I just had a good friend, Carol, over for the weekend. It was so nice to have an old friend come visit. I enjoy being a local tour guide. I took her on a local hike/bike ride. We also went swimming at a nearby lake.

I feel so fortunate to be able to have access to these things. Back in South Texas, nature is different, less bountiful. 97% of the land has been developed there. There’s just miles of urban development, parking lots, strip malls, gated communities. It’s impossible to find a lake/river to go swimming at. It’s a travesty really, not having easy access to bountiful nature.
After I dropped Carol off at the airport, I spent sometime at a local Columbus park/ area. Really cool discoveries. I found an abandoned car wash turned into a plant library and public art space! AMAZING!!

I’m coming to the end of my stay in Ohio.
My birthday was good. Although much less social than past years. I spent my birthday juice fasting. I decided to do a 5-day fast, an undertaking I hadn’t attempted before. It was easy up until day 5. I got myself into some trouble because I juiced some broccoli. Big mistake. I had the worst stomach ache the next day. Up to that point I had been contemplating doing a 30 day juice fast, but after this terrible stomach ache, I decided to just end it after the five days as planned.
Chichi decided to join me for a portion of the fast. This is him half way through the first day.
I went back to the valley for my mom’s birthday the next month. That was a nice visit. Pleasant. It was nice to reconnect with the family. I feel like my time spent back with the family when I am visiting there, is more valuable than the time spent with them when I’m actually living down there. I feel like they respect me more because they know that I am there for a shorter amount of time (perhaps just my projection). In general I find that people, including myself, place higher value on time when there is a definitive end in site.
I once heard that things have value because they have an expiration date. I think this is true.

I continue to explore the area with Chichi.

And for the children …