I just got back from a weekend in San Diego. I went out there with family and friends to visit family and friends and to cheer my brother-in-law on for the Rock-n-Roll Marathon. It was his 7th full marathon.

It was beautiful out there. Almost everywhere we went we smelled the native star jasmine. The 5-day weather report I saw in the local paper had to be specific about the degree of sunshine each day would provide: patchy morning fog then sunny, a few clouds in the evening, abundant sun. It made me think of that song, "It Never Rains in California."

We stayed in the Gaslamp Quarter and enjoyed some local night life: Dick's Last Resort, Croce's, The Field, The Blarney Stone. We danced in the street to a sidewalk musician and took a ride in a pedicab. We took a water taxi across the bay to Coronado and the trolley to Old Town. We shopped at the Seaside Village and saw the aircraft carrier Midway that is now a museum. I bought my new sneakers at the runner's expo in the pretty convention center. My brother-in-law did well in the race among fellow racers several of whom ran in Elvis costumes.

The one feature of this town that really impressed me, aside from the fine law enforcement officers, was the MLKJr. Promenade. This sidewalk ran between our hotel and the convention center. On either side of the walkway there were several MLK quotes in stone plaques. I strolled slowly reading each one, sometimes twice to comprehend the big ideas this man was trying to convey. What a wise man he was. At first I wondered about the connection San Diego might have with Dr. King. After pondering his quotes I realized that no connection was necessary other than the city's desire to align themselves with his philosophies. The Promenade was also enhanced by a sculpture inspired by one of the quotations and fountains.

Here are just a few of the quotes I remember:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. "

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. "


I know that citing deep philosophies of educated men is much easier than figuring out how to implement them on a personal level, let alone a municipal or national level. Even so, in a city so close to Mexico, in a time when our border policies are in turmoil, it seems we could all use a little more of Dr. King's philosophies surrounding us.