Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA. Johnna and I stayed there to celebrate the beginning of our 17th year of marriage. It’s a picturesque, little fishing town about half way in between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Morro Bay was ‘founded’ by the Spaniards almost 500 years ago. (And even more shocking…before the Spaniards found it, it was there...) I didn’t even know it existed until this last week. How is it that a place so interesting can be unknown? There must be hundreds and thousands of those kinds of places around the world. Places that have history, character and beauty and yet I have no idea they exist. I’m always in my ‘corner’ of the world. How is that similar to our lives? How may great truths exist that we’re not aware of because we don’t ‘get out’ enough…? We stay in the same ‘corners’ emotionally, creatively or spiritually. New stuff is right around the bend but fear or boredom or anxiety or lack of adventure… keeps us from experiencing it. Looking at the absolute art of nature this week reminded me of something C.S. Lewis said about art, “When we sit down before a picture... the fist demand is surrender… look… listen… receive.” In other words we cannot receive whatever it is the artist has for us unless we are willing to surrender our own preconceived ideas. Or… we cannot ‘see’ whatever it is that the artist ‘sees’ unless we are willing to surrender our own interpretation of what the art should look like. I’m pretty convinced this is the reason some people really don’t ‘get’ art. They are afraid to break open fences allowing new landscapes to be visible. They are convinced that if they can define it (and not the artist) that it will be better for them and everyone else. And then, when they can’t define it, they say it’s stupid! By the way the way I’m writing here sounds kinda snobby as if I always ‘get’ it. But, of course, I don’t... because I don’t ‘get out’ enough… peace, j