Half Moon Bay Walk #8 Lainey

As I probably have mentioned a few times now on my blog, I have been REALLY tired the past few months. It makes sense with all the traveling I am doing. Over the past three years, I have been making a slow transition from binge eating and drinking to eating right and in moderation. For the most part that has meant feeling a LOT better! But it seems that underneath all that bad behavior was some imbalances in my body. Things I now have to deal with cause I can't hide behind french fries as the reason I am feeling off. So I am taking lots of vitamins and getting lots of sleep. I tell you this cause I woke up, again, pretty tired for my walk with Lainey. It also feels that with each walk I am hesitant and a bit scared to go….even now after some 55 walks!

Luckily, all those feelings go once the great walk arrives. Let me tell you something, not so secret, Lainey is a great person. I am pretty sure that Lainey had not a clue that we would be holding hands on this walk. :) But she just said "Ok." And we started down the road. we negotiated what hand and she told me where she would like to start. Lainey is someone that has the most self possession of anyone I know. What does that mean you may ask? She holds herself with real true belief in herself. It isn't snobby. It isn't fake. She just really is calm and who she is. I don't know how old she is. But she has earned the right to believe in herself and she carries it magnificently. She isn't closed off at all. She doesn't throw herself at you in need. She is balanced and I find that miraculous. Truly. I guess it won't be a surprise that Lainey is balanced in her interests as she is in her person. She is an amazing blend of scientific knowledge and artistic knowledge. She can tell you about chemical elements and she will wonder over painting techniques. After a life of having to choose which side I am on….arts or sciences, her blend is refreshing. I spoke to her of my desire to learn about physical therapy and to her there was no hesitation to encourage me within that.

Lainey and I walked to the dunes of Kelly Beach. One of my favorite spots in Half Moon Bay. I walk there all the time. And I love it. Truly. The way the green of the plants and the bleached white of the sand make each other look so good. We then walked on the beach. A first for Walk with Me walks, I have avoided making people walk on sand because of the difficulty. But Lainey is fit and welcomed the sand. Actually she guided us there. We spent time watching pelicans. We spent time climbing up the rise of sand between wet and dry sand. About 3/4 of the way back to Poplar Beach Lainey said she would like to sit down. We immediately saw porpoises!!!!!!!!!!! Which no matter how long I have lived outside of Minnesota. I never grow tired of seeing those beauties. So we sat down and had an amazing chat for I think about an hour. About love. Art love. Man love. Society love. Lainey discussed with me on the walk the lenses we can look at our society. Beauty. Truth. and Goodness. What can we do as a culture if we can look through all the lenses at once. it reminds me of working in social practice art. We artists are not just interested in BEAUTY. We are interested in all the lenses working together to create a better reality. A more evolved culture. Wow. Lainey is a smart woman. And she knows chemical elements and what they look like in reality. That is pretty cool.

Our hands were pretty sweaty as we walked. Lainey would hand my hand then loosen her grip and then minutes later tighten her grip. It was very easy to walk with Lainey. Our gaits did not always match but we walked at about the same speed. After we sat on the beach fr so long. I felt like the hand holding part of our journey was over. Our connection was there on the beach. We still chatted away on our way back to the house.

As you can tell Lainey and I are very similar characters. We are committed to art. We see how it doesn't fit in so well with the culture we are living in but Lainey believes, and I try to believe, that if we learn how the system works and talk to others, things we want to see done, can be done. Lainey has worked in politics at the grass roots level and she fights hard and with knowledge for the environment and arts that she loves. The most surprising thing that occurred was the ending of our time together. In which Lainey created a song for our hours together! This is why this blew me away….who is open enough, present enough, joyful enough, to break into song? She told me, "Well, there isn't much I control in my life. There are other people and situations that do form my reality. But I can make a song about it. I have the freedom to play with my surroundings." Or something to that effect. WOW! just WOW! That is a great outlook. We/I/You are never going to be able to control everything, or the big things that surround you. But you sure has hell can take what you can control and make something beautiful out of it!

Here are some of the lyrics that Lainey created…which feel like a little life lesson she was telling me:
"It's a matter of fact.
It's a matter of keeping faith.
There is no looking back.
That's a matter of time.
But all you have to do is do it;
All that you can be is
all that you can do and be true to it.
All that you can be is true blue
It's a matter of fact"
She riffed on and it was amazing.

As a side note, I discussed my issues with my adrenals/thyroid and she said that she herself
has suffered with some of those issues. That she had been overweight and then when the issue was found able to deal with it….well if that didn't make me feel a bit better about my own struggles.

An amazing walk. Feel lucky to have walked with such an amazing woman.