Everywhere Is The Park

I’ve come a long way from where I was a year ago and I know I’m nowhere near where I’m going to be, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve made it. I hadn’t had a car in almost a year and I was okay with that. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford one as much as it was a matter of not really thinking I needed one. I came and went as I pleased and found myself wherever the winds of change happened to take me. This was odd for me because from early on in life I had had this fantastic fascination with cars and always kept one or two in my driveway. If I’m being honest, this was the first time since I was 16 that I hadn’t owned a car. In January of last year my current partner and I went to Puerto Rico for two weeks to meditate. We spent 14 amazing days on the luscious beaches with our feet in the sand and our heads in the clouds. 14 days engulfed in pure peace in paradise, free from the chaos of everyday life. It wasn’t too long after our return home, that I found myself longing to be back on Puerto Rico’s magical beaches. One warm summer night we sat beneath the stars in the parking lot of our favorite park, laid back in his Tahoe smoking some really potent reefer, talking about life, when I voiced my desire to return to our blissful spot in the sand. This was the night he introduced me to the idea that “everywhere was the park”. He quieted my anxious mind and explained how we didn’t have to go back there because we had already been and we would always have those beautiful memories, therefor we could be there anytime we wanted. He passed the perfectly pearled blunt to me and calmly directed me to just breathe. We meditated together in silence for the next several minutes. He coached me to remember the way the air smelled, how the salt from the ocean revived my sun-kissed skin, the way I felt and the way the city looked from the roof top of our hotel. I inhaled a few times before feeling my body relax. When I breathed in again and closed my eyes I could see the city and the beach. I could see him standing next to me as we looked out over the water from our favorite spot. I could feel the warmth of the Puerto Rican air on my skin. I could smell the salt in the air and I was once again intoxicated by the energy of it all. It was as exhilarating as it was on our first night there. The night we found our spot. I drank the memory all the way in imagining that I could be there forever. When my conscious mind came back down to Earth some part of me braced for disappointment but it didn’t come. I remember feeling so content in that moment. I said “I like this place pretty well too”, to which he replied “everywhere is the park dear.” I have revisited that night many times in my mind. Able to view it almost as an inception movie. I can feel the love and energies of both places as if they were one and It always gives me peace of mind.

I purchased a car the other day. Its a two door coupe with leather heated seats and a moon roof. I still didn’t need the car but wanted it. I wanted it because I wanted the serenity and safety….I wanted the space it would give me. I wanted it to be my cozy corner in the universe, the way his Tahoe was for so many awesome nights. I wanted a place for my memories and thoughts, reflections and meditations to take place. Often now when the moon comes out, I go to my car and crank it up. I turn on the heat in the seats on cold winter nights. I play some chill step music at a delightful volume. I spark a blunt, I breathe and I let it all go. On clear nights I watch the stars through the moon roof and disappear into the vastness of existence. I love everything about this space and how I feel when I’m in it. It brings me constant joy. I can vibe in my own energy or have someone special share the space with me. Many exquisite conversations will be had in this space. So my cozy corner is in the cockpit of my car. It may not seem fantastic to you, but with the correct combination of music, heat and herbs this is where my mind vibes. This is where “everywhere is the park”.