Izumi Tanaka

Every morning before the sun-seeking crowd gets here, there are these trucks that scan the beach to clean and level the sands.  They are a part of the familiar scene I encounter when I I do my morning bike ride.

Wanted to hug a big tree just to feel the warmth of Mother Earth, just to be assured everything is al’right, just to know I’m taken care of….

So far we’ve had three days of glorious sunshine in the morning this week, and the temperature is comfortable enough to ride my bike without a jacket.   And I see “regulars” on the bike path — they are the “characters” in the scene that I would miss if I don’t see them.  As I’m on the path at least three times a week between 7 and 8 in the morning,  I wonder if anyone notice when I’m not there, or everyone is just into their own morning rituals…

As soon as I woke up today and looked out the window, I noticed the sky.   There is a saying in Japanese, 「早起きは３文の得」which is equivalent of “The early bird catches the worm.”  I didn’t particularly gain anything tangible, but I definitely felt lucky to have caught this sight this morning.

While the rest of the world seems to be smothering in heat, it’s been more gray and cool in my neighborhood.  The marine layers stay around throughout most of the days and keeping the temperature unseasonably low. Then we got these glorious sunny morning a few days here and there.  Still, gray or blue, I’m grateful to live here as it is indeed a paradise.

It was just another day at the beach except the dolphins were out there having lots of fun out in the ocean.  Instead of those little fins peeking out of the water surface, I got to see the whole bodies jumping out….  I wish I could go in to swim with them….

Even though it was gloomy this morning as it has been so far most of the summer, the ocean beckoned me. So there I went — riding my bike to the beach to my usual spot in Santa Monica.  When I come to the sea, I am easily convinced of God’s presence.  As of late, I have been pondering a lot on my own understanding or definition of God. As I watch the waves come and go, I am reminded perhaps it doesn’t matter.  All I know is that there’s definitely something greater than I can fathom beyond my capacity to understand and that’s comforting.

The morning was bright after a short downpour yesterday.  As I took a walk in the crisp air, I encountered a whole bunch of these guys crawling all over the side walks.  Suddenly I’m finding myself having compassion for these little slow-moving creatures even though I still can’t touch them.  There’s something rather “zen” about how they are going around in their world.  (I don’t like the frivolous use of the word, “zen” but couldn’t find a better word in this case.)  Please don’t step on them, people!

Snails are out having fun in the rain! Come to think of it, I was terrified of snails when I was a kid. I still couldn’t touch them, but this is probably the closest I got to a snail in my life!

I’m in San Francisco for the day working with my favorite non-profit, California Center for Public Health Advocacy on their 10th anniversary luncheon at Nikko Hotel…