Conscious Living, Day 5

Day 5, by far the sunniest day of our trip to the West Coast offered a high of 55 degrees.  Our hotel was just south of Embarcadero which held views of the Golden Gate Bridge, which we crossed the day before, and of course, Alcatraz.

Our morning started early, with an Uber ride to Marin County Food Bank for a brief tour and educational perspective on the needs in the area.  We learned that 1 in 4 residents in Marin County live without food security due to the high cost of living.  More people than ever are dependent on the Food Bank. 

Next, on to our work assignment.  We created NHS assembly lines and bagged over 840 pounds of frozen peas.  The girls scooped, weighed, sealed and labeled a LOT of peas.  The emotional temperature after a very chilly experience reported feelings of joy and gratitude after a job well done, knowing that they were making a difference for a lot of people.  An important part of living consciously is knowing that it is not all about us.  This was an important lesson we repeated over and over again though out the week.

The secret to a happy and healthy life is balance.  The girls finished their week, after their morning of service, with full body massages in the financial district.  Conscious Women are poised with Thecla, a gifted body worker based in San Francisco.

After massages and a little shopping, we were off to the airport for a red eye back to the east coast.   Note the conscious awareness of SFO, offering a yoga room for their guests!  

 13 women traveling together for a week, encountering flight delays, missed experiences and other disappointments, rain and wind, motion sickness, mud and joy and beauty and fun, animals and service, independence, lots of healthy food and mindful awareness of just how good we have it when we see others struggling with homelessness and mental illness... this is what conscious living is all about.  We ride the wave of life, knowing when to hold on and when to let go and move on.  Sometimes we did this with grace and ease, and sometimes we baulked.  But all of it, we did together!!!