The Slow Down: Ojai

I lived in Ojai years ago and since I left, I haven't spent much time back there. Recently I found myself there again for a few weeks - and lucky for me were the first few weeks of fall.

Even though the heat still persists, there is something so special about Ojai this time of year. The soft fall light. Birds singing early in the morning and coyotes howling at night. Sitting outside under the moon and stars, surrounded by olive trees.

I watched the squirrels go nuts in the oak trees, had a friendly chat with a little fox one morning, and watched families of quail scurry by with their babies trailing behind them.

There were grapefruits and lemons to pick straight from the trees and fresh herbs to pull from the garden for dinner. Driving down the road, the corn was in bloom and the Topa mountains seemed to change with the light throughout the day.

There is a rhythm to Ojai that I had forgotten.

The quiet. Nature. Stillness. Room to breathe.

You don't have to do much there. In fact, I think that's part of its magic.

You notice things.

The birds in the morning. The way the light falls through an oak tree. What is growing in the garden. The moon at night. A fox who happens to cross your path.

Life feels a little less complicated when you're paying attention to what's right in front of you.

Maybe that's what I love most about Ojai.

It gives you no choice but to slow down.