Reflections in Juneau
By the time I recognize this moment, it will already be gone...
Yet, I’ll bend the light, pretend it somehow lingered on. All I’ve got is this fleeting sense of now.
Swimming with the Sharks?
I’m not swimming with the sharks of New York City; instead, I keep company with the glaciers in Juneau. The cold, the rain, and these glaciers have a way of stripping me bare, taking away every bit of my digital conceit and reducing my narcissism to nothing. My analog eyes don’t see this digital world. Internet or InterNOT? Traveling to places without electricity isn't about discovery—it's a ritual of reassurance. The wilderness is therapy, and God's only voice is nature: Mother Nature, unconditional and indiscriminate, showing love to anyone who arrives.
This is my second week here, under the influence of this slow-moving river of ice. It creeps its way into the bay, breaking off chunks of ice the size of SUVs. Dylan's "Quinn the Eskimo" captures the spirit of the Inside Passage.
Traveling: A Life Sentence
Traveling is like a life sentence. We yearn for journeys the way prisoners dream of rooms without bars. We all want time off for good behavior, which we get in places like this.
Worry and Calm
I worry, my thoughts as heavy as my body.
I worry, tossing my fears to the wind.
But this morning, there's a calm I can’t explain.
The rock candy has melted, leaving only diamonds behind.
There’s no such thing as good weather here—only good clothing.
“I find myself surrounded by people who love the rain, laughing about it as if it’s an old friend. This, I think, is what happiness looks like.”
Rain and Smiles
Locals, some soaked to the skin, others poets who dance in the rain, hoping for a lightning strike. Chaplin loved walking in the rain because nobody could see his tears. I don't cry like he did, for what’s over. Instead, I smile like the Big Kahuna—because it happened.
Living a Pure Life
To live a pure, unselfish life, one must claim nothing as one's own, even amidst abundance.
Carpe Diem in Juneau
Carpe Diem—the fish of the day in Juneau: Enlightened Land.
Speechless
A marvel of nature, the Juneau Icefield lies 2,000 feet above historic downtown. Spanning 1,500 square miles, it's the fifth-largest icefield in North America. Stretching from Taku Inlet to Skagway, it’s the birthplace of 38 major glaciers, including Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier. About 3,000 years old, the icefield is in a constant state of renewal and retreat, dependent on the year's snowfall.
When Captain Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon, described his emotional response to the Juneau Icefield, he recalled NASA’s lunar training near here. They chose the icefield because its vast beauty and harshness captured the emotional sensations of walking on the moon. After seeing it, you’d agree.
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