quests & journeys

It's just the imprint of a shoe's heel in the sandy soil near the path I've been walking almost every day until my back started hurting. The last time I walked it felt like there should be an ocean nearby, the wind was warm and it sounded similar to surf (why does everything remind me of something else?). The swirls in this imprint resemble archetypal designs that show up in so many cultures and with so many meanings. I really don't know what meaning this shoe sole has for me.

It's spring down here in Albuquerque. Very dry though, just like the rest of the state, perhaps worse than in Taos. Water levels are critical in the southern part of the state. The wind blows soil and grit around and it feels very desert-like. I don't know if snow melt has begun in Taos. I'll miss the sound of the rushing rivers when it does begin. I heard it snowed the other day.

And, of course, Albuquerque is a high desert.

the journey
We spend our weekdays going from one radiation treatment to another, chemo, blood work. It's the same each day, but is hardly routine. I am simply the driver and companion, Ron has to endure it all and it gets worse each week as side effects have begun to kick in. But I remind him, once you make the decision to live, you have to go through hell to get there. It's like the obstacles in stories and fairy tales: the three-headed monster, Scylla and Charybdis, Harry Potter's horcruxes, even Dorothy trying to get to Oz and home again (mythical and fictional quests help keep things in perspective). One step at a time, one day at a time. Sometimes, one hour at a time. It is a worthy quest and the difficulties only make the outcome more compelling.

This desert is beautiful once one gets past the six lanes of traffic and the congestion. At least the place we are staying is sheltered from city noises. And, hey, as I've said before, this ain't New York City! It's generally quieter and slower and easier to drive (in spite of several lefts when I should have made rights. We are each on our journeys and sometimes mine gets derailed temporarily. 

Note: I've tried to write and send posts at least three times recently but the wi-fi connection where I'm staying is unreliable and cuts out just when I'm ready to hit send. So, for all of you who regularly read this blog, thanks for hanging in there with me.