didn’t expose a nerve or leave a sharp edge. I had to be extremely careful from then on, but I was safe for the moment.
My first stop in the park was Cottonwood Spring. After parking my truck, I hiked down to a desert area and discovered massive palm trees growing by a spring in their natural state. The oasis was beautiful and had a very spiritual presence.
After hiking around Cottonwood Spring, I returned to my truck and continued my drive through the park.
Sometime later, I arrived at the Cholla Cactus Garden, which was just as beautiful but in a completely different way. This garden stretched for several acres, and the cacti had this inviting glow. They looked soft and fuzzy from a distance but were extraordinarily prickly and quite dangerous up close.
About thirty minutes later, I reached the western end of the park. That’s when my first Joshua Tree came into view. I parked my truck and ran over to take a photo.
As I was walking away, I looked down and noticed a plant growing in a circle on the desert floor. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it formed a complete circle with a distinct clearing in the center.
I continued my walk back to my truck and came to another Joshua Tree with a nest of clouds resting on top of it. It made for an exciting photo.
I spent the next couple of hours hiking around the park and visiting various campsites, wondering if I should return for a night of camping in the desert. My pass was good for seven days, so it was worth considering. I left the park at about 4:00 PM and drove back to Palm Springs. I had to prepare for my reading with Lee.
Lee and I got together around 7:00 PM. He took me to a nice dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, and then we returned to his house for his reading.
The reading went very well and lasted for a couple of hours. I got clarity on my soul connection with Lee and, in turn, helped him find some direction in his past relationship and his new business. (Complete details of the reading remain confidential.)
After the reading, Lee returned to Sam’s place and dropped me off at the front door. He thanked me for the reading and then handed me twenty-dollar bills. I was extremely grateful. The money could not have come at a better time. Before I went to sleep that night, I said some potent prayers for Lee. I envisioned him surrounded by pure light and unconditional love.