IN THE NATURE OF THINGS

Black and white and grey
Return to the Way.

Just now, searching for a question rather than an answer, I opened my Wilhelm/Baynes version of the I-Ching at random. This is what I found on page 41:

9. Hsiao Ch'u / The Taming Power of the Small

...

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Return to the way.
How could there be blame in this?
Good fortune.

It lies in the nature of a strong man to press forward. In so doing he encounters obstructions. Therefore he returns to the way suited to his situation, where he is free to advance or to retreat. In the nature of things this will bring good fortune, for it is wise and reasonable not to try to obtain anything by force.


A friend emailed me a link that led to California Transect, the blog of a young man who, right now, is walking to Yosemite along the route that John Muir took not that long ago. See here for a newspaper article about Alex McInturff's journey.

To my great surprise, I just discovered that Alex walked through the tiny town of Santa Nella, which is where half of R's ashes are buried at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery. R's sister learned a few weeks ago that one of R's brothers placed half of R's ashes on the rocks, in the sand, and in the ocean at El Granada Beach at the north end of Half Moon Bay, California, where I met R in December of 1966.

In October 2001, the last time I saw R before the last week of his life, we drove up Highway 120 to Yosemite. Despite feeling ill because he was on chemotherapy for lung cancer, he wanted to see Yosemite again, but when arrived at the Highway 120 entrance, he said quietly, "I've suffered enough today. Let's go back."

Although R's ashes rest at Santa Nella and at Half Moon Bay, I know that one of the places he walks in beauty and joy without obstruction is Yosemite Valley.