My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
This is a repost of a previous image but this time in color. I only have one image of this scene because sitting directly behind her is a man in a rocking chair. My timing was perfect because the next image I took was with him in his rocker.
“The ancient art of alchemy shows a way: Pay attention to your deep and complex interior life, become more sensitive about your relationships, consider your past thoughtfully, and use your imagination at its full power. Work from the ground up toward finding the work that will make your life worthwhile.”―
I’m sitting in a local coffee shop. The sun has just risen. It is cold but we have clear skies and sunshine. Sort of what you’d expect at this time of the year. We are transitioning from fall to winter. Earlier, on my way over here, the northeastern sky was alive with pink clouds, indicating the chance of snow this evening and into tomorrow. I’ve just described the exterior world around me but what about my interior life that Thomas Moore speaks about in his quote? At this moment there is a peace and serenity, primarily due to my investment in a spiritual practice. I sit in quiet each morning to let go of the chatter in my mind. I’ve learned to take in deep breaths. Throughout the day I pause to check in on my state of awareness and presence. It is just one way I pay attention to the deep and complex interior life. May you enjoy this day!
“A mystic is anyone who has a gnawing suspicion that the apparent discord, brokenness, contradiction, and discontinuities that assault us every day might conceal a hidden unity.”―
With all the leaves we now have on the ground I decided to play with some of my cameras presets. I like the miniature settings and may use that more often.
There are two kinds of photographers: those who compose pictures and those who take them. The former work in studios. For the latter, the studio is the world…. For them, the ordinary doesn’t exist: every thing in life is a source of nourishment. – Ernst Haas
This was taken at a local nursery back in 2011. My sister was buying plants and I was looking for visual nourishment. Amazing what we can see when a camera is hanging around our necks. I don’t fit in the first class of photographers that Haas talks about, nor do I want to, but I do walk every day in the world as if it’s a studio.
What a beautiful day we had yesterday. The temperature got up to 74 degrees so I got in both a walk and a bicycle ride. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea as bicyclists, skateboarders, runners, walkers were out in shorts and t-shirts. I decided to head out east of town and look for clouds as they were predicting a cold front moving in in the evening. I took this image about 6:00 pm. It had already dropped down to 50 degrees in about 2-3 hours. This morning, about 12 hours later, it is snowing and expected to continue into tomorrow with colder temperatures over the next couple days.
I have been interested in these two trees for a long time but have only been out here once before. These trees sit just off the frontage road of Interstate 25. so the traffic of the interstate is probably 40 feet directly behind me, the primary reason I don’t come out here. I like this scene but not necessarily its location. Hope everyone has a great Sunday and stay warm.
This habit of journaling has become an integral part of my life, a daily practice. I carry both a fountain pen (3) and a journal every day. At the end of the day there may only be a paragraph and some days a couple pages. There are days I just stare at empty pages because the words I’m seeking are hiding somewhere in those blank spaces or because of my busy mind I’m unable hear them. At other times a gem appears, a thought or insight. At some point in time I began journaling by first asking for words, desiring the gifts they are. There also was an awareness that these journals are now more of a letter, a prayer and a conversation with the inner essence of who I am. They are no longer called my journals but our journals. I also journal slowly and write in cursive to give the journals an artistic look, make them readable and at the same time it slows down my mind which creates another form of meditation for me. Anyway, these are some rambling thoughts on journaling.
I regularly use the bathroom located near the Legacy Lounge at Lory Student Center. It seems that as I enter the toilet stall, the toilet flushes. When I sit down, the toilet flushes. When I’ve finished my business and stand up, the toilet flushes. As I open the door to walk out, the toilet flushes. So, I’m for putting the handles back on toilets and urinals and asking people be responsible for their shit.