What is Life

Whenever I think of San Diego, my mind takes me back to the movie, “Madagascar” from DreamWorks Animation. There is a scene where the characters (who are zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo; New York) are found and awakened on the Madagascar Island and debate about their whereabouts. They come to the conclusion of which they (perceivably) assume that they were relocated to the San Diego Zoo (they weren’t) and Melvin (a giraffe voiced by David Schwimmer) makes a seemingly peculiar remark about the layout of the west coast zoo. He says, “White sandy beaches, cleverly simulated natural environments, wide open enclosures—I’m telling you this could be the San Diego Zoo. Complete with fake rocks”. Perhaps, I find this amusing due to my recollection of viewing the television series “Friends”, of which Schwimmer is a lead character. That, or I just truly enjoy the character of Melvin the Giraffe; could be both. 

Anyways, in the month of July, I had planned extensively on a detailed itinerary for a week-long adventure with my fabulous and beloved son, “Theodore” (Black Labrador-Heeler mix). Together, we would encompass the west coast air and entangle our lives with the people of the Golden State. I had everything marked and set for each morning, midday, afternoon, evening, and night event. It was to be—and I quote, “the perfect trip”. I calculated the time of travel for each location, verified dietary restrictions at specified restaurants, analyzed dog-friendly eateries and events, and studied various hiking trails and weather reports. This was to be the best trip; and it was. But everything I had planned did not follow my itinerary. In fact, everything was a mess. However, I learned a lot from this trip. In fact, there were many life lessons gained from the trip alone. Dare I say it was a spiritual quest that challenged my knowledge and wisdom.

So, the plan was to leave on a Sunday, stay the night in Phoenix with my Brother, head out early and spend some time at Morena Lake, CA for lunch, and eventually make my way to the Airbnb in San Diego, CA. This was simple enough to plan and follow through. But at the time I had recently finished helping out a friend with a running camp during the previous Thursday to Friday, and was quite exhausted. When Sunday came around, I was still packing. Around 4:30 pm in the afternoon, I realized that staying the night in Phoenix would not be an option. Therefore, I decided that I would leave early Monday morning and make the 9+ hour drive all the way to San Diego in one day (plus restroom and nap stops). I made this decision due to already purchasing the Airbnb for Monday through Friday. And I thought, why would I waste a night that I had already paid for? It seemed logical. While that may be so, it was not ideal. The first 5 hours were fun. But after leaving Phoenix, the fatigue set-in and the drive turned into a race to get to San Diego before I wasted a night on the road. And let it be known that I didn’t even get to stop at Morena Lake like I had originally planned. I suppose the life lesson for this part of the trip is to enjoy the little things and experience the journey rather than aim for a perfect destination. We can plan all we want, but often if we let go of control—we can perceive the simplicity of the small moments that entail the grand scheme of life. 

And so, right off the bat, the trip was already not going as planned; but the life lessons had begun. One of the main reasons for this trip was to take my dog to the ocean and forge our bond before we begin our next life chapter living the city-life. I have lived in city apartments years prior, but my son “Theodore” is a rural dog who only spends part time inside my family’s home. And so I figured that staying at an Airbnb, an environment he did not know—would be great training for him as we move into a new home together within the coming months. This part of the trip was probably the only aspect that went as planned. My bond to my Theodore has never been stronger, and I was able to make some amazing memories during this trip. And I was correct, taking him on this trip definitely helped him adjust to city life. In fact, he was always the center of attention. San Diego people absolutely love dogs. No matter where I went, there was always someone walking up to us and petting my Theodore. Everyone complimented his black fur and gentle demeanor. At first, it was nice to see so many people compliment my dog; but by the end of the week, both Theodore and I were completely done with the attention; especially Theodore. When Friday rolled around, the last social place we went to, Theodore didn’t even bother noticing the people attempting to pet him. He zoned out. I didn’t mind the attention at first, but then people started bothering us when we just wanted time alone, or they made remarks about the decisions I made as an owner; like yes, my dog drinks enough water, he’s not overweight, we’re not always in the sun, he sleeps inside, the collar isn’t too tight, he eats enough food, etc. While I admire their attentiveness to dogs, it did get a bit suffocating. Overall, my Theodore was having a blast the whole time.

