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Ever Wondered What the Jet Stream Really Looks Like??? (Jet Stream at Sunset)

What a difficult and beautiful day it’s been. I’m still trying to make sense of it all.

Perhaps it all began on last night’s sunset journey. For three years I’ve wanted to run to the top of Bear Mountain for an amazing sunset experience. And yesterday, all signs pointed toward this day at the day.

And so, we began our journey…forward and upward to the top of Bear Mountain. Goal: be on top for the sunset.

Surprisingly, my furriest companion Pumpkin was moving quite slow. I even thought of turning back twice…but slow as she was, she wanted to keep going. Knowing we’re always we’re supposed to be, and when we’re supposed to be there, we plodded upward and forward at Pumpkin Pace.

Sure enough, 3 hours later, we found ourselves on top of the world…just as colors peaked.

And what a sunset it was…with howling colors, burning winds, blowing distant snow and streaks of color illuminating sky both near and far.

The glow on the mountain-top illuminated everything in hues of red, amber and purple. And off in the distance, not only could we see snow blowing up and off of 14,000 foot peaks thousands of feet into the air, but streaks of color, high above the sky…the jet stream illuminated for all to see.

It was a spectacle to bemuse…and then to quickly leave.

For when you’re at 8,300 feet, standing on ice, and it’s gone pitch-black, it’s time to head for home.

And boy what a journey that was.

More on today’s adventures in a little bit…I hope you enjoy your day, each and every moment and see angels on your path.

I know they were watching out for us on the mountain-top yesterday, because boy was that a trip coming down.

Smile, be happy, enjoy every moment, and live it to the fullest. You only go around once (perhaps) so you might as well make the best of it. Don’t live for tomorrow, but live for today.

Make it the best today you ever can, because you just don’t know if you’ll have tomorrow. So live today, with all of your heart, soul and might.

Be well.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler (02.02.09)

Sawa staring into a sky illuminated by shades of purple amber hues near the summit of Bear Mountain high above Boulder, Colorado.

More in a bit…

Colors bloomed just before the sunrise on yesterday's morn.

I've often envisioned this golden healing light, but never before captured it on film. Enjoy!

Without expectation miracles appear all around us. With expectation, even a parting of the seas may be seen as disappointing.

It’s just after 8 in the morning, and soon I’ll go back to bed. Today I have a big talk in Boulder, my first Boulder talk, though I’ve spoken all around the country.

So I’ve cleared my calendar and given myself the chance to rest, go quiet, and listen to the silence.

This morning was a beautiful run, and completely unexpected; though perhaps they all are.

I woke before my alarm, a sign to dance with the clouds. Sure enough, heavy, sagging, pre-snow clouds lay low by the horizon. I thought of staying in, tired still from yesterday’s mountain run.

But the clouds were calling, I had to go.

Yet I set out without expectation, or desire. If I caught a beautiful sunrise, that’d be fantastic and I’d thank nature for the beautiful scenery, moments, and precious pictures I’d receive.

And if it turned out to be overcast without colors or ‘sunrise’…then that’d be fantastic too. I’d run and dance with nature on the trails, enjoy the silence, a chance to rest my camera, then turn for home.

This morning was the latter, though for a brief minute the sky began to turn red. That was the exact moment I ‘woke up’…running on the prairie and plains just east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains color sprang my legs to life.

My little dog Sawa (I’m told she looks like ‘Balfour’ from the Never Ending Story) and I ran toward the open space, perhaps along ancient Native American trails, dancing between the rocks and over the snow as we ran toward the approaching sunrise show.

Then the ever-brightening colors, began to fade, reversing their previous course. And so did we and turned for home.

But the legs had woken up. For over a month they’ve been lethargic…more ‘dragged’ along on the runs than energetic. But by the time we reached home, a short hour and half later they were springy, light, and feeling strong. Perhaps they’ve had their chance to rest, and are waking up for the new year.

I was talking with a friend about healing yesterday. He’s recovering from injury and wants to know when he can run again. He’s working hard at therapy, but wants to set a goal. I shared with him a bit of my ‘secret’ or thoughts on healing. Believe your healed, give thanks for being healed, but set no time frame. Don’t say I want to run by March, or April or whenever.

