self portrait tuesday

yos7, originally uploaded by roxydynamite.

In the autumn of 2004, I did something I had never done before and frankly may never do again. I went on a 10 day vacation by myself. I rode cable cars, ate in restaurants, had a drink with a stranger. All the time trying to decipher what it was that I was feeling. The last few days of the trip were spent with my dearest, longest running friend ME. We both were feeling bad about relationships that had recently imploded. What could be a better fix than catching up with an old friend. I'd already spent a weekend at a conference in San Jose and a week in San Francisco alone, so a change of scenery was in order. So we hopped in his car and drove up to Yosemite National Park.
I was unprepared really. For the cold. For the hiking. For the sheer magnitude of the nature we found ourselves precariously enveloped in. Sometimes you have to do something that scares you. Alone. Find your precipice, walk out to the end and look down into the crevass. It puts things in perspective.
We are all such teeny tiny flakes in the universe. Taking yourself seriously and flouncing around really has no benefit. I have to remind myself of that all the time. Last week I was in full flouncing mode over family drama. Looking at this picture reminds me that it's not all about me. So I should just inhale, relax and take in the scenery.

Dip into the archives for more about why I went and what happened while I was there. More photos from the trip in my Flickr California set.

And make sure you cruise around the rest of the gang at Self Portrait Tuesday.