Date: 2005-06-29
From: Robinson Rd/Little Irish Creek intersection

To: Fullers Rocks
Miles today: 7.4

This morning a frog chorus on a pond at a ¢haunted¢ shelter serenaded me. At the top of that mountain I took a long break and ended up with sunburn on my back. While up there I strayed a bit and found a small plastic box. It was kind of exciting. There was a small notebook, which people could sign if they found it. Apparently at one point there was a camera for people to take a picture of themselves. The first entry was in 2001 and so far only one person in 2005. There were random objects in the box for people to take one and leave a replacement. Everything was beat up and wet. Old toys mostly and in a Ziploc there was a devotional from a church group that was on a short hike out here just a week before me. The only other 2005 find of this box. So I took that and left the book I¢d finished reading. The devotional was about love. I read it as I stopped several times throughout the day. I really enjoyed it. It quoted a Johnny Depp movie, Don Juan De Marco where he says,         ¢There are only four questions of value in life        What is sacred?        Of what is the spirit made?        What is worth living for?        What is worth dying for?        The answer to each is the same. Only love.¢And it quoted Max Ehrman¢s Desiderata (Latin for ¢Things to be desired¢).        Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste,and remember what peace there may be in silence.As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.Speak your truth quietly and clearly;and listen to others,even the dull and the ignorant;they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons,they are vexations to the spirit.If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain and bitter;for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble;it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery.But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;many persons strive for high ideals;and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself.Especially, do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love;for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years,gracefully surrendering the things of youth.Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe,no less than the trees and the stars;you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you,no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God,whatever you conceive Him to be,and whatever your labors and aspirations,in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world.Be cheerful.Strive to be happy. Max EhrmannAnd apparently one of the Hebrew words for wilderness literally means ¢the place where God speaks.¢So true.