[Originally written 7/20/04. I think I got it right, then.]

It was 20 26 years ago today that I arrived as a new resident of Albuquerque, of New Mexico, of the Southwest, Atzlan, the Four Corners and the Rockies. Praise be.

I sometimes think of this as my second life, although it may be my third or more. Strictly speaking, my first life was from birth to six in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i. I have few accessible memories from those days (I look forward to old age dredging up more), but I can’t help but feel that living in a mellow multi-cultural paradise had to be a good start. Let’s call that my gestation.

In which case my first life took place in the area of Washington, DC — in and around Alexandria in Northern Virginia, to be more precise (accent on the northern, eliding the whole Virginia-thing — we considered ourselves in a separate state from Dixie).

Those 23 years were a great life with great friends. I can’t begin to do them justice here. And, unlike Death, moving to New Mexico didn’t end the things that matter. I hope it made my heart a little bigger that it might reach across the miles.

This life is … well, I don’t want to jinx it. I’m not really superstitions, but I am a devout Ironist. I know trouble is inevitable, I just don’t want to look back at this blog entry as the turning point. So, let me just say I’m grateful to the Universe for leading me here (and its agent, Merri Rudd).

I live in a state where people step outside when it rains; where we talk about that last rain and the next. Where people stop to watch the sunset, or a hawk or roadrunner. Where you can look at mountains 100 miles away or next door. A state where the calendar is set by the smell of roasting chiles, a thousand hot air balloons, a million luminarias/farolitos. Where the wind may drive you mad, but the weather changes hourly. Where people who have been here for 10,000 years were gracious to people who arrived here 500 years ago, who, in turn, were gracious to people who arrived here 150 years ago, 20 years ago, today. That generosity permeates everything. Thank you, New Mexico. May you walk in beauty forever. mjh

PS: It is also the 35th 41st anniversary of the first step on the moon. Ah-Ooo!