Make Sedona Happy Again

By Tommy Acosta

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 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 I was overwhelmed with gratitude for being being alive to witness such a sight.

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 into my sight. They fit the scene so perfectly. 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 died before us.

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!