For it’s ‘expectation’ and desire that get in our way. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to run again, and if you believe you can, then you will. But if you set a ‘goal’ or a date you want to run by, then you’ll veto the body’s natural feedback mechanism…if you believe you’ll run again, and let yourself heal, you’ll work hard when the body’s ready, and rest when it wants that too. But with a goal, you’ll keep pushing and pushing, ‘needing’ to work hard to achieve your goal.

This might sound great, but you’ll veto the body’s rest and recovery mechanism.

It’s all about expectation. If you let go of it, you’ll recover faster and achieve your goals sooner…as long as you believe you will. But if you push yourself, don’t listen to the inside, to your gut, and to the silence, then you’ll trod all over your body, mind, and soul’s natural healing desire to get you where you want to be.

This morning I ran without expectation…a beautiful run, whether colorful or not. Without expectation I ran unhurried, unshackled, and at peace. I was free to dance, free to rest, or free for whatever.

Free yourself from the manacles of expectation…let yourself heal, let yourself grow, let yourself dance, and let yourself rest.

Hit the pause button on life, listen on the inside, and see where it leads you.

I wish you a beautiful day, filled with unexpected gifts and treasures, health and happiness, dreams and pots of gold.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler (01.28.09)

What incredible peace we found on Bear Mountain this morning.

More in just a little bit…

 

Heading Out at 5 Degrees for a Joyous Barefoot Adventure :o)

Bye!

 I’m so excited, like a kid in a candy-store. It’s just over zero degrees farenheit outside right now, with a light misty snow falling. I can see a hint of color in the sky far above almost winking through the clouds; on top of Bear Mountain the sunset view may have been spectacular, or who knows, maybe was socked in.

 I’ll never know. And that’s okay.

 For I’m happy, honored, here, and alive.

And today was ‘gear-testing day’, a day to get ready for the wintry weather that’s settled back in. I’ve been lucky to run barefoot through most of the winter so-far, with only the occasional break here and there…and while I ran barefoot today (more on that in a bit) I don’t think I’d make it to the top of Bear Mountain and back (or even to the trailhead) with toes still attached.

And while I’m a minimalist, I like my toes.

And like the attached.

So I’ve been trying to figure out my equipment today. How do I run NEARLY barefoot in the snow and ice? I tried out my track racing shoes earlier today…no more than a mesh moccasin with spikes. They did great for traction, but the ventilation left them lacking in the warmth department. Though I wore the thinnest wool socks I could find, I couldn’t keep out the wind or snow…which wouldn’t work well for mountaineering.

I went to the local climbing store and invested in a silicone water-proofing spray and tried that…but it went straight through the mesh holes.

Then I bought a can of vinyl repair spray; I haven’t tried this yet, but will later tonight.

But then, on the way home I stopped into a scuba store (Weaver’s Dive and Travel http://www.weaversdive.com/)…there I met a great gentleman, Jeff Jones, who helped me find the most incredible neoprene socks as we swapped stories of healing and overcoming adversity. He sounds like a great guy, and I wish him well on his recovery!

I can’t wait to try these socks. I’m not into material possessions; I’d be perfectly content with no socks AND no shoes…but I also promised myself I’d do what I can to catch nature’s beauty on top of Bear Mountain and bring healing photographs home to share with others. And I can’t do this without a little gear. I’m excited to give these socks a try.

And as for running barefoot today; after a few miles running shod with my little dog Sawa I returned home, bared the feet and after ‘warming up’ took a half-mile jaunt sans shoes. At first they were cold, I warmed up by jogging around the block, returning home, running ten times up a flight of stairs, and then back out to the cold. Then the next ½ mile were pure bliss and freedom.

My feet didn’t feel cold…just a bit weird, running through the snow at 5 degrees Fahrenheit. But my trusty toes weathered it well feeling warmest at the end.

The challenge today wasn’t the run, but letting go of the mind. The mind’s often like an anchor, holding us down, preventing our flight. But if we can let go of the impossible, believe we can achieve, and see it in our mind, rather than the cant’s, wont’s, and no-ways’, then we can dance the most incredible dances…up in the sky, above the clouds, and above the snow.

