Experiencing to share

I just finished reading a wonderful book titled, Sarah of the Moon by Randy Mixter. I have been taking advantage of the free books offered by Amazon's Book Bub and the free Kindle for PC application that my son added to my computer last year. Free is sometimes a good thing, especially when you live on a limited income.

This particular book was about a young writer who was sent by his Baltimore newspaper editor to tap into what was going on in San Francisco in the Haight-Ashbury district in the summer of 1967. This period was known as the "summer of love". Alex, was the passionate writer who lived among the tenants of a large house right in the middle of hippies, flower children and peaceniks.  This was a time when pretty much everything was free, including love.

He sent weekly articles back to his editor and learned as he wrote that drugs were not what the peace movement was all about. It began as a dream for global peace. The dream was ruined by the radicals and weekend hippies. It reminds me of what is currently going on in the world today. We all want peace, but when groups ban together for a cause it quickly changes to something completely opposite. Asking and expecting soon turns to demanding and the next step is innocent people being injured and killed.

In 1967 I was busy raising my two young sons and trying to make the best of a bad first marriage. We had just moved to Downey, California and hippies were not part of my life. I really didn't understand what was going on. Reading this book gave me a new view of life in that time.  It also served as a reminder that we all have our own path to walk. What is right for one is not right for everyone.

Oddly one of the quotes from the book seems to fit my life in general. It was "Alex was outside looking in". He fit in and was part of what was going on, but was able to step back and write about things he experienced from a detached place.  A therapist once told me it is impossible to be in two place at once. Wrong!

In an odd way that could apply to my life. It seems I am always experiencing to share, as if my life is a smorgasbord for others to nibble on. Like the flower children of 1967 my quest is to find peace.