In July, I visited New Mexico for my annual trip. One of the new places I visited was some ancient Puebloan ruins at Abo State Monument. It consists of the ruins of a large church made of the common red sandstone, as well as a couple of old, roofless adobe homes nearby. The site was abandoned a few hundred years ago.
I picked up a small piece of red sandstone from the nearby river that runs behind the ruins. Shaped somewhat like an old-fashioned eraser, it is the perfect size to slip into my pocket. Once I got home, I realized how much this little piece of New Mexico means to me. I carry it with me every day. On particularly stressful days, when I desperately wanted to retire and move to New Mexico, I would hold this little piece of heaven in my hand, almost as if by clutching it I could extract some of the beauty and peacefulness of that state. It may seem strange, but this little piece of sandstone is my talisman, my connection to the life that awaits me once I retire and move to The Land of Enchantment. No, I don't 'channel' the spirits of the native people who once inhabited that area. I don't attribute any special powers to my rock. But having it near me brings me peace and serves as a reminder that this special place will be waiting for me, as soon as I am ready to move.
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