JoAnn Saccato

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10/23/2019

Treasures from the John Muir Trail (Pt. 2)

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Picture
Lembert Dome at Tuolumne Meadows. Yosemite National Park. July, 2018.
I pulled into the familiar bustling village at Tuolomne Meadows. Here, tourists and backpackers of all levels converge to take advantage of the camping, park information, day hikes, store, grill and post office. It's a popular resupply spot for hikers on the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.  I grabbed a fifty-fifty softie ice cream cone and chatted with some hikers at the picnic tables under the tall conifers outside the grill. The day was spectacular--crisp and clear--but a young woman cautioned of the upcoming cold spell due that night that was to last for three days. As I headed out, I verified the expected temperatures with the weather report posted on the message board--lows in the mid to low twenties. Hmmm, last year I was there in July and hadn't really thought about the potential difference in the season.

After I picked up my back country permit, I took a leisurely walk around the flat meadows. I witnessed a large hawk on the ground near the creek bed tearing at the flesh of a small critter. I'm always conflicted when I see a feast --I'm sad for the critter but happy for those that get the meal. It's always a good reminder of the interconnectedness of everything.

I perused the store for any last minute items I could have forgotten or not known were even in existence, as is my wont, and headed up to the backpacker's campground. I loved this campground, as right next to it was the amphitheater where nightly ranger led programs around a big fire pit came to life. I was thoroughly impressed with last year's programs--I didn't recall being as fascinated when I was young, and certainly hadn't noticed that the rangers were deep ecologists. Had they changed or had I? Or both?

I'm appreciative of the fact that backpackers can camp the night before their wilderness permit starts so we can get a fresh start on our journey. It's also a great opportunity to make sure we have all the equipment we need and to test whether it's in good working order. Being in the back country is not the best time to discover that your stove or water purifier isn't working properly.

I pitched my tent and stashed unneeded supplies and equipment in the car. At least I thought they were unneeded for the night. I hadn't prepared for super cold weather--my gear was rated for three seasons--so I rifled through the car and found a bulky pair of wool gloves/mittens and grabbed my jammies I used at the Airbnb the night before. They were way too heavy to take with me on the hike--my pack was weighing in at about 36 pounds--but I'd at least have extra warmth and comfort for the first night.

After the engaging and entertaining campfire program that included poetry and song, I tucked myself in for the night. Clothed only in my base layers with a scarf  around my neck, I climbed into my 30+ year old down sleeping bag. The bag was rated to 30 degrees, so I felt pretty confident I would stay warm through the night. Rarely do I have to 'mummy it up.' In fact I mostly use it as a blanket and sometimes in the wee hours of the morning I'll need to zip it up.


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3/17/2018

Seeds of Humility from Thailand (Part II)

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Picture
Traffic in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Taking up from Part I, if the good we do in this life can be given, or dedicated, to others, what happens when you live in a culture where everyone is working toward least harm and the greater good of all? What happens when everyone comes together in their community for the the very best of not only themselves, but everyone around them?

I witness this in Thailand not in overly overt ways, but see it built into the very fabric of life. It's seamlessly invisible until you tease apart patterns and behaviors.


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1/13/2018

Reflections from Asia (Part II)

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Picture
Grounds of Sankampaeng Hot Springs, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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Instructions for boiling eggs in thermal pool water. Sankampaeng Hot Springs, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
(Asia, like most everywhere, is a mixed bag--there is much to love juxtaposed with challenging to meet circumstances and conditions. This is the second part in the series of reflections from travel to Myanmar and Thailand in December, 2016 through January 2017.)


Hot springs and massage are a way of life. I've yet to experience anything that takes stress out of my body quicker than soaking in the hotest pool at a mineral bath. It is the closest thing to magic I've encountered in my 50+ years. I still believe that the hot shower is humanity's greatest invention.



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7/2/2017

The Spaces In Between

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Picture
Wild lily, Tahoe National Forest, June 2017. (JoAnn Saccato)
I've recently started including the awareness of spaces in between objects as part of the centering exercise I do with clients and students. As we look at objects with a curious attention--seeing them as if for the first time through the eyes of a child--they have a tendency to come alive in a new way. A fresh crispness is experienced when our pure attention is focused.

I'm noticing that clarity to be even more pronounced when I focus on the spaces in between objects. Their three dimensional nature becomes more apparent, but something else quite fascinating happens, too.

There is a visceral connection with the object as I become aware of the spaces in between. A deeper realization that I am a part of a bigger something eventually emerges. There's a direct experience of just being an extension of the object--the object and I are one and there is no space in between.
I'm not sure any of this can make sense through the written word...These concepts are so big, that I question even writing about them...
I'm not sure any of this can make sense through the written word, but it seems to come into play with an experience I had that helped me see there is not only no space in between objects, but no time of past, present or future either. These concepts are so big, that I question even writing about them--particularly for a public audience, as they may make no sense at all. It may be one of those things that has to be experienced directly to be fully understood.

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1/8/2017

Reflections from Asia (Pt. I) 

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Picture
Sunset at Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Bangkok, Thailand.
Picture
The trail to the Tham Khao Makaeo cave on Koh Lanta Yai.
Traveling in Asia feeds my heart in so many ways, yet equally confounds my mind in just as many ways. I have a deep affinity for so much of the culture--and yes, some of those things that drive my mind wild. Refreshingly different things juxtaposed with heart wrentching incongruencies has kept me pondering this trip, I thought I'd share a few of them here:
  • Seemingly outrageous and chaotic traffic. This took some time to understand. While it seems chaotic and out of control, really, people and drivers are far more courteous,  inclusive and cooperative. There seems to be an attitude of "we're all in this together trying to live our lives and reach our destination. I want you to be safe and happy, too." This makes sense in a predominently Buddhist region given that keeping others' happiness in our hearts and minds is a Buddhist tenet-- we all want happiness and here we take the time to help others be happy. We've heard of some hairy accidents, but for the volume of traffic, they seem relatively small in comparison. I recently rented a scooter for a few days on the island of Koh Lanta. Learning how to drive on the left side of the road is challenging enough, but merging traffic, blurred and ignored divider lines, and roads needing repair kept me mindful and in the moment!
  • Things are not perfect nor perfectly safe. Jim and I were not the only ones that found this refreshing. While in general, safety and boundaries can actually increase our ability to be more creative and fulfilled (we're not having to struggle with our basic needs), some cultures have regulated moment-by-moment living out of life through excessive concern with safety and boundaries. Our trek to the Tham Khao Makaeo cave on Koh Lanta brought this foremost in our minds. What we thought was going to be a simple, overpriced tourist trap walk into an open crevice in a mountainside turned into a three-hour exhilarating trek...
Can life be perfectly safe? What gets lost when we try to make it so?

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  • Home
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