When Tuesday arrived, Theodore and I decided to sleep-in a few hours and enjoy a slow morning. We explored the neighborhood with a morning walk, made some scrambled eggs, read and wrote, and took in all the morning vibes a regular California resident would experience. When the afternoon came, we decided to pack for an evening at the Beach. We went to none other than Dog Beach! And the name of the beach does not disappoint. There were tons of dogs and their owners! It was actually really cool and a fun experience to enjoy. Personally, I never saw so many different types of breeds in one spot before. Dogs were able to be off-leash and just spend their entire time meeting and sniffing, and playing in the water. Both Theodore and I were completely new to this environment. Theodore didn’t know how to contain his emotions and was just ecstatic for it all. Despite all the excitement, I kept him on his leash for the majority of the time. This was because I felt both him and I had not yet made a special connection with the ocean just yet. I told my Theodore that the ocean is not our friend, it is a living entity that can do as it pleases. The ocean covers about more than 70% of our planet’s surface. There is life that lives inside its body, and it has the power to give and take life at will. To be ignorant and view it as a tool or to take advantage of it for one’s own leisure is both dangerous and foolish. Water is life. Water is sacred. Water has power. This was a good reminder for myself too. Anyways, after having some fun waddling along the shorelines, we took a little nap on the sand and then found our way onto a nice trail along some grassy areas. By the end of the day, we were both covered in sand, smelled like the ocean, a bit sunburnt, but we both had smiles wide enough to reach our ears. Originally, I had planned to eat at a nice seafood restaurant with an outdoor patio along the beach for dinner. But both Theodore and I were done for the day. Instead, we found a delightfully pleasant Taco place called Los Tapatios Mexican Food. As soon as I walked in, I knew the food was going to be good. The music, the decor, the ambience—it all felt right. The cashier was very pleasant and accommodating to helping me select the best tacos and even offered some tasty salsa. I took the food to-go and enjoyed the delicious meal in my room and dozed off into a wonderful sleep. 

Wednesday Morning was completely different. I got out of bed early and began packing for a day hike on the Fortuna Mountain Trail. The goal was to complete the 6 mile loop before midday. But there were a few things that I did not consider or was ill-informed about before beginning our trek. One of which was the weather. Apparently, San Diego’s mornings are covered with a delightful fog that lasts up until around 10:00 am. This is probably something one would only know if they lived in the area or have heard the locals speak about it. In my lack of knowledge, I figured the whole day was to be covered with fog. And so I got lazy and took my time reaching the trail head. We were about an hour and a half into the trail until the fog rolled away and the harsh sun took over. In my arrogance, I told myself and Theodore that we could take on the heat and overcome the terrain. We didn’t. In fact, we came to a really cool steep incline that had built-in steps. I was up for the challenge. However, Theodore was not. Even if we had begun earlier in the day, my Theodore was getting old. Time has passed, and he is not the young energetic dog he once was. Because in years past, he would indeed be that dog who would be willing to sprint up hills, dash across fields, and chase wildlife at any given moment. It was a tough wakeup call for myself and the realization that even time can catch up to the ones we love. After humbling my pride, I took a glance at my aged dog, kissed him on his forehead, and decided not to take on the challenge of the steep hill. We turned around and slowly walked enjoying the scenery. And this was actually good, because we met up with some trail-maintenance workers. We sparked up a great conversation with one of the persons and learned that he also volunteers with a labrador rescue in San Diego. He was especially fond of my Theodore, which he thought was a rescue; I told him that I had Theodore since he was a newborn. He told me stories of the puppies he helped raise at the rescue. He said there was one litter that was given names of birds: hawk, sparrow, blue jay, talon, etc. I do not remember the name of the organization that he helps out with, but I will post a link of another Lab Rescue I found online in the San Diego area; Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue. And that was it for the day. We got back to our Airbnb and took a nice long nap. We cooked some Bratwursts and Cabbages for dinner and watched a nice movie before we went to bed.

Thursday was our last full day in San Diego. A few weeks prior,I had purchased sailing tickets from Next Level Sailing to view whales in the open ocean. What I liked about this event was that dogs were allowed. And let me tell you all, this was the highlight of the trip! Looking back at the day spent at the beach, I realized that while I enjoy the ocean, I do not like the sand. And sailing on the ocean is pretty much sand-less. This was the top-tier method of truly enjoying the ocean. I felt like Captain Jack Sparrow sailing his beloved Black Pearl from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, I even got to witness two blue whales: a mother and her child. And they both dived into the ocean multiple times with their tales flaring out afterwards; a true sight to behold. And we also stumbled across some whale researchers in their boat,  who gave us a mini lesson on whales. I loved every second of this activity. It was a great taste of the open sea. Here is a fun fact about myself, one of my main goals is to sail all seven seas of the ocean. To create an intimate connection with the ocean while sailing would be a true dream come true. That alone is one way to earn the respect of the ocean. But perhaps, an adventure to that extent has not yet fully materialized within my life. One day for sure. But back to the sailing trip, there were a few life lessons that I came across. While sailing in open waters, the waves of the ocean can get most people seasick; especially if you’re sailing against the wind. I often tend to easily get motion sickness. But in the moment of feeling each wave bring the boat high and low, left and right, rocking its movements to and fro—I realized that I was too focused on being solid like land, and not flowing like the waves. Therefore, in life, do not always be rigid and unmoving like rock, but be willing to let the course of life flow and flow with it as well; who knows, you might even like the ever changing course of life and where it could lead you. Do not resist but be open like the ocean. And that is what I did. Both within the sail boat and in life. I am no longer forcing my life to become the path I desire, but rather enjoy it as it comes to and fro. I will not sail against the waves of life, but accept them and let it show me its currents. 

When Friday arrived, we packed up and headed out first thing in the morning. I wanted to leave early enough to stop at Morena Lake. The drive from San Diego to Morena Lake was a pleasant one. I felt like I had encompassed the “California summer camping trip-esque” vibe. While the drive to the lake was delightful, the actual destination was very much lacking in enthusiasm. And this was due to the heat of the sun. Perhaps if I had stopped by another month later, then the sun’s heat rays would not have been so harsh. And I am not exaggerating at all. In fact, there was literally no one at the lake or the camp site; and this place had amazing facilities! It was just too hot to enjoy it. The ground itself felt like it was on fire. I had stepped out and touched the ground to examine the temperature for Theodore and right away knew it was not a safe idea at all for paws to walk on that terrain. We only walked in the shaded areas under the large trees to stretch our legs. With the disappointing result of our destination, we got back into the vehicle and headed to Phoenix, AZ. Once we arrived at Hoozhdoh (Navajo word for Valley; Phoenix), I met with my brother and rested up for a bit. Then we went to grab dinner at the OHSO Brewery+Distillery. This place had some fantastic drinks and food, as well as being very accommodating to dogs! The Brewery had leash-hooks and seating for our canine companions, and complimentary water bowls with water spouts that mimic beer tap-handles. It was safe to say that Theodore enjoyed his first Brewery. 

The next day on Saturday was the last and final day of the trip. Before we went back home, we decided to grab some breakfast at the MATCH Market & Bar in Downtown Phoenix. This place was so wonderful. They allowed my Theodore to rest inside with us and provided a complimentary water bowl. And the staff just loved him. I swear, this dog was the talk of the moment everywhere we went. With the fantastic accommodations, we ordered our food and were not disappointed. I had ordered the Match Breakfast which came with two eggs, potatoes, bacon and a bowl of fruit (swapped instead for toast). It was a great way to start the morning and the final stretch back home. Alas, there was still one more spot I wanted to stop at before leaving, and that was visiting my Nalí (Navajo translation: Paternal Grandmother). I decided to get her some delicious vegetable stew and frybread from the Frybread House off of West Indian School Road. The restaurant was not dog-friendly (which makes sense), but peeping inside the interior while placing my order—I would say it was definitely a pleasant eatery as the facility was packed with customers. Once the stew and bread were placed in my hands, I then left to meet my Grandma Rosy. She wasn’t feeling too well, but we made sure to have a wonderful chat. After a good-long conversation, I hugged her and went on my way back home. I would say this was a memorable trip with my beloved son, Theodore. There were lots of lessons learned and core memories gained; a transformational journey indeed. Have a great week everyone, stay safe, hug your loved ones, and enjoy the flow of life. Blessings to all.