My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Well the damage to my car is costing me $380 and the raccoon got away. Called my insurance and my deductible is $500. I had some anger as I thought through this thing, both the insrance company and the raccoon. This is the first time I’ve filed a claim in my 54 years of paying insurance premiums. So, my insurance has yet to pay anything, they’ve only taken my money. Of course this also means I’ve never been in a place to need it and that’s a good thing.
“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.” Mahatma Gandhi
This morning I wanted to check my oil and this is what I found when I opened the hood. The raccoon seemed stuck with his head down. Honking my horn did not cause him to leave, which supported my idea he was stuck. I called animal control who sent a woman out. When she geared up to pull the critter out the raccoon would have nothing to do with it and went down and out. He has tore up the insulation which is strewn all over the engine, chewed through one hose and one set of wires seems to have some copper showing. I will take it in on Monday. Strange morning!
“The wanderer is one who gives priority to the duties of longing over belonging. No abode is fixed. No one place is allowed finally to corner or claim the wanderer. A new horizon always calls. The wanderer is committed to the adventure of seeing new places and discovering new things.”
John O’Donohue
I just read the above quote from O’Donohue’s book Eternal Echoes two days ago. It so rings true for me. Yes, call me a romantic but as I approach my 70th birthday in a couple months, I still have those inner urges, the desires of the wanderer. I’ve been in my condo for 20 years now, it is my abode, it is a sanctuary for quiet, a place to meditate, read and write, a place to rest my head and keeps me warm and dry, and it is a physical place. The wanderer does not have that abode but journeys toward those new undiscovered horizons. I believe those new horizons are a sanctuary, a place of quiet for us to discover. We can just be, wherever we are, even wandering. So, today I’m dreaming or longing of wandering.
“…the difference between confusion and ‘don’t know’ is that confusion can only see one way out and that way is blocked, while ‘don’t know’ is open to miracles and insights.”
This image was taken a few years ago while on a rainy walk. I was surprised when I looked through the viewfinder because of what the camera and lens saw was much different than what my eyes saw. My eyes saw the leaves and reflection both in focus but with the lens stopped down due to the low light, the focus was on the reflection. It was a great photography lesson for me. But, it also teaches that what others will see is not necessarily what we will see.