How Getting Caught Trespassing Can Turn Into Gratitude:

I got caught trespassing last week. One of those awkward moments when one wishes the earth would swallow them up. My two dogs and I were out walking after it had rained. They were ahead of me and Gracie, the smaller, younger and apparently more ferocious, started barking at Mark. He wanted to know who we were as he informed me that he was in fact the landowner. Meanwhile both dogs were growling and barking at him.

One could see why he might get a little grouchy. I was trying everything to gain rapport with my ever so slick deflection skills. Apparently he didn't remember meeting me or the invitation to walk in his avocado grove years ago. He let me know that the entrance would soon be blocked and the likes of me would not be admitted. True to his word, during yesterday's walk the metal fence posts were already cemented in the ground.

This gratitude list is dedicated to this piece of property and the memories I've had walking in the orchard:

I am grateful for discovering a breach in the fence that allowed me to enjoy the many footpaths and trees. It's a magical place with soft colors that light up the hills like a ripe cantaloupe.

I am grateful for the steep incline that leads to the stream. I take the opportunity to stretch my calves and work my abdomen muscles. This has been paved with cement in the last few years making it quite convenient to exercise.

I am grateful for the footbridge that takes me over the stream. I have had many a Huckleberry Finn moment dangling my legs over the side, lost in thought.

I am grateful for the gush and gurgle of the water as it bounces over rocks and falls to the South. My dogs enjoy a respite from the heat of a walk and drink in loud laps and gulps.

I am grateful for the Pepper tree that provides shade and a place of rest.

I am grateful for the plaque nearby that commemorates Mark's mother. I cried in this same place when I lost my foster mother in August of this year. It seemed a perfect place to let her go.

I am grateful for the hillsides that in Spring are filled with pink flowering bushes. I have used them to make flower arrangements as they're a great filler and last forever. He told me what they were once when I mistook them for Heather.

I am grateful to the bees that accompany me when I walk among them. Their droning hum reminds me of staying on task, no matter what. Sometimes I grew frightened when there were so many, but I've never been stung. I'm Queen Be and rule a fantasy empire while walking through my daydreams.

I am grateful for this huge boulder that's nestled on a hill. It has a perfect flat surface that looks like a broken heart. I've stood at the edge with arms reaching out and felt the wind in my face as I soared like the red tail hawks that are all around me. I've laid flat and felt the warmth like a reptilian creature. I've listened to the advice of others as it replays in my head. I will miss that rock. I've had a lot of discoveries there.

I am grateful for the copse of green that produces the fruit of guacamole. I've never picked any from low hanging branches. The woods have been home to many as represented by the caws of crows, the eerie cacophony of bats and the howls of coyotes.

Thank you Mark for giving me this piece of paradise to enjoy for the last 9 years.

Coach Be