Living in the Bay Area of California has to be the second greatest gift life can offer, the first is life itself, day to day. Saturday (Jan 21) a day predicted to be cloudy with a chance of rain ended up being sunny in Napa Valley.
One of many life's indulgence is a trek one and a half hour north to taste vino. Today sparkling wines called to me. In part my friend who drove and I both enjoy champagne. Mustard flowers were beginning to blossom by the road side, surrounding hills sent grass shoots made them hills appear less blond, a hawk perched itself on a signposts looking for its prey in the field.
A picnic basket with salad, apples, flour less chocolate cake prepared by Tom were our accompaniment to the Chandon tasting as we sat on the patio, listening to the oak leaves rustling with the wind, looking at Magritte styled clouds, while the sun bathe warmth on a winter day.
Living life as it is: tasting at Mumm Napa and discovering the value of magnum bottled wines --softening the fruit, the acidity, and the carbon dioxide combo after nearly 7 years in the bottle fermenting. How delightful. Sometimes life can not be better met than to toast it with new discovery.
Monday MLK Day was a day for quite reflection and setting out a plan for work life in the coming year. I did not underestimate the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful and wealthiest areas in the world. Part of the blessings we enjoy in the region, better than average brain trust, a knack for risk taking and higher than average wages to go with our sky high living standards. As to the day itself, I stand proud to be an affirmative action baby and by product of good ole California public education (at a time when the state was known nationally as having the best post secondary public institutions).
To digress, California is now perhaps recognize as being in the penitentiary business, let us accept your poor, hungry, and marginally employable. Allow us to corral them into correctional facilities, where we call the question, is correction a benevolent term.
What can one do to mark the day of continued struggle for equality, just society, and democracy? Take a breath, be reminded of the accomplishments of immigrants of color like many peers and mentors, accept -- not complacently, struggle continues. For those of us in the educated middle class, or the white collar itinerant class -- less we be placated by our seeming material wealth, we seek each other and support one another bring others up as we climb.
A day in the country, breath taking topography in the winter light, shaded by the coming full moon, one can breath for a moment and move forward to take the next small step if awakened the next day.
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