Fall is always such a magical time for slow walks and stepping back into the past, isn’t it? My latest autumn stroll here in Colorado Springs led me right to the charming [Chuckwagon Pavilion plaque in the Garden of the Gods]. Back in 1933, the local Jaycee civic group kicked off a beloved tradition of hosting lively Western-style chuckwagon dinners right there. Even though those hearty community meals wrapped up in the 1980s, the lovely old shelter still stands as Jaycee Plaza, echoing decades of outdoor gatherings.
That spirit of connection carried over on a crisp trip up Pikes Peak. Though chilly weather stopped us at the 9,000-foot mark, finding a quiet, terraced mountainside park for some gentle movement meditation and a metta loving-kindness practice felt like pure grounding magic. It brought to mind wonderful walking meditations from past autumns—crunching through leaves in Barre, Massachusetts, back in 2024, and the peaceful pathways around Manresa in Pickering, which I’ve loved visiting every year since 2022.
Meditations-Pikes Peak Area-Walks in Fall-2026
Reflecting on these journeys across the map—from Xlendi all the way to Bobcaygeon—makes me appreciate how places stitch our stories together (Xlendi to Bobcaygeon). It also brings to mind Peter Drucker’s wonderful insight on non-profits as human-change agents: institutions whose true “product” isn’t a manufactured good, but a changed human life, a nurtured child, or a healed community.
It always makes me wonder about the community kitchens and civic groups that leave a mark on our own hearts. Do you have a memory of a local organization or gathering space—like those old Jaycee dinners—that brought people together around food and shared purpose? For me, it always loops back to the warm, communal meals shared at the Sai Mandir in Palam Vihar, Gurgaon.
