Next stop after Tucson was Sedona on my way to Flagstaff. Sedona is absolutely breathtaking. I spent just a few hours there, and I wish I had spent more time. I debated staying the night there instead of heading to Flagstaff, but it worked out well that I didn’t. I’ll explain why in another post. Meanwhile, the rock in Sedona is absolutely gorgeous, red and thoughtfully formed. So many beautiful views. And it seems it is a wonderful mix of desert and forest all in one place! Even though I hadn’t been in the southwest for that long, I was missing that forest-y greenness I’m used to in Indiana and thereabouts. So it was neat to get the best of both worlds in Sedona — beautiful rock, plus forest, and even a bit of snow.

Sedona is rich with lots of art and artisans, so I decided to take the time to acquaint myself with some art. I visited the Sedona Art Center, as well as browsed the many jewelry shops. The city is also known to be a mystical healing place, and not to get all new age-y, but I took a moment here to reflect and decided to start to repair some inner thoughts and processes that needed healing. It felt like a good time to do so. I don’t know if it was this place or just where I was in my mind in regard to this trip, but I had reached a turning point here. I began to feel more grounded, more myself, more capable and slightly more confident. It felt like a returning, like greeting an old friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. But also like turning over a new leaf, making new commitments to myself, necessary commitments for personal growth and happiness. The momentum of that started here. It continues now. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back, but regardless, it feels good.