Topanga

If you leave my house and head west on the 10 for about 6 miles it will come to an end at the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the PCH or Route 1. If you follow it north up the coast through Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades, you can look out the driver's window and see the ocean like glitter under the sun. You might think Mother Nature is winking at you as you spot a few dolphins traveling alongside you up the coast. As you continue north, gratitude in check, you come upon Topanga Canyon Blvd. You can hang a right on this road and it will wind you through the mountains. Suddenly you feel very small, like the earth is surrounding you on all sides. Things like cars, cell phones, and radio reception start to seem silly and inconsequential. It's a little eerie, like you are transversing boundaries. As you curve through the jutting rocks, you will eventually come to a village of sorts, a small town right in the heart of the canyon, it is called Topanga.

If you decide to stop and take a look around you will discover something special. It may inspire you to think that if this little gem has been hiding from your awareness for so long, there most be thousands (millions) of discoveries waiting for you. And as big as those mountains are, they shrink in comparison to the size of the world and all that it begs you to unearth, to find, to seek. The notion that you are 20 minutes from Santa Monica is confusing, how could that be? This is clearly a mountain community. We are far away. Remote. If you venture down skinny dirt roads you will find kind folks that are living all sorts of experiences and lifestyles and wear t-shirts that say Follow Your Heart. There are log cabins as big as mansions, with windows just as large, right next to inhabited teepees, buses, late model motorhomes & trailers. There are fences made from reclaimed wood, horseshoes as art, and new purposes assigned to old objects. And horses, lots and lots of horses. Neighbors chat with babies strapped to their bodies, while dogs romp nearby. And if you ask nicely, people in Topanga that will let you visit with their wonderful animals.

After your baby kisses the horse and you are positive that your heart is surrounding you on all sides, you may need a rest. In the middle of town, there are quaint cafés filled with antiques and warm light serving organic food and strong coffee. When your baby begs for the chocolate truffle at the counter, you'll be relieved to know it is made from dates and completely raw. At your table you'll find a basket filled with mysterious reading about faeries, oracles and of course, the tarot. On your way out the door, you can choose from a bunch of cards in a teacup, each one has a single word message.

My card said Purpose. Topanga, I will be back...