“In this world of onrushing events the act of meditation – even just a “one-breath” meditation – straightening the back, clearing the mind for a moment – is a refreshing island in the stream.” Gary Snyder
One-breath
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Sunset on Weld County Road 90 -
A Sunset
“The artist has no obligation to make his meaning immediately clear to anyone who does not want to make an effort to discover it.”
Thomas Merton -
Some questions
Longs Peak at sunrise seen from Running Deer Nature area “I want to sing like the birds sing
Not worrying about who hears
Or what they think.”
RumiI wonder what went through the minds of our ancestors who were physically, mentally and spiritually closer to nature then we are? I ask because I come to these nature areas to find distance from the noise of the city but find my mind is consistently distracted. Were they capable of being more present than I seem to be? I’m aware the more time I spend out here the more present I can be. After a period of settling in, adjusting to this place, I hear, then see, the osprey soaring in the wind drafts, being pursued by a pesky crow. Next I notice a goldfinch that just perched on a bush nearby, singing it’s soft and delicate “swee-eet” song. I watch and am amazed at how quickly the birds can fly from here to there, silently. If you do not know what I write about then spend a morning in a nature area, listen, watch, be present, bring a journal and use it, and please leave your phone at home. Just some questions.
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… and journaled
Cattails at Red Fox Meadows natural area This morning I walked to Red Fox Meadows because there is a grassy area where I like to sit and journal. But, this morning I found a soft place to sit near a marshy area with cattails and red-winged blackbirds. The red-wings were putting on a free concert while snatching flying insects. A woodpecker was working on a cottonwood behind me. A red-tailed hawk sat perched on a distant tree scanning for rodents or a pigeon. I watched, listened and journaled.
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Notes from this mornings walk…
Cottonwood leaf from this morning’s walk Walked the dirt path at the Fisher Nature Area this morning
I wanted to have my feet touch Mother Earth, not concrete.Heard Blue Jays chasing one another with their raucous calls,
unintelligible gibberish, sounds angry. We don’t need that.And, the chickadees with their simple “fee-bee” calls,
one heard over here, then one over there, social distancing?A woodpecker drumming on some distant tree
They pause, listening for insects, then drum on.Can’t miss the two joggers in their bright colored running gear,
then meet half dozen dogs walking their humans, on a leash.With overcast skies, patches of blue and diffused light, and one
cottonwood leaf still holding on, made for a great start my day. -
A call to creative work…
Sunset along Fisher Nature Area “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” ―
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The Morning’s Mood
Empty French Press on an overcast and misting morning Good morning. It is misting and at 25 degrees a fine layer of ice is covering everything. As I took in the view from my bedroom window, I thought this would make a decent image that expressed the mood of this morning.
Awe and Wonder…
With eyes fixed on the horizon
I realize how small, insignificant
I am in this vast universe.Yet, within me there’s a sense I am
a part of all this, of being connected,
even though a small part.I cannot define, comprehend or
name this sense within me but at this
moment I feel this huge mysterious love.May we be the gift we were meant to be,
created to be. May we never lose the
awe and wonder of living this life!
