By Tommy Acosta
(March 13, 2021)
As I turned right heading North on S.R. 89A the other day, head wrapped in gloom thinking about all the deaths and setbacks we have suffered last year and this year in Sedona, my thoughts stopped cold.
What stopped them was the stunning view before me of the red rocks, crowned that day by the most magnificent blue sky ever.
It was so blue that even Picasso could not have captured it. It was so blue, that the first blues song ever written had to have been written under such a canopy. Bluer than the earth as seen from the moon.
The colors on the red rocks were so vivid they registered deeper than sight. I felt them. The red, the orange, sunlight suffused in a symphony of hues and shadows, such was the beauty of that vision an overwhelming sense of gratitude surged through me for being alive to witness such a sight.
Still in that altered state of awareness where my thoughts seemed to be standing still, the perception of the businesses on each side of the corridor came in. Again, this intense feeling of gratitude for living in Sedona, so magnificently framed by those ever-present red rocks, poured through.
Then my thoughts came back. But they were not, of gloom. They were of appreciation for the magic of the city I call home and of the people who live here.
The faces of those I know here in Sedona began popping up one after the other in my mind and with each recollection I felt gratitude.
The beauty of Sedona is not just it’s mountains and skies but the people who live here.
So many of us are still here breathing happiness, sharing love and wisdom with others.
Those who preceded us into the next adventure are gone from this plane but those of us who knew and cherished those who passed, are still alive.
How wonderful is that!
We remain alive to cherish the memories of those who passed.
We are still here writing, painting, singing, playing music, meditating, hiking, climbing and enjoying our lives to the fullest.
We have our friends, our partners and associates, and they have us. We have our restaurants and favorite places to hang or go meditate, ride a bike or take a glorious nap. We have a bounty of blessings to choose from.
Each Sedona soul is like an individual facet of a cosmic diamond. We shine uniquely but we also shine together. For me, every person I’ve met in Sedona since I moved here 13 years ago is an exquisite and unique character.
We carry ourselves differently than those who are not from around here. I could spot a local in a second.
Maybe it’s the vortex’s that so many of us believe in. We are immersed in this energy field and as a result, it helps us to be more of who we really are. Anything is possible in Sedona.
It’s time to shirk off the gloom. I know I’ve had enough. I’ve seen the light. The light is Sedona.
Look around and ask what we can do to make ourselves or someone else feel great today. Let’s revel in who we are and what we still have and make Sedona happy again!
7 Comments
Tommy, thanks for writing this and sharing your poetic wisdom with us. You’re right, let’s make Sedona happy again. Forget the doom and gloom, embrace everybody including the visitors packing the Trail head and the roads. We will find a way to manage this challenge.
Let’s embrace everybody even if we don’t agree on how to make Sedona happy again, or even Arizona or America happy again. We are blessed to live here, and it makes no sense to see the negative about anything when there’s so much positive around us. We do live in paradise, and Tommy you described it. Red rocks and blue sky’s are our Daily greeting. 🙂
TOMMY & AL, YOU BOTH PUT IT SO WELL. THANK YOU. YES, I COMPLAIN OF MY MOST RECENT 29 YEARS OF WATCHING SEDONA BLOOM. TOO MANY THIS, AND TOO MUCH OF THAT. EVEN HAS NOW EFFECTED MY INTERNET SPEED DUE TO THE VOLUME OF 100’S OF HIKERS & DRIVES PAST MY HOUSE A DAY! IT’S BEEN CRAZY. BUT STILL, WE ALL ARE SO LUCKY AND BLESSED TO BE HERE. HAPPY “IDES OF MARCH” RED ROCKERS!
What a spectacular mindset to focus on! Sedona is our happy place. We are all lucky to live here and witness the daily inspiration of the red rock’s natural beauty that continues to spark our imaginations. We have a lot to be happy about. Thanks, Tommy!
Amen, brother!!!
Love this piece Tommy. Thank you. A positive mindset and love in our hearts for where we are and all those around us is the only thing that can make things better.
OK OK this is it… my home town Sedona AZ… 25 years later… WE still hike … and enjoy our View of Thunder Mt,,, Blessings to all beings …that call Sedona Home…. hugs Libs
tommy just sent an email to your newspapers email ..trying to contact you .. today my son Justin was reminiscing about the musical fun times you had together and said he wanted to reach out to you …..if there is a way he can contact you please email me at jbiaggi826@gmail.com
i wish i could say things are the same here in the Bronx but as you are well aware New York has gone through some serious crises. I wonder if it will ever return. We can always live in hope..in the meantime send the information to my email and i will pass it on to Justin who now has his hands full as a new father.