Once I let of the impossible I had a blast, running in 5 degree snow.

You too can do the impossible. Let go of what you’ve heard and what you know. Let go of everything you’ve been taught and told. Instead listen to your heart, listen to your gut, and retrain your mind…see it, believe it, and do it.

The Wright Brothers could never have flown if they’d listened to others and let their minds stand in their way…instead they let go of the negative, let go of the impossible, saw themselves flying, and made it their reality.

And you can to.

Now go fly. You can do it. You can do anything your heart desires.

Heal, fly, be free, and be happy.

It all starts on the inside.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler (01.26.09)

Here’s my first attempt at embedding one of my YouTube slideshows into my wordpress blog.

This is beautiful inspirational Native American Music from Sacred Spirit - Chants and Dances of Native Americans.

The images you see are from sunrise on December 13 of 2008. On this date the moon was the closest to the Earth of all of 2008…which, combined with the pink clouds at sunrise, made for a spectacular view of the full moon setting.

I hope you enjoy.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler

I admit it’s been a tough week. Beautiful, but difficult.

But sometimes, or perhaps all of the time, our best learning comes from our most difficult moments.

On one of my three computer screens right now (I’ve culled down from 7…I’m a bit of a multi-tasker) is a tree in the mountains, a distant lake down below, and the most explosive golds, oranges, and red’s both in sky and in the lake I’ve ever seen.

It’s an incredible moment, but perhaps a bit bitter-sweet.

And that’s where the lesson comes in.

On Thursday morning I went up Bear Mountain with a friend of mine. It was supposed to be the last day of the most-unusual warm-spell I’ve ever seen in January, Colorado. I expected clouds spectacular, with an unrivaled sunset as pools of cold air mixed with warm grounds thawed by special early heat. And trails normally feet thick with snow and ice were now bare, passable, and relatively ‘easy’ for this time of the year.

And so, at 5 AM we headed up the mountain. Trouble was, my hiking partner’s pace wasn’t sufficient to get up the mountain in time. While I enjoyed the company, we found ourselves in the trees as colors exploded.

I took what pictures I could, gave thanks, then continued up the hill. Ten minutes after colors faded I came across a near-incredible scene, a nearby mountain with a hole in the clouds just above it…if only I’d been here sooner…was all I could think.

And thus, the bittersweet.

But the fact is, we are ALWAYS where we’re supposed to be. And while these images burned upon my mind, etched upon my psyche, and I wish more than anything to the morning back, the best I can do is learn, grow, and use to for the future.

And so, I use this experience to spur me on…for February, I’ll try climbing Bear Mountain every two to three days, in hopes of catching a similar scene.

It’s a beautiful thing too, I’d been feeling a bit stagnant and stuck, wishing I could see things from new eyes or vantage points.

I think when we feel stuck, we have two choices, either change the things we look at, or change the way we look at things. Perhaps I heard this first from Wayne Dyer…I’m not sure. But it means we can either change our situation, or change how we perceive or experience our current situation.

In this case, by deciding to venture UP the mountain instead of photographing her from a distance, I’m choosing to change situation, and truly give myself new vantage points and way of looking at things.

It’ll be tough, running up an 8000 foot mountain (or the top 3^rd of it) every few days may not be easy. But then again, I’ve heard of another crazy guy from Boulder who did it once a day for a year to make it in the record books. So who am I to complain?

And so, tomorrow morning I begin, Bear Mountain, here we come. Yes, Sawa and Pumpkin MUST come along too. It’ll be fun.

Remember, either change your situation, or change your perspective. If you can’t change where you’re at, find ways to make peace with things, view them differently, or use them as the incredible learning experiences they are. But if you can change them, and you want to, then take action, now, while the universe is calling. If your gut’s screaming, it’s time to get moving, one way, or the other.

Lastly, my host-mother Shinko-san in Japan reminded me that plateaus, and times we’re feeling stuck are often our greatest teachers and periods of growth. It’s sitting on that mountain top, or under that tree, where nothing’s changing and every appears the same, that the most growth can occur inside of us. Sitting on that plateau takes patience, takes diligence, perseverance and a change in attitude…but through this we learn, we grow, achieve peace and greatness.

