by Beth Haley
A moment in time.
It remains.
I carry it within my soul.
It’s quietness in the noise,
It’s water in the desert.
I take it with me.
It remains within.
This moment in time…

by Beth Haley
A moment in time.
It remains.
I carry it within my soul.
It’s quietness in the noise,
It’s water in the desert.
I take it with me.
It remains within.
This moment in time…

by Beth Haley
“Some go this way. Some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the shortcut.”
-Alice in Wonderland

Examining the soul
Taking an inward journey
Looking within
Observing thoughts and feelings
Self-examination
Inner-analysis


When you are inspired, the work of creating just seems to flow. It is found by you in connecting with “why”. It is remembering the vision and passion behind your goals or projects. Why did you begin this journey or project to begin with?
When you know the “why” behind the vision, the steps to “how” just seem to fall into place, and you’re working in a flow that leaves struggle, force, dread, and “this is just too hard,” behind. It is a joyful flow of doing what you love to do, or have the passion and desire to do.
Reconnect with the passion and inspiration behind what you are doing. Enjoy your process of creation and the steps toward your destination can come together effortlessly, almost without you realizing it. Be in, and flow with, the joy of creating.
Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why was a goal set to begin with? Why did you decide to pursue a dream?
I’ve found myself in the middle of some projects recently thinking, “What is it that I’m doing again?” It’s easy to see the work involved and forget the inspiration and passion that started it all.
If you have gotten bogged down with the daily grind… remember why you began your journey!

The saying goes, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
I had found “Something Old” and “Something New“, and then nothing ever jumped out at me for anything borrowed or blue. Until yesterday.
Maybe I can find something borrowed next 😊

From the 13th printing of Heigh Ho for Halloween by Elizabeth Hough Sechrist © 1948
A little witch in a steeple hat
Once tried a merry spell,
To make the hares come pit-a-pat
From dingle and from dell.
And pit-a-pat, beneath the moon,
The shy hares peeping came;
The little witch in buckled shoon,
She called them each by name.
“Come, ‘Fairy-foot’ and ‘Sparkle-eyes’!
Come ‘Fine-ear,’ ‘Bob,’ and ‘Bun’!”
They gathered round in mild surprise,
But glad of any fun.
And when she told them what she willed,
They stamped and leaped in glee,
And all their velvet noses thrilled
With laughter strange to see.
What was the prank, do you suppose,
And what the merry spell?
The sleepy owlet only knows,
And she would never tell!
-Helen Gray Cone

by Beth Haley
If you get stuck or lost as you journey, you most likely don’t want to know where not to go. I mean, you’ve already been there. You probably want step-by-step instructions, or to be led directly to your destination. –Mark Tyrrell
The City of the Mind is a place that contains cities within cities, within cities: There’s the City of Depression, City of Doubt, City of Fear, City of Regrets, City of Stress, City of Bitterness, City of Loss… the list is as endless as the revolving loops and dead-ends are. One can get lost in these cities, looking for a map that leads to quieter paths and straighter roads, and each city has its own emergency routes back out.
More…found. What does found feel like? What does it look like for you?
Even cities that are familiar can seem foreign when you are stressed or traveling through dense fog. It can be difficult to remain centered and calmly plan your route. Strategy and logic? They flew out the window as the fog thickened and the steam engine of your mind jumped through the hidden pot hole. You were looking for the City of Hope, but now you’ve found a sink-hole somewhere else.
So, where’s the map?
I transported a patient and his wife yesterday through a torrential downpour and they got into a discussion on the difference between a pothole and a sinkhole. One said that there was no difference. The other one clearly stated that a pot hole is something you sink into and bounce back out of, and that a sinkhole is something you lose your car in. All gone. Bye.
…just in case anyone wondered what the difference was between the two. I never really thought about that before. Now I know. 🤪

The first Step: Where are you right now?
“Where are you?”
This is a question I have gotten often while I am traveling. “I’m between the last tree and the next tree,” I answer.
Mile-marker numbers are always a winner.
I’m not much help with feedback. But oddly, I’m not lost either. Somehow, it just works. A wing, a prayer, and “Proud Mary” get me there.
They stopped asking. Where is the fun in that?
Even though one can spend hours talking about the city that they are currently lost in (depression, fog, situations, disappointments, sadness, fear), what is needed most is:
Second Step: Now that you know where you are, where do you want to be instead? What is your ultimate destination?
Third Step: How will you know when you’re leaving that city behind? (I won’t be afraid anymore. So, what will you be, instead of fearful?). How will your thoughts change? How do your emotions change?
Fourth Step: What signs show you that you are getting close to your destination? (That supermarket on the corner with the big red sign that reads, “City of Hope’s One-Stop Market?”) What do your landmarks look like?
Fifth Step: How will you know when you’ve arrived? (I know I left that city behind because…) Touchdown!
Photos by: T.H. Chia and Andrew Neel

A little San Francisco today from the archives.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
-Theodore Roosevelt