May 17, 2003 5:13 P.M.

Collage

For many years I have heard of a special attraction in the Los Angeles Area called Descanso Gardens.

It was just one of those places that was a little out of the way for me, and I never was �into flowers� much until recent years, and so�I never went there. Last month, a friend of mine who has an annual pass to the gardens, and is very excited about them, invited a couple of us to go with her. It is tucked up at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains and is in an area called La Canada. (Spanish: Pronounced La Can Ya Duh) I don�t know what the name means, but because of its location, and the sound of the name, I would be really surprised if it doesn�t mean �The Canyon�, or some such. If any of you know Spanish and the actual meaning of the name, let me know.

It is more like a nature walk, or a natural preserve, than what I had expected of �gardens�. When I conjure up an image of a flower garden, I picture it as being very designed, and formally planted. There are sections in Descanso which are like that, but most of it is more like a stroll in the woods, with beautiful blossoms surprising the visitor at every turn.

There is a tram that will take you for a 45 minute tour through the gardens, a small train for the kids to enjoy, and an outdoor terrace with gourmet lunches. The historical home of the original developer of the gardens now houses a small art and handmade pottery gallery, with the artists on-site. There is an informal rose garden, a small bird sanctuary, and groves of winter blooming camellias, which were the primary plantings when the garden was created. We were there a little after �tulip time�, and just as the iris were beginning to display their glory.

Descanso is a place of solitude, relaxation, and emotional rejuvenation. It is well worth going out of your way to visit, if you are ever in the area. I don�t know why I waited so long. Far too many times we live in an area where, within our reach, there are wonders and historical places which people travel to visit, sometimes from all over the world. And we think�someday�.

Deep in our hearts, we all know that life is truly in the �NOW�. And we need to embrace our tomorrows, and bring them into the �NOW�, whenever possible.

�Justathought�

Night before last, I watched a PBS presentation of the life of Viktor Frankl. He is the author of �Man�s Search for Meaning�. The telecast was packed with powerful statements made by this man who ultimately survived the holocaust by consistently exercising the one thing that he knew could not be taken away from him. That was his �power to choose his attitude� in response to all the horrors of the Nazi prison camp..

But there was one other concept which grabbed my attention. He spoke of how people go through life asking �what is the meaning of life?� Frankl said the important question for each of us, should be, �What is the meaning of MY life?� Only then will we know what we are to DO. And as long as a person knows that �there is something else I am to DO�, he will have the incentive to live.

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