I have a morning practice of walking the Los Poblanos fields in center Albuquerque. In the fall, sandhill cranes and Canadian geese migrate and spend part of the winter rummaging the field. As summer comes, the acequia irrigation ditch fills up and bullfrogs croak and egrets and mallards swim in the flooded fields. The Sandia mountains are to the east and the volcanoes and hot air balloon splatter in the sky to the west. The vast brilliance of this landscape is magical and always helps me cultivate my perspective. So today, I share little snapshots from the field.

Best Day Ever
A boy, probably about 10 years old, holds the leash of a yellow lab and he is with a girl slightly older him. It is before 7 am.
“Is school out,” I ask.
“Yeah, best day ever,” he says.
I gaze at the enormous cottonwood tree and across the fields to the crisp New Mexico blue sky. Yeah, I agree, best day ever.

Church
The field calls in a plethora of regulars, people who walk most days. Betsy, a short blond with a powerful smile, oozes positivity.
“Another glorious day,” I say.
“Yeah, this place is like my church,” she says.
I can’t help but smile as I keep walking.

Blessings
“It’s a beautiful day,” I say to a man jogging by.
“You too, he says.
I realized he thought I said ‘have a beautiful day.’ And I wonder, why not tell people to have a beautiful day. In Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he suggests that when we meet someone, we should offer them a blessing.
I am weaving it in to all my encounters in the field and on the ditch.
“Have a beautiful day.”

Life and Death
“Did you hear that Kathy died?” a regular field walker asks me.
“But she was so healthy and vibrant,” I say.
“I know,” he said.
I think about her, walk-running the fields most days. She lived in the nearby neighborhood since 1970 and she and her husband ran a construction business. She was white-haired and always called me girl.
“Hey girl,” I think, almost hearing her voice. I send out prayers to her family and her spirit.

We have little control of so many things. But we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude and face each day like ‘the best day ever.’ We can choose to find places that help us connect to our deepest sense of awe, may it be on a hiking trail or under our favorite tree or in a certain creative practice – making our spiritual connection a priority. We can choose how to serve others and add light to the world by blessing each person we encounter. Because ultimately this life is so short, we may choose to live knowing we will die and juice every moment as if it is our last. Blessings dear ones! May this day amaze you.