Sit on that plateau, make peace with her…listen to the silence, the stillness, and then, when your gut moves you, take action.

Be the change you want in the world around you. See it in your mind, then make it your reality.

May you too have new vantage-points and mountains to come; may your days be special and your nights bring you peace.

Dream most incredible dreams. And build those castles in the sky.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler (01.24.09)

It’s Moon Day, Moon Day, Moon Day!!!

At 15 degrees day after snow, I found myself out my window, on a roof, and then down a trail before finishe for the morn.

It was a special scene…first with pink and amber blankets, covering mountains, keeping them warm.

Then Special Moon with deep blue sky and silver blanket-clouds.

And just before the sunrise, pools reflecting light from silver-ambery clouds. 

Then a magnificent orange ball of life, rising toward the heavens…and next, to behold, Giant Moon.

Giant Moon hung low above the mountains, just above the snow.

She waited for me to hit the trails, soon capture her essence.

Giant moon, bright white snow, glistening icy rocks…

Too much to behold.

Too special to miss.

I can only give thanks.

Ever Seen the Amber Glow of the Night Sky During a Heavy Snow???

I’ve been waiting for a big snowstorm to hit Boulder, Colorado. I’ve had a hunch one was coming, though wasn’t sure when.

 And running barefoot through the winter, while I love the snow and nature’s beauty at these times, I almost preferred one wouldn’t hit.

But nature has a way of balancing herself out, and it’s been an unusually dry and temperate winter, so something was bound to happen, sooner OR later. 

I went to sleep with cloudless skies and a near-full-moon beaming…I awoke early to find low-hanging magnificents dotting and rolling above…they glowed to the light of the moon, hidden above, but burning below.

By 4 am the clouds were even more prominent; they hovered low, but if they didn’t cover the horizon they’d make for an incredibly special show…perhaps similar to the one I’d ‘missed’ last week. 

Within half an hour all had changed…I lay in bed and rubbing eyes in disbelief… ‘perhaps I’m still sleeping’ I thought to myself…for outside lay a world of white and wonder. Was I sleeping? Was it real? And if so, where did it come from so fast?

I don’t believe today is the biggie I’ve envisioned in my mind, just a quick six inches and perhaps it’s done…but it was enough to keep the sunrise quiet and let me sleep in. While I love running and playing in the snow, there’s no contrast during storms and my ‘new’ camera isn’t waterproof. I’ve used my old waterproof Olympus Stylus for some fun snowstorm pictures, though she’s best when the clouds have just lifted. 

This combined with the need for rest every now and again (this is my ‘rest’ month, though I’m still averaging at least one and a half runs a day) makes for a great morning to rest.

Attached is a photo from my first snowstorm of shooting pictures.

I hope you find unexpected beauty this morning as well, and have an extra-special day. 

May your new week be filled with joy, wonder, and peace.

With love and blessings always, 

~Michael Sandler (01.12.09)

The Moon was Hiding - But Colors Were Not

No barefoot run today, but instead a peaceful, quiet, morning jog on the plains.

And it was ‘tripod day’ today…my first attempt at running with a tripod.

I’ve turned into a bit of a minimalist, carrying a tiny click-and-shoot, and the least gear possible…

But sometimes a little gear is a good thing; like gloves when it’s cold or shoes for the cactus.

Or in this particular case, a tripod when you’re shooting the biggest full moon setting of the year.

And so, I was determined to run with a tripod today; and if successful, perhaps I’ll continue carrying it for the occasional sunset or two…or more specifically, that time of night that seems almost spiritual, as the day’s light passes by, but the clouds re-illuminate with a late dusk alpenglow.

These shots are the hardest to capture, but perhaps the most sacred of moments…it’s when the clouds do a dance rarely seen by the eye…and oh what a special dance.

But today, it’s about capturing the moon, in all her glory.

I hope you spy the moon where you are, enjoy the sunrise, and the sunset to come. And if you can, stay outside just that extra little bit after dusk.

Perhaps you’ll see what I’m talking about.

With love and blessings always,

~Michael Sandler (01.11.09)