Visiting the Krishnamurti Foundation + Library in Ojai, California

Looking back, it's almost like the book "Total Freedom" was a pre-requisite for this relationship. Barry read it before he met Sydney, and recommended Sydney read it when she got bit by the skydiving bug.

Total Freedom is one of many of Jiddhu Krishnamurti's works and it has shaped how both of us move through the world, see our surroundings, and has really changed our lives. When we were in Ventura and realized how close we were to Ojai, we decided to take the morning and afternoon to wander the grounds, read some of Krishnamurti's work at the library (his former home), and have some incredible conversations with the people who find themselves there.

Most notably, we met a man named Troy after we did our initial lap around the property. If you have a chance to visit the Foundation and see the paintings in the main building, most of them have been loaned to the organization by Troy. He's not native to the area, but when he and his wife landed in Ojai, he started coming to the Foundation property to paint different aspects of the land at different times during the year.

Let's just say our conversation with Troy was one of the most enlightened conversations we've ever had with a total stranger, and was exactly the confirmation we needed at exactly the right time.

This doesn't even begin to cover the significance that Krishnamurti's work has had on Barry's life in particular, but you can see it in his face at the beginning of the video - this man isn't in awe often, but that day he was.

I'd go back there every day just to see that look